The State Of Online Reviews Among U.S. Shoppers

Reading online reviews has become an integral part of the US shopper’s path-to-purchase. More than three in four US shoppers go online to read reviews. Online reviews are the second most trusted source of information behind friends and family and actually rank ahead of peer recommendation in terms of being helpful in the shopping process. 73% of shoppers rank online reviews are the most influential piece of content ahead of videos, photos and blogs that lead to conversion.
US shoppers are most likely to read reviews when purchasing electronic consumer devices. 68% of shoppers seek online reviews when looking to buy smartphones, tablets and video game consoles among other gadgets. It is also common to read reviews during the purchase of long-term durables such as household appliances and automobiles.