How Many Customer Reviews Do You Need?

Consumer reviews play a big part in purchase decisions for online shoppers in the US, according to a June 2008 Opinion Research Corporation study.

As reprted in eMarketer 61% of respondents said they had checked online reviews, blogs and other online customer feedback before buying a new product or service.  Of those who looked for reviews and other feedback, more than eight out of 10 said such evaluations had at least some influence on their purchases.

These numbers are basically unchanged from a Deloitte & Touche study that that we blogged about last fall.

What made the eMarketer report interesting though is that they identified the optimal number of reviews to have on a product page. According to a February 2008 study commissioned by PowerReviews and conducted by the e-tailing group, nearly one-half of US consumers surveyed who shopped online four or more times per year and spent at least $500 said they needed four to seven customer reviews before making a purchase decision.

If your company is selling products on-line then this is priceless information. By setting up each product page with 4-7 customer reviews you will increase your online sales.