The Importance of Online Review Quantity for Businesses

October 25, 2021

importance of review quantity

“Less is more,” but not when it comes to collecting online reviews.

While review quality is a big metric to consider when setting up a profile on review sites, equal weight is given to review quantity. Many businesses that depend on online reviews to drive conversions suggest that the number of reviews significantly impacts consumer behavior.

Increasing review quantity should be at the heart of your review assessment strategy if your business is committed to getting more out of your review profile. Having more reviews drives customer experience and product awareness, and shows you believe in receiving consistent feedback.

Why the number of reviews matters

Various factors come into play when a customer interacts with your product. Customers who leave reviews are likely to describe their experiences, likes, and dislikes. As a result, some thoughts might be expressed more strongly than others. Customers in their decision-making phase tend to read multiple reviews instead of focusing on a select few.

61%

of buyers would like to see 11-50 reviews before making a purchase.

Source: G2 and Heinz Marketing

Review quantity also helps ensure your business is seen as more trustworthy and authoritative. This happens as a direct result of the number of people reviewing your product. If you have 10,000 reviews versus a competitor with 5,000, prospective buyers are immediately drawn to the sheer size of your user and review base.

Enhances social proof

Social proof reinforces the idea that humans tend to follow each other’s patterns. When looking to buy a product, browse through customer reviews, and you’re likely to understand what people think of the business.

Products are constantly evolving to meet user needs. Potential customers also go through more recent and new reviews that align with their purchase timeline.

Whether positive or negative, old and outdated reviews are seen as a poor sign of customer engagement and feedback. This ties in with the fact that users tend to favor products with a higher number of reviews compared to product ratings.

Converts more customers

Customer reviews are known to increase a company’s online visibility and improve its reputation. Both facets help convert visitors into customers.

When there aren’t enough reviews for customers to read through, prospective buyers can get the impression that you’re not selling to enough people to receive feedback on your product. This perception can nullify the effect of qualitative reviews.

The importance of review quantity is evident when businesses evaluate the relationship between review volume and conversion rates. Although there is no magic number to how many reviews are needed to boost sales, the more, the better.

Improves review collection

Collecting reviews and customer feedback go hand in hand. However, getting both of them right can be pretty difficult. It’s important to get as many product or service reviews as possible to receive valuable feedback on your goals when collecting reviews.

While creating your review collection strategy, keep in mind that customers may not pick products with fewer completed reviews even if they’re rated higher. This is especially true for businesses trying to introduce new products to the market. Focus on the number of reviews more than content and stars or numbers.

To increase the number, incentivize your customers to leave reviews on your website and other channels. One way to do this is through review invitations. These are simple but effective in getting existing customers to provide feedback on a form or an email invite.

For best results, optimize your invitations keeping your target audience and communication method in mind. And don’t be afraid to send reminders and follow-ups.

Reduces the impact of negative reviews

Negative reviews are inevitable, but mitigating their effects is entirely possible. While it’s essential to get as many reviews as possible, put consistent effort into getting more positive ones.

Reviews spread like fire, so it’s always better to have happy customers talk about your business to attract new visitors. Positive reviews help prevent customer hesitation and overcome the effects of negative reviews.

When you have more positive reviews, the negatives are outweighed and your overall ratings increase. Make sure you reach valuable and satisfied customers at the right time (during or after the purchase) to write reviews.

Improves the quality of page content

Review quantity improves page content quality. This helps your website rank higher in search results since your content is user-generated and authentic. A large number of reviews indicate your content is user-targeted and engaging, making you appear trustworthy in the eyes of search engines.

User reviews are considered the best source of information and product credibility. Encourage customers to leave reviews useful and valuable to other visitors by striking a balance between review quantity and page content quality.

Emphasizes the voice of your customers

Modern businesses focus all their attention on customer-centric activities. What calls for a customer-first approach more than the reviews written by the users?

Reviews are a way of communicating with customers. They can act as a direct marketing source for your products or services. By ensuring that you develop strategies for collecting customer reviews and feedback, you’re indirectly investing in growing your customer base and building a solid online reputation.

Reviews matter when there are a lot of them

Customer reviews are a sure-shot way to establish trust, satisfaction, and feedback systems. Additionally, they show that you care about customer interactions and are willing to engage in a dialogue with them. Collect more reviews to create a strong presence and relationship with your stakeholders.

Reviews can do a lot more than just serve as a basis for new customers to purchase from you. Implement them into your business model by learning the future of reviews.

g2 profile
More reviews, better connections

Generate more reviews with G2 profiles to improve conversions.

g2 profile
More reviews, better connections

Generate more reviews with G2 profiles to improve conversions.

The Importance of Online Review Quantity for Businesses Reviews can make or break your business. Learn how the number of reviews affects your conversions, customers and overall success. https://learn.g2.com/hubfs/G2CM_FI091_Learn_Article_Images_%5BImportance_of_Review_Quantity%5D_V1b.png
Aayushi Sanghavi Aayushi Sanghavi is a Campaign Coordinator at G2 for the Content and SEO teams at G2 and is exploring her interests in project management and process optimization. Previously, she has written for the Customer Service and Tech Verticals space. In her free time, she volunteers at animal shelters, dances, or attempts to learn a new language. https://learn.g2.com/hubfs/G2Headshots_Aayushi_Sanghavi_ZOE1415-Edit%20(1).jpg https://www.linkedin.com/in/aayushi-sanghavi/

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