37+ Online Review Statistics: The Ultimate List in 2024

Online reviews play a crucial role in shaping consumer purchasing behavior and business reputation.

But just how significant are these reviews in influencing consumer buying decisions and impacting business?

With that in mind, we’ll dive into some compelling online review statistics that show why online reviews are a big deal for your business.

Online Reviews Statistics: Key Numbers

95% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase.
93% of consumers say that online reviews influence their purchasing decisions.
58% of people would pay more for products from a brand with good reviews.
67.4% of consumers read between 1 and 6 reviews before buying something.
83% of consumers trust only relevant and recent reviews.
49% of consumers trust consumer reviews as much as personal recommendations from family and friends.

The Number of Reviews Consumers Read Before Buying Something

Sources: (Brightlocal, Bizrate Insights, PowerReviews, Brand Rated)

Top Reasons Consumers Leave Reviews Statistics

Consumers leave reviews for all sorts of reasons, both good and bad. Here’s a breakdown of the top reasons why consumers take the time to share their feedback:

56% of consumers leave reviews because of excellent experiences.
41% of consumers leave reviews due to unsatisfactory experiences.
38% of consumers leave reviews to provide more information.
29% of consumers leave reviews because a product or service is broken.
29% of consumers leave reviews because of an incentive.
22% of consumers leave reviews because they find products or services overpriced.
20% of consumers leave reviews to make suggestions.

Sources: (Jungle Scout)

Consumer Trust in Reviews and Recommendations Statistics

Consumer trust in reviews and recommendations plays a big role in buying decisions. This section breaks down how much people trust different types of reviews and recommendations:

49% of consumers trust consumer reviews as much as personal recommendations from family and friends.
37% of consumers trust consumer reviews as much as recommendations from social media personalities they follow.
28% of consumers trust consumer reviews as much as professionally-written articles by topic experts.

Sources: (brightlocal)

Fake Online Reviews Statistics

Fake online reviews significantly impact consumer behavior and business revenue. Here’s a look at the surprising stats behind how fake reviews affect us and the market:

30% of online customer reviews are deemed fake.
93% of consumers say online reviews impact their purchasing decisions.
Fake online reviews cost $152 billion a year.
54% of consumers would not buy a product if they suspected it had fake reviews.
82% of consumers have read a fake review in the last year.
A bogus review would prompt 28% of respondents to distrust other reviews and 26% to distrust the brand.
Fake reviews can provide 20X payoff, as reported by the Federal Trade Commission.
Businesses pay around $.25 to $100 to get reviews on their products.
85% of consumers believed the reviews they read were “sometimes or often fake”.
Customers spend up to 12% more due to fake reviews, which cost $0.12 per dollar.

Amazon Reviews Statistics

Amazon reviews are crucial for buying decisions, but their trustworthiness is often doubted. Here are some key stats showing how common fake reviews are and what consumers really think about them:

42% of Amazon reviews may be fake, independent monitor says.
More than 200 million suspected spam Amazon reviews were removed before customers saw them.
52% of consumers are confident they’ve seen a fake review on Amazon.
59% of consumers are ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ suspicious of reviews on Amazon.
13.6% of Amazon shoppers fully trust reviews on Amazon.
55.6% of Amazon shoppers somewhat trust reviews on Amazon.
24.6% of Amazon shoppers only trust reviews from verified purchasers on Amazon.
6.2% of Amazon shoppers do not trust reviews on Amazon at all.

Share of Amazon shoppers in the United States who trust product reviews on Amazon as of February 2020

Google Review Statistics

Google reviews give us a clear picture of what people think about local businesses. Here’s a quick look at some key stats:

72% of people used Google to evaluate local businesses.
86% of the Google reviews are 5-stars.
50% of consumers are confident they’ve seen a fake review on Google.
45% of consumers are ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ suspicious of reviews on Google.
Google has “blocked or removed” 56 million fake reviews that are policy violating.
Google removed 7 million fake business profiles in 2021.
About 20% of reviews are fake.

Sources: (EmbedSocial, BirghtLocal)

Top 10 Industries with the Most Facebook and Google Reviews

Facebook and Google reviews show which industries are getting the most attention from consumers. Here’s a breakdown of the top sectors with the highest number of reviews:

Services: 24%
Shopping & Retail: 23%
Auto: 18%
Health: 12%
Restaurant: 10%
Travel: 6%
Real estate: 5%
Arts & entertainment: 2%
Education: 2%
Sports: 1%

What Influences Consumer Decisions for Local Businesses

Consumer decisions for local businesses hinge on several key factors. These include the overall star rating, how recent the reviews are, and how they stack up against the competition:

85% of people consider the overall average star rating of the business important.
73% of people consider how recent the latest reviews are important.
60% of people consider the number of reviews for the business important.
34% of people consider how many different review sites the business has reviews on important.
76% of people consider the business’s having a higher average star rating than other businesses important.
50% of people consider how often the business receives new reviews important.
39% of people consider the business having more reviews than other businesses important.

Sources: (BirghtLocal)

Consumer Preferences for Local Business Review Platforms

Consumer preferences for local business review platforms show clear trends. Here are the most popular platforms:

72% of people used Google to evaluate local businesses.
43% of people used Yelp to evaluate local businesses.
51% of people used Facebook to evaluate local businesses.
30% of people used Tripadvisor to evaluate local businesses.
28% of people used Better Business Bureau to evaluate local businesses.