CHICAGO – March 19, 2018 – PowerReviews, a leading provider of ratings, reviews and question and answer technology to more than 1,000 global brands and retailers, today released a new white paper titled “The Growing Power of Reviews,” which details how consumer dependence on customer reviews has evolved over the past three years. The report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers and follows a similar PowerReviews study from 2014, measuring how the importance of consumer reviews has steadily increased since 2014.
“Customer reviews have changed the way shoppers research, discover and purchase products both online and in-store. Brand-provided information is no longer enough. Today’s consumers have come to expect easily accessible information to aid their purchase decisions, and the number of shoppers who rely on information from fellow consumers increases each year,” said Matt Moog, chief executive officer, PowerReviews. “Our survey found that reviews have a larger impact on purchasing decisions than recommendations from family and friends, the brand of the product and the availability of free shipping.”
The PowerReviews study reveals insights into consumer behavior, their shopping habits and how they rely on authentic user-generated content. Key findings include:
- 97% of consumers consult product reviews while 85% of consumers seek out negative reviews before making a purchase.
- Over one-third of shoppers won’t purchase products in a brick-and-mortar store without first consulting reviews.
- Today, 50% of consumers write reviews for products they’ve purchased, an increase from 42% in 2014.
- The majority of consumers read between one and 10 reviews before making a purchase.
To read the full white paper please visit, The Growing Power of Reviews report or listen to a breakdown of the survey results in a webinar recording.
About PowerReviews
PowerReviews works with more than 1,000 global brands and retailers to deliver cloud-based software that collects and displays ratings and reviews and questions and answers on websites. PowerReviews unifies and amplifies the voice of the consumer throughout their journey, across all channels to help consumers make better purchase decisions and to help businesses drive conversion and improve products and services. Ratings and reviews are essential for consumers as they search and shop online and in-store, driving traffic on more than 5,000 websites, creating actionable insights to improve products and services, increasing conversion, and growing online site-wide sales. The Open Network reaches more than one billion in-market shoppers every month, giving retailers and brands the power to reach shoppers wherever they are. For more information, visit www.powerreviews.com.
