A few years ago, our CEO, Tomer, was shopping for a camera online. He did his research, reading all the information and reviews he could find. One model stuck out because it had tons of positive reviews with people raving about how great the camera was. The choice became clear, and Tomer ordered that one. When he finally got the camera in the mail, he was sorely disappointed to find that it, well, sucked. He went back and checked out all the positive reviews that had made him buy the camera in the first place; they expounded on the amazing performance of the camera, its incredible functions, the amazing pictures it took. He realized all the reviews were fake.
That experience led to the birth of Yotpo. Tomer got together with Omri, our CTO, to develop a way to eliminate fake reviews and only generate real ones. What started as a way to battle fake reviews became an amazing tool for getting tons of reviews and using them to enhance your marketing and get tons of really strong traffic; a way to build the business of your dreams.
In a world where reviews have become crucial to conversions, it’s no secret that there are a lot of businesses that are faking reviews.We know more reviews will lead to more sales, but having tons of reviews means very little if they don’t seem credible. We had a hunch that perceived review credibility (in other words, whether shoppers think your reviews are real or not) played a big role in conversions, so we decided to test it out.
With the help of Billy, the head of our Innovation team, we surveyed a sample of just over 600 shoppers who made purchases from stores using Yotpo. We asked them whether they read reviews, how credible they thought they were and how that affected their decision to buy. We focused on people who actually bought something, so we could see the role reviews played in their purchase decision. The results were awesome:
More than 65% of buyers read reviews before making a purchase.
88% of buyers who read reviews perceived them to be credible & real.
Of the 88% who said the reviews looked real, 76% of them said the reviews affected their decision to make a purchase.
Why do so many people see your Yotpo reviews as credible? It’s simple, really.
95% of Yotpo reviews are written in the Mail After Purchase. This email includes an in-mail form and is only sent to buyers who purchased the product they’re being asked to review, so it’s basically impossible to fake. Reviews from the Mail After Purchase show up with a check next to the name and a Verified Buyer tag.
People can also verify reviews by linking them to one of their social networks. Then their picture will show up next to the review, adding that extra personal touch and degree of credibility.
At Yotpo, we work hard to ensure reviews are credible, and it pays off! Not only are your reviews really important to your shoppers purchase decisions, but so is the fact that they know they can trust them. Our verification tools and reviewer badges let your shoppers rest easy, knowing the reviews they’re reading are real–and, for the vast majority of them, that affects their decision to buy.
Do you think its easy to spot fake reviews? If you see them, does it affect you decision to buy from a store? Let us know in the comments!
Join a free demo, personalized to fit your needs