Consumers are more likely to leave reviews when a product is excellent than when it’s unsatisfactory. This is according to a Q1 2021 consumer trends report [download page] from Jungle Scout.
The survey of more than 1,000 adults in the US reveals that of those who leave product reviews, nearly 6 in 10 (56%) leave a review if a product is excellent, while only 4 in 10 (41%) will do so if a product is unsatisfactory for reasons other than arriving broken — 29% will leave reviews for products that arrive broken.
Positive and negative experiences aren’t the only factors motivating consumers to write reviews. Some respondents (38%) say they leave reviews because they want to help other consumers understand the product’s size or specific characteristics. Others (29%) will leave reviews if they have an incentive to do so.
Consumers take these reviews seriously. In fact, data from Bazaarvoice indicates that shoppers trust consumer reviews the most. Jungle Scout found that 71% of respondents were influenced by products with the highest reviews and ratings when shopping online, while 68% agreed that they are influenced by product rating or reviews that contain photos or videos.
But, what counts as a good review? A BrightLocal survey concerning local businesses found that for many consumers, a business needs at least 3 to 4 stars before they’d consider using it. Others require a higher standard of 5 stars. The recency of a review also matters to those who read them with many looking for reviews as recent as a month or even just two weeks old.
When it comes to searching for products, most respondents to the Jungle Scout survey start on Amazon (74%) or a search engine (65%) while only 38% go directly to a brand or retailer’s website. Some start their journey on social media, especially on Facebook (31%), YouTube (29%), and Instagram (21%).
The full report can be found here.
About the Data: Findings come from a January 2021 survey of 1,005 US adults over 18. For the information discussed in this article, respondents were able to choose more than one answer.
