• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, November 27, 2024

Products continually vie for attention, and 28% of U.S. consumers say they always look at online user reviews before making a purchase, while another 28% do so often. The reviews are not taken lightly, according to findings of a new report.

The report from Reviews.org found 80% of Americans are influenced to buy (or not) a product or service based on a tested reviews they saw online.

The survey was fielded in September 2024 with 1,000 Americans ages 16 and up, and focused on online reviews and shopping habits.

While a significant number of respondents rely on online reviews, complete trust is difficult to come by. In fact, only 4.9% of people say they completely trust online reviews, and 89.5% still find them reliable at least half the time or more.

The study found 28% of U.S. consumers always check user reviews before making an online purchase, and 70% will abandon their carts if they feel as if they can’t trust the reviews before they buy. 

Now as the Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on fake reviews, Reviews.com put out a warning call for retailers and consumers to pay extra attention to verify reviews -- to ensure they come from real customers ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

Reviews.org’s latest survey found that slightly more than 5% of people say online reviews do not influence them at all, and nearly 70% of Americans have ditched an online purchase due to concerns about product reviews.

Twenty-eight percent of Americans say they always check reviews before buying, the pressure is on for retailers to earn consumer trust.

Some consumers will shop online one or more times daily. I purchase items from Amazon -- including food and personal products such as shampoo -- because it’s easy, two times a week.

Nearly one-third of Americans, or 31.8%, have made online purchases a few times a month, while 18.7% add items to their cart every week.

About 1.8% of shoppers admit that they buy online daily. And a very small percentage -- 0.9% -- say they never shop online at all.

Some 59% of survey respondents say they buy clothing and accessories online, followed by 40% who say they buy beauty or personal-care products online. Groceries and health products now account for one-third of all online purchases.

If you celebrate the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, have a wonderful day -- and happy shopping during the Black Friday weekend that leads into Cyber Monday.