Is knowing a reviewer’s profile important?

For 60% of shoppers, knowing the age and background of reviewers doesn’t matter all that much. At the end of the day, if they’ve bought the same products or service that you’re interested in, every opinion is as valid as the next.  

However, for Generation Z, reviewers sharing their profile can have a huge influence on what they buy. 58% of 18-24-year-olds give priority to reviews from customers sharing their profile, so being able to demonstrate who has left a review for your business can make a big difference, especially if your target audience is on the younger side.

For so many people of the “Instagram Generation”, seeing is believing. Influencer marketing has taken off in the social media age, so why not give your reviewers a chance to submit their own picture and video reviews. 47% of younger people trust user-generated content compared to content obviously created by brands and it helps make your reviewers appear even more authentic in the eyes of younger shoppers.

What about their name?

If the profile only matters to the younger generation, it seems the majority of people (67%) would like the reassurance of knowing the names of the people leaving reviews. But why do we care? Simply knowing the name of the reviewer doesn’t mean we know them any better, does it?

We tend to trust strangers more if we know something familiar about them, such as a name or a common interest. So, being able to verify the reviews you’re collecting by displaying a few personal details about the person whose written it can actually go a long way to increasing consumer confidence. Nearly a quarter of shoppers would never trust an anonymous review, whilst 44% say they’d only trust reviews left by reviewers that are named.

Fighting the fakes

Unsurprisingly, 72% of consumers are worried about fake reviews. With Amazon and other review sites finding themselves at the mercy of fake feedback, shoppers’ confidence in customer reviews is at an all-time low. Being able to show that your feedback is verified by collecting it through an invite-only platform, such as Feefo, shows shoppers you have nothing to hide. Sure, you might get a few bad reviews from time to time, but showing both sides to your business means shoppers are much more likely to trust what they’re reading (50%).

A lack of negative reviews can be a huge red flag that what you’re reading may not be the real deal. Of course, there are plenty of fantastic companies out there who are delivering time and again for their customers – so a sea of glowing praise shouldn’t always set the alarm bells ringing. 52% of consumers get suspicious, however, if there are no negative reviews for the product or service they want. In fact, products with a rating of 4-4.9 stars are more likely to convert than those with only glowing 5-star reviews by a whopping 173%.