Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from the Retail TouchPoints website.
With ratings and reviews proving to be essential to online shopping, retailers are taking different approaches to the practice based on their target customers, their overall brand image and the products they sell, according to PowerReviews.
For example, Lands' End is a PowerReviews client that uses branded symbols instead of stars to personalize the shopper experience. On the other end of the spectrum, bath and body brand Philosophy takes a standard text and star rating approach to reviews.
However, brands like ULTA Beauty are taking a more immersive approach to ratings and reviews. Shoppers can filter their experience based on makeup categories and top-rated products. In addition to allowing consumers to share their overall comments, the ULTA site also breaks down reviews by pros, cons and best uses. If consumers want to get to the point of the review quickly, the platform includes a "bottom line" section, where consumers say whether they would recommend a product or not.
Nearly all shoppers (94 percent) consult reviews during their browsing and buying journey, and 86 percent believe reviews are an essential part of the decision-making process, according to a report from PowerReviews based on a survey of 800 consumers.
More than half (57 percent) of online shoppers seek out websites with product reviews. While shopper feedback holds a lot of weight for all e-commerce shoppers, ratings and reviews most impact mobile users. In fact, 70 percent of mobile shoppers said they were more likely to purchase a product if the mobile site or app they were using provided seamless access to product reviews.
Other findings from the study:
- Although positive reviews can help drive purchases, 82 percent of consumers specifically seek out negative reviews during their shopping journeys.
- On average, 42 percent of consumers write reviews, while only 32 percent of shoppers aged 18 to 29 contribute. When asked why they did not write reviews, 55 percent said they needed some form of motivation, recognition or a reward.
- During the browsing and decision-making process, approximately two-thirds of consumers read up to 10 reviews.
- Up to 75 percent of consumers said they prefer "tag-based reviews," which provide a quick snapshot of review keywords and shopper sentiment.