Customer reviews are a great way to increase sales.

These tools are powerful revenue-generating assets for eCommerce businesses. They also build customer trust and create buzz to foster loyalty.

According to one study, 97% shoppers read reviews and almost 90% consider them essential. Amazon allowed customers to review products for the first time in 1995. This was initially challenged by critics because it could have negative effects on sales. However, product reviews quickly became an essential part of digital commerce.

Amazon may have set the stage for how consumers share product information, but the ubiquity of customer reviews means that all eCommerce businesses–regardless of size–need to make reviews part of the digital shopping experience.

We have listed 9.5 reasons below (we added an additional one–think about it as a hotel mint on your pillows) adding product review to you website is important.

You can easily add customer reviews to Wix eCommerce sites using any of the many tools on the Wix App Market.

Customer reviews are becoming more important in eCommerce

Customers’ reviews are one the most valuable eCommerce features retailers can offer to customers. Forbes reports that nearly 60% of U.S. customers cite product reviews as their most important eCommerce feature to help them make informed purchasing decisions.

Customer reviews have been shown to increase conversion rates by almost 140 percent globally.

The average Wix site that includes 3rd-party review apps experiences a 10 percent increase in overall sales and the size of their Average Order Value (AOV), within the first 60 day.

Online reviews of products are valuable even for offline purchases. Customers tend to go online when they see a product in person, a process called showrooming.

Here’s a list of top reasons online customer reviews are important: From increasing customer trust to increasing website traffic, to boosting sales and engagement to building customer loyalty,

01. Trust is built by customer reviews

Trust is built by customer reviews. Positive customer reviews can make customers feel more comfortable purchasing from your store if you are a new or small brand.

Product reviews also have a significant impact on sales. The more reviews, the better.

According to , products with at least five reviews are more likely to get purchased than those without reviews. This is according to a study done by Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center. Your business and products are more credible when customers leave reviews on eCommerce sites. These reviews are the modern equivalent of word-of mouth (we’ll get there in a moment), and allow customers to decide if they want what you’re selling.

02. Ranking on search engines improves when customers leave reviews

Google considers recent and unique content important when ranking eCommerce sites or product pages.

Customer reviews can be a tangible (and scalable!) way to deliver it. Customers reviews are often keyword-rich and context-relevant, which are two ranking factors Google uses to decide where a webpage should rank within the search results.

Non-seasonal product reviews from older customers have the advantage of being timeless, meaning that they can be useful over time. (Think blue jeans versus Halloween decorations.)

Google’s algorithm for ranking content favors evergreen, high-quality content. However, it also values fresh content. Therefore, getting product reviews is equally important as making sure your foundational products have many reviews. Both cases can benefit from customer reviews on your eCommerce website.

03. Site traffic increases when customers leave reviews

Website traffic is increased by customer reviews in many ways. They are a great way for customers to return to your site. It’s a great way for customers to leave feedback or product reviews about their shopping experience, and encourage others to visit your website again.

We’ve already said it, but we feel it is worth repeating: reviews can improve your search engine ranking and drive more organic traffic to category pages and product pages. This is especially true for longtail keywords that may be less competitive than broad terms (e.g. “women’s purple doc martens 10” versus “doc martens”).

Promoting positive store and product reviews is a great way of building trust and motivating people to visit your site. You can feature reviews on social media and in email campaigns as well as in paid ads.

04. Customer reviews encourage customer engagement

Online shopping is by nature more transactional than personal. Most of the journey takes place behind a computer screen. Customer reviews are a great way of personalizing and humanizing the eCommerce experience. Reviews encourage interaction between your customers, your store, and your customers.

Amazon’s decision to add product reviews over 20 years ago was made in order to build a community around online shopping. It was, according to all accounts, a huge success.

According to the Spiegel Research study 95 percent of online shoppers read reviews before making a purchase. Reviewers not only encourage customer interaction but also help shoppers gather information and assess a product’s value. They provide valuable validation for shoppers considering buying “riskier” items like a high-end electronic or home gym set.

05. Customer reviews bolster sales

Negative reviews can increase sales. Spiegel Research also found that customers who have reviewed products had a greater conversion rate of 270 percent. However, higher-priced items saw more impact from customer reviews. That’s understandable–there’s more risk involved with higher versus lower priced items. Customer reviews can also have a positive impact on sales of lower-priced items, increasing conversion rates up to 190 percent.

06. Marketing buzz is boosted by customer reviews

Buzz marketing is a method of creating excitement about a brand, product or company. Good reviews are a great way to generate buzz and FOMO (fear-of-missing out) in eCommerce. This is especially true when combined with influencer marketing and user generated content that features your customers prominently.

07. Customer reviews help hook word-of-mouth referrals

A word-of-mouth campaign is where a person recommends a product or brand to another person. This usually happens because they have had an exceptional experience. Half of all purchases are influenced by word-of-mouth. People naturally recommend companies and products they like.

Although 5-star reviews are admirable, it won’t be enough to get people talking. Word-of mouth is personal. It’s a thoughtful review on your website, a shared experience on social networks or an external blog. This can help you attract more word-ofmouth referrals. Referring word-of-mouth can help you build trust in your store and products, according to Nielsen almost a decade ago.

08. Customer reviews are an additional source of customer feedback

Customers spend almost 14 minutes looking through reviews (and responding to them) before they make a purchase. This shows how important it can be to get people talking (and writing) about their experience with your brand or product. Customers who aren’t sure whether they want to make a big purchase or have questions about purchasing from an eCommerce vendor may benefit from product reviews. Remember that 70% of customers trust customer reviews over advertisements.

Reviews from customers provide valuable context about products, such as sizing (does the product run big or small?) Fit (is it snug or loose?) ), fit (is it form-fitting or loose? You can learn all this information by reading customer reviews and feedback. Customers can benefit from customer reviews to get information not included in product descriptions or photos. They describe the product’s tactile sensation and the experience of the seller selling it. Did the product ship quickly? Was it easy to return the product? If your customer leaves a positive review about the product, it sends a message that other shoppers can trust this brand or store.

09. Customer reviews create customer loyalty

Positive customer reviews build customer loyalty and encourage customers to purchase from you again and again. (Just ask Amazon). Asking customers to review your company, sharing customer testimonials and highlighting positive customer experiences are all part of your customer review strategy. This builds community and loyalty.

It used to be said that loyalty pays off, as it costs five times more to acquire a new client than to retain an existing customer. This stat is a little outdated these days. We traced it back in a 2001 report from Bain & Company (a US-based business consultancy). Retailers must focus on customer acquisition and retention in today’s connected shopping environment. A good customer experience is the best way to achieve this. It will create loyal customers and motivate them to leave positive reviews.

09.5. Community building through customer reviews

It all starts with community. This is why we are making this (half) point. In 1995, Amazon recognized the power of customer communities. Today, consumers also know this well. Customer reviews are a source of word-of mouth credibility. They create buzz. They provide valuable feedback and information about your company and products.

Four inspiring customer reviews

Customer reviews should encourage loyalty and community. They should also encourage people to purchase. We want to end this article with some examples of outstanding customer reviews that Wix merchants have used. This will inspire you to build a strong foundation of customer reviews for your website.

01. Parents leave rave reviews

Bonsie is a line babywear that was designed by a therapist to encourage skin-on-skin touch. It showcases parents’ reviews right on the website. To display customer reviews on product pages, they use a Wix app market solution, stamped Product Reviews. This helps to encourage add-to-cart rates and discourages leaks.

They also have a dedicated Reviews page accessible via their main navigation bar that displays customer testimonials as well as reviews in dynamic fashion.

02. Bike riders love each other

Velocirax is a brand of bicycle racks designed for outdoor adventurers. Their website has a page that aggregates reviews from Facebook, Google, and other social media. This type of aggregated collection is a great way to convince new customers to spend that much money online, considering the high price of bike racks.

03. Reviews from customers that will put your mind at ease

Ruby Love is a loved brand of swimwear and period underwear. An app called Infuse Testimonials collects customer reviews (found on the Wix App Market). These reviews provide much-needed comfort to women who are faced with embarrassing situations when they don’t have the right clothes.

04. Other passionate paddleboarders can provide social proof

Surf Shack, a family-owned stand-up paddleboard business, uses Kubobuzz Review to add social proof to its product pages.

Prospective customers will be able to see a total star rating when they land on a page. Or scroll down to view detailed product reviews written by verified buyers.