How important are customer reviews to shoppers? Very important, as it turns out. The fact is, 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business. And 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
For nearly 9 in 10 consumers, an online review is as important as a personal recommendation.
Customers are likely to spend 31% more on a business with “excellent” reviews.
72% say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more
92% of users will use a local business if it has at least a 4-star rating
72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review
Reliability (27%), expertise (21%) & professionalism (18%) are the most important reputation traits for a local business
Estimated Number Of Online Reviews Customers Read Before Trusting A Business
| Estimated number of reviews | %age |
| 0 | 8% |
| 1 | 3% |
| 2-3 | 24% |
| 4-6 | 32% |
| 7-10 | 18% |
| 11-20 | 8% |
| 21-30 | 3% |
| 31-40 | 1% |
| 41-50 | 1% |
| 51+ | 2% |
86% of people will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews.
On average, a one-star increase on Yelp leads to a 5 to 9% increase in a business’s revenue. At the same time, a single negative review can cost a business about 30 customers.
The number of reviews posted every minute by Yelp users is 26,380
The percentage of Yelp users that have made a purchase at a business they found on Yelp is 98%
The percentage of Yelp users that visit Yelp because they intend to make a purchase is 80%
How To Deal With Negative Reviews
When you receive a negative review, here’s what you should do:
- Respond Promptly
- Be real and admit your mistakes
- Correct inaccuracies
- Highlight your strengths
- Write like a person, not a corporation
- Take it offline
- Provide restitution if it’s warranted
- Ask loyal customers to share their experiences
- Be consistent
- Understand How Rating and Review Sites Work
