What motivates people to write reviews? A great experience, rewards and a sense of community

A large number of quality reviews will be absolutely crucial for brand trust and sales in 2023. How do you get your customers to write as many as possible? A new study of 9,000 buyers offers answers.

More than half of people write reviews several times a month

Make sure they're about you! The findings of a new study¹ from 2022 that gathered 9,000 buyers from all generations, from Boomers to the currently youngest Gen Z, will help you do just that.

What motivates most is a great experience

When a product thrills customers, 92% will immediately share it in a review. But unfortunately, the effect works the other way around - if a brand disappoints, 76% complain immediately.

Other motivations were also very strong

• 86% of buyers are prompted to write by a free product.
• A discount or loyalty points are enough for 73%.
• 67% want to help other buyers make better purchase decisions.
• 65% hope to help the brand improve the product by reviewing it.
• 51% write reviews purely because they want to be part of a community of testers.
• 25% desire validation of their experience by other readers.

The effects were identical across generations, so this is a robust, trustworthy result.

Customers are motivated most to take photos and videos by free testers

Visual content massively increases conversions and text credibility². If you're serious about review marketing, you need to have it with every review.

• Around 70% of people take photos and videos of products on their own, to show the high quality or functionality of the product. Unfortunately, 60% also do it to highlight potential flaws.
• In addition, 77% are motivated by a loyalty program benefit, most often a free tester.

Reviews are mostly written by loyal customers

If a client has purchased a product for the second time, the chances of them writing a review increase by up to 86%.

Writing reviews is also influenced by the number of recent reviews

A big motivation to write reviews is to help others. It's not surprising, therefore, that a massive 89% of buyers are more likely to leave a review for a product with few reviews to make it easier for others to buy.

Surprisingly, higher priced products do not mean more texts

71% of people say that a high product price does not increase their willingness to write reviews. For marketers, this is a clear signal that a premium offer alone is not enough for review marketing.

You have about a week to get reviews, act fast

Only 6% of respondents write product reviews on the day of purchase, with a massive 63% waiting up to a week. This time window is therefore the time for any writing prompts. And don't be afraid to write multiple times - while one email will get 68% of people to write a review, you'll need to get two/three more reminders to attract the rest of the population.

References

1. Team, P. (2023, February 7). What Motivates Shoppers to Write Reviews in 2023? PowerReviews.

2. Team, P. (2022, September 20). The Conversion Impact of User-Generated Content: A Complete Breakdown. PowerReviews.