3 Principles Behind the Science of Consumer Reviews Effectiveness

Data doesn’t lie – increased positive consumer reviews do drive up conversion rates. In fact, giant online portals such as Amazon, eBay, Airbnb, and Booking.com, to name a few, have gone the extent of offering consumer incentives in exchange for consumer reviews. Because, for example, a product that has been highly rated tends to sell better than those with only a few or none.

Indeed, data showing consumer retail behavior in response to consumer reviews adds evidence to the science behind the relationship. But would consumer reviews have the same effect on your business? Below, I explore the psychological elements that give consumer reviews the power to thrust site customers into taking the desired action.

Social Proof

Cialdini’s social proof principle explains the effectiveness of consumer reviews. While we all want to be unique, humans are simply predisposed to follow the herd. We seek social proof that if others have done it, then it must be safe or good or of superior quality. When it comes down to having uncertainty in following a course of action, we’d rather rely on what our peers or other consumers are saying about a product or service. This is especially crucial for online purchases or bookings in which we are unable to physically examine a product or visit the hotel beforehand.

On the other hand, you are probably more inclined to watch a new film that is rated above 50% on Rotten Tomatoes over one with only 7%. That’s because you get the assurance that the majority (of reviewers) have given this film a thumbs up.

Persuasion Knowledge

Being aware that ads want to persuade you can be off-putting, because no one likes to be told what to do. You can hire the best copywriters in the world, but if your copy sounds too much like “Buy me! Buy me!” chances are you will not get far in sales. Consumer reviews, meanwhile, distract people from the persuasion in your product claims because there are reviews to back them up. In short, consumer reviews are a trusted source of information about a product’s or service’s quality.

Word of mouth

Word-of-mouth is a proven selling strategy but often overlooked because we hear it so casually, from parents recommending the best brand of cheese to colleagues sharing positive experiences about a certain software. WOM does influence people’s choices, facilitates the free spread of information, and as big data demonstrates, drive up conversions (e.g. sales). You’d probably need less convincing from a friend over a salesman when deciding over a car brand that your friend drives or the salesman is selling you. These scenarios demonstrate how source trust is a formidable element of word of mouth.

To conclude, applying consumer reviews in your marketing initiative is not as simple as jumping into the bandwagon. Rather, it is a science-backed strategy that taps into an intrinsic human attitude and behavior towards social cues. So on the question of whether consumer reviews could work for your business? It most likely would.