Online Reviews Trends and Statistics: A Comprehensive Overview in 2024

Suppose you have to BUY a HEADSET. 

What will you do? 

• Find the PRODUCT. 
• Check the product images and description. 

Done? Not yet. 

We still have one IMPORTANT thing to know about the QUALITY of products. And these are ONLINE CUSTOMER REVIEWS. 

Don’t you think it is true? 

62% of ONLINE US users check reviews before buying any SERVICES. (According to Statista). Customers read at least 4-6 reviews before ESTABLISHING trust in the businesses. 

All these online reviews statistics explore the SIGNIFICANCE of reviews. 

Do you want to know more? 

This article DIGS THROUGH online reviews and relevant statistics. 

Ready? 

How many people read online reviews

There are TWO CASES of online reviews. 

• Positive reviews. 
• Negative reviews. 

Do you know why CUSTOMERS take a LOOK at reviews? 

It affects their purchase DECISION. Consumers read reviews to decide whether to buy this ITEM. 

Here are different statistics related to ONLINE REVIEWS. 

95% of Customers read online reviews 

Suppose ten people check the products. 

Every 9 out of 10 people look at the PRODUCTS reviews. It helps me MAKE other decisions about the products. 

58% claim to buy more if there are POSITIVE reviews. 

89% of consumers say checking online reviews is part of their journey 

The buying journey of a CONSUMER ensures checking the reviews. 89% claim this fact. If they buy an item, they ALWAYS check the reviews. 

49% of consumers think it is one of the TOP 3 influencing factors for purchase. 

98% of people “occasionally” read reviews for local businesses

Different surveys show the READS of an online review. 

98% of people occasionally view the REVIEWS. It is up 60% from 2020. 

The average consumer reads ten at least reviews. 

An average of 10 reviews BUILDS the trust of a consumer. Most people discover LOCAL BUSINESSES through the internet. 

This fact is VALID for older people. Young people research more reviews before entrusting an AVERAGE LOCAL BUSINESS. 

Where people read online reviews

Review TRACKERS!? 

Google reviews are not a SINGLE review platform. Most people, as I know, only know about GOOGLE REVIEWS. 

Do you know why? 

Because GOOGLE is the first thing, we see on the internet. Reviews appear on the FIRST experience. 

But there are many other review PLATFORMS. 

Here are some statistics related to online review sites. 

• Google is the TOPMOST review site. 67% of the SELLERS prefer writing reviews on GOOGLE. It increased by 4% in 2021, reaching 71%. It makes GOOGLE one of the BEST review platforms. (A report from Statista)
• 72% of consumers believe in GOOGLE REVIEWS the most. It helps them find a LOCAL business and trust the company. 
• Facebook is Just behind GOOGLE as one of the BEST review trackers. But the gap is VERY HIGH. The review sharers’ percentage is 24%. Check the DIFFERENCE between Google and Facebook reviews. It is a difference of 43%. 
• Yelp rating is ANOTHER crucial factor for consumers. Yelp reviews matter for most of the CUSTOMERS. Around 7% of shares exist on YELP. It is the third most POPULAR review platform, just after Facebook. 
• Yelp had 224 million REVIEWS just in 2021. It has increased over the YEARS.

What percentage of people leave online reviews

I have a QUESTION for you. How often do you leave reviews? 

Not all people leave reviews ONLINE. Moreover, there are MANY POPULAR REVIEW SITES. 

Google is a GOOD site to leave a review for a local business. 

Regarding an ITEM on Amazon, can you leave a review on GOOGLE? 

Look. No, you can’t. It depends on the site where you have PURCHASED an item. 

So we have to DECIDE where to LEAVE REVIEWS. These cases affect the process of leaving reviews. 

Here are more statistics about it. 

• 74% of consumers leave REVIEWS on an online site. That means 3 out of 4 reviewers are there to LEAVE the customer feedback. 
• 34% of reviewers often have a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE of a service. One out of four leaves a REVIEW when they have a POSITIVE experience. 
• 61% of consumers say they review AN item in case of an EXCEPTIONAL service. 
• 16% of ONLINE SHOPPERS review products on requests. If a brand or sales staff requests to leave a REVIEW, consumers do so. 
• 17% PROVIDE their online reviews only if the brand changes its MINDS. Suppose their initial experience is terrible. But the second EXPERIENCE is the TOP CLASS. Then you might write reviews. 
• Only 7% of consumers don’t LEAVE reviews. It might be due to THEIR BAD EXPERIENCE. 

Why businesses need online reviews 

Consumers trust online reviews. It is a BIG opportunity for businesses to: 

• Increase their BRAND exposure. 
• Improve their customer base. 
• Win the trust of their customers. 
• Generate more sales

All these REASONS compel a local business to have POSITIVE ONLINE REVIEWS. 

Here are some stats that verify this fact. 

• 21% of reviews play a BIG role in business discovery. It helps the brand improve its online reputation. 
• 41% of reviews have a MODERATE role in brand discovery. 
• 25% of reviews have a SLIGHT role in the brands. 
• Around 12% have NO ROLE in the business discovery. 

Fake online reviews

All reviews available online are not ORIGINAL. 

Can you believe it? 

You can’t trust ONLINE REVIEWS by just LOOKING at them. Maybe you get a FAKE review, whether a good or bad review. 

According to Statista: 

In 2021, 2.7 million FAKE REVIEWS were spotted on online review sites. 

Out of that, 46% were five-star reviews. 29% were one-star reviews. 

Do you know the brand manipulates reviews? 

• Manipulate negative reviews to DECREASE competitor reputation. 
• Positive online reviews are often a TARGET to increase own brand reputation. 

Let’s know the detailed STATISTICS of the fake reviews. 

• 82% of consumers READ fake reviews last year. Younger generations FOUND a HIGHER RATIO of fake reviews. Aged 18-34 shared 92% of the total impostor reviews spotting. (A report from Invesp)
• 67% of consumers consider FAKE REVIEWS a BIG problem. 
• Google spotted the BIGGEST percentage of fake reviews. It had around 10.7% of the TOTAL fraud reviews. Yelp was SECOND with 7.1% fake reviews. Facebook has the LOWEST fraud reviews. The share is 4.9%.
• In 2020, Google removed 55 million REVIEWS. In 2019, the stats projected 75 million reviews. All were fraudulent business reviews. 

How fake reviews are threatening local businesses

Consumer reviews have CONTROL over the purchase. 

For example, I have to purchase SCREEN GLASSES. What I see at first are the positive and negative reviews. 

The next reaction? 

It is OBVIOUS! If the average star rating is 4.5 or above, I think about it. 

That is the main reason fake reviews affect the approach. 

The same cases apply to CHOOSING and finding local businesses. Here is some validity about this FACT. 

• Eight in every ten internet users go for the REVIEWS for business locality research. It is around 82%.
• In past years, 86% of people consulted reviews to find a BUSINESS. 
• Around 56% consult with the age of 18-54.
• One in every ten above the age of 55 consults reviews. 

It indicates the BEHAVIOR of internet users to an AVERAGE rating. A fake review takes customers in the WRONG direction. 

How online reviews impact trust

I even CHECK the reviews before making any purchase. 

• No reviews mean the PRODUCT is new and not tested. 
• Positive reviews mean I can trust them. 
• Negative online reviews mean I should not buy this item. 

There are many more stats showing trust in Good reviews. Here are these: 

• 49% of consumers consider it to be a PERSONAL recommendation. Believe in reviews as much as the references from friends and family.
• 94% of consumers check the reviews. If consumer reviews are NOT GOOD, they are unlikely to buy. 
• 80% of consumers say an average review of 4 stars is essential. It influences their purchase decisions. 

Importance of response to reviews 

If the customers have left a NEGATIVE REVIEW, they expect what? 

Customers expect businesses WILL RESOLVE the issue. Sometimes, consumers review AROUSE the company, sometimes not. 

Let’s know detailed statistics. 

• 53% of consumers expect the brands to RESPOND to their reviews. It has increased from 51% in a single year. 
• 46% of consumers don’t think businesses will reply. And it has decreased from 48% in a single year. 
• 97% of consumers read their replies of businesses to the reviews. 
• 45% support BUSINESS if it responds to their negative reviews. 

All these statistics HIGHLIGHT the significance of negative reviews. Even one negative review PLAYS A key role. 

The benefits of positive reviews

Consumers trust reviews, whether FAKE or real. 

I think you won’t believe me! Let me give your REAL-TIME statistics about the benefits of positive reviews. 

15% increase in the SEO by the positive rating 

Search engine optimization is the most crucial factor for a website. 

If you want to RANK on GOOGLE MAPS, have a reputation! And it is possible with POSITIVE ratings. 

As per the study, there has been a 15% increase in SEO for positive reviews. Conversely, more bad REVIEWS hurt your SEO and business ranking. 

25% conversion increases in response to a 0.1% review increase 

95% of consumers have an EYE on positive ratings. A single positive review has a POTENTIAL increase in sales. 

For example: 

If your positive rating increases by 0.1%, there is a 25% INCREASED conversion. You generate more sales. Bring more consumers. 

11 potential customers for one happy customer

If you make one CUSTOMER happy, 11 more will come to you. 

A study in the US indicates such behavior. A happy customer has an average of 11 additional customers. 

And if your RATING is below 3.3 out of 5, customers don’t buy. Only 17% of shoppers try to use brands with 2.2 stars. 

The costs of negative reviews

Online reviews affect the purchase decision. 

Whether it is a POSITIVE review or negative, what does the business want? 

They have goals of achieving RAPID progress. And it is possible only if the BUSINESS has a positive image. 

So a brand tries to avoid negative reviews. The power of negative reviews cuts down revenue by up to 10%.

Do you want the VALIDITY OF THIS FACT? Here it is: 

• A single negative review affects 21.9% of consumers. 
• Two negative reviews affect 22.3% of consumers. 
• Three negative reviews cut consumers by 15%.
• Four or more NEGATIVE REVIEWS decrease customers by 10.7%.
• 30.1% of consumers don’t believe in NEGATIVE reviews. So it does not matter to them. 
• Four out of FIVE consumers don’t buy services with NEGATIVE REVIEWS. 
• A lousy experience LEAVES potential customers from a brand. A recent study has explored 32% of consumers showing such behavior. 
• 64% of consumers say businesses have lost TOUCH of the human elements. Overall, 59% of all consumers believe in that. 
• 80% of consumers don’t buy from a FAVORITE brand after a bad experience. 
• A single negative review on YELP decreases revenue by 5-9%.

Impact on business Sales

Business sales depend on factors like: 

• Product Quality 
• PRICE 

The price is OBVIOUS on the product profile. But customer reviews indicate the product quality. 

Since QUALITY is more important, the sales graph shows an upright position. 

A site with some reviews is FAR better for consumers than no reviews. A study by PowerReviews has found it VALID. 6% of consumers are more LIKELY to buy products with reviews than no reviews. 

• 9 out of 10 people rely on online reviews to make a PURCHASE. If there is A POSITIVE REVIEW, they might buy a service. Otherwise, negative reviews hurt purchasing decision of a product. 
• 93% of consumers buy products based on REVIEWS. 
• Negative FEEDBACK from the customer decreases the business reputation. It can decrease up to 30 consumers of a BUSINESS. 
• An average person READS 10 reviews before making a purchase. It indicates a product with 100 reviews is more than 20 reviews. 
• Reviews can Improve up to 13% of BUSINESS ranking on Google. It leads to HIGH conversion and more sales. 
• 70% of consumers buy more products when the REVIEWS are from strangers. 
• Online reviews increase the CTR by 35%. That means more clicks, more conversions, and more sales. 

Customer review for B2B＆B2C companies 

A review INTERACTION triggers a response. It may either be a POSITIVE or negative trigger. 

Especially when buying BULK products, consumers can’t compromise DEFECT RATIO more than 3-4%.

Therefore, customer reviews for B2B and B2C businesses affect in the following ways. 

• Suppose a B2B brand has a positive rating. 92.4% of customers say yes to such a TRUSTED BRAND. 5.5% are not SURE whether to buy or not. 2.1% say NO to the brands with TRUSTED reviews. 
• 69.9% of B2B businesses believe their sales increased with TRUSTED reviews. Nine out of ten companies consider the REVIEWS as their priority. 

What’s Next

Online reviews influence 70-80% of BUYERS. Primarily the FIRST TIME purchase depends mainly upon the reviews. 

Around 50% of second-time purchase depends on REVIEWS. It discloses how critical the REVIEWS are. 

Do you want to know more reviews?

Visit our website. You’ll get access to ADVANCED statistics on different aspects.