The beard trimmer had only been used twice by my husband before it broke. If I’d looked at the reviews before buying it for him, I could have saved some money. Eighty-two percent of customers read online reviews before purchasing a product, according to The Pew Research Center. Just not me, it seems.
But I’m learning, especially now that I know that the number one reason why people write reviews is altruism. According to the study, the most common reason why consumers leave reviews is because they want to help other consumers. They feel that sharing information is looking out for all of us, a contribution to society, if you will. Gratitude for a product that was especially good or a person who went the extra mile, were also cited as motivations.
That’s vital for small businesses. As an author of books for sale on Amazon, I can testify to that personally. Without reviews, my books wither on the vine that is Amazon’s algorithm. One third of consumers won’t buy a product that doesn’t have any reviews, while positive reviews can increase sales by 20%, according to ratings specialist Power Reviews. Amazon product reviews are also the most popular and trusted, according to marketing research firm BloomReach. Even if consumers intend to purchase the product elsewhere, they often look at Amazon reviews first.
Reviews build trust. They might take a little time to write but anyone who takes the trouble, can be sure that their words will be valued. Given that the global e-commerce market size is expected to grow exponentially from $5.2 trillion in 2021 to about $8.1 trillion by 2026, according to Statista, that means reviews are going to be ever more important.
But getting started with a new product, presented to consumers for the first time, is hard for every business. That’s where the spirit of generosity comes in. So next time Amazon asks you to leave a product review, keep in mind that your words have a larger impact than you may think. I, for one, am grateful for every review from the kind people who have thought to write one for me.
If you happen to have purchased one of my books and are feeling generous, you can leave a review here. If you’ve already done it, I appreciate you!
