Majority of UK customer reviews are positive

Analysis of Bazaarvoice client ratings and reviews supports growing trend of positive reviewing and high engagement from UK online shoppers.

A new study from social commerce company Bazaarvoice has found that online reviews written by UK consumers tend to be extremely positive, mirroring a trend seen in the US over the past three years.

Figures show that over four fifths - 88 per cent - of all reviews written by UK consumers were rated as positive - given four or five stars out of five.

This compares with 81 per cent of all US reviews classed as positive.

Bazaarvoice analysed 34,691 customer reviews across ten retail categories and 12 UK clients' sites - including Timberland, QVC, Early Learning Centre and Goldsmiths - which feature the flagship Ratings and Reviews platform.

The analysis also showed that UK reviewers were more engaged in writing reviews than their US counterparts.

Compared with US reviewers, 80 per cent more UK reviewers have written six or more online reviews.

Supported by research on US shoppers conducted by The KellerFay Group, reviewers are proactively airing their views about products to aid the shopping decisions of others.

This latest data suggests that social commerce applications and other efforts to connect with brand loyalists in the UK have an equal or greater chance of success than they do in the US; an early adopter of customer-generated content.

Another recent study, conducted by Bazaarvoice and Jupiter Research, found that trusting fellow buyers' comments in the online shopping process was rated highest - 70 per cent of online users said they found ratings and reviews the most helpful feature when researching products.

"These studies reflect the fact that UK consumers are highly positive and engaged online reviewers when provided with the opportunity to air their views," said Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer at Bazaarvoice.

"UK retailers who capitalise on consumers' adoption of and demand for these capabilities are seeing measurable benefits.

"As we've seen in the US, social technologies like ratings and reviews are becoming a competitive "must have" for online retailers who want customers to make a purchase decision on their site".

Bazaarvoice has over 190 clients worldwide and supports over 20 languages.

Its Ratings and Reviews technology has been proven to drive measurable benefits such as site and email conversion, reduced product return rates and increased natural search traffic.

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