Xin Ou
Research expert covering Greater China
Online reviews in e-commerce - statistics & facts
There was perhaps some truth in Oscar Wilde’s quote ‘There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about’ . Now that opinions have moved to the internet, businesses are able to monitor consumers’ views about their products. More than that, online retailers can ask customers to review their purchases. Either left spontaneously or pushed for by companies, online reviews represent a key post-purchase pillar and probably one of the last steps in the online customer journey.
Online reviews have long proven their significance in e-commerce. For consumers, they are a vital indicator of trustworthiness, and provide a unique way to interact with brands. For the merchants, reviews give invaluable feedback on product quality and the consumer journey offered. This makes the impact of artificial intelligence all the more relevant for how reviews will be written, aggregated, and perceived in the years to come.
Online opinions make the difference
Reading other people’s referrals can be seen as the digital equivalent of testing and trying out products in physical stores. Whether posted in text or score format, online reviews help with product discovery and drive purchase decisions. Looking at fashion shopping behavior in the United States, Gen Z consumers are the most attentive to user-generated content, whereas Baby Boomers are less interested in them. When it comes to beauty products, written reviews and assigned ratings are even more relevant than product information or videos. As off- and online channels have often blurred boundaries, online reviews impact in-store shopping, too. In France, nearly 40 percent of online consumers read online reviews before purchasing offline.Let shoppers give their feedback
When shopping activity intensifies during holiday season, shoppers tend to naturally leave a higher number of reviews on marketplaces, as figures for consumer electronics suggest. On Amazon, the number of reviews is a key metric in sellers’ rankings and an acknowledged factor in pushing sales and conversions. Outside of big marketplaces, social media is the natural environment for online reviews, as companies can directly reply to users - a feature considered important by over 45 percent of shoppers in Europe. Merchants willing to gather deeper insights about shopping experience should not neglect customers’ feedback. In most cases, completing a survey might require incentives and proper discounts, but roughly half of consumers are happy to share their thoughts with companies and advise other potential buyers.Gen AI and product reviews
The times of scrolling through hundreds of reviews could be over, as generative AI provides automated summaries of product reviews – a feature that is preferred by over one-third of shoppers. However, over half of worldwide shoppers fear that AI could go from optimizing reviews to generating completely fake ones. AI-generated reviews could alter perceptions about brands and products while undermining consumers’ trust in online reviews.Online reviews have long proven their significance in e-commerce. For consumers, they are a vital indicator of trustworthiness, and provide a unique way to interact with brands. For the merchants, reviews give invaluable feedback on product quality and the consumer journey offered. This makes the impact of artificial intelligence all the more relevant for how reviews will be written, aggregated, and perceived in the years to come.
