Relying on Reviews

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Reliance on product reviews is growing. According to NRF’s report “The Power of Reviews,” 95% of consumers consult customer reviews and, of those, 24% consult reviews for every single purchase. For consumers ages 18-44, that number is 30%. More than half of online shoppers (57%) reported specifically seeking out websites that include product reviews, while 70% of mobile shoppers (and 77% of Millennials) reported being more likely to make a purchase if the mobile site or app they’re using has reviews. More than half (53%) of consumers consider retailer sites to be the most trustworthy source of reviews, followed by media outlets at 39%. Most consumers want to see the negative reviews, too. In fact, 82% specifically seek out bad reviews and the percentage jumps to 86% for consumers under the age of 45. Although most consumers read reviews, just 42% leave their own feedback about the products they buy. GP