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#2 of 3: Integrate mobile, branded sites, and ratings to address short term
functional drivers of online reviews

Mobile

Data Highlights
  • Three in five (61%) shoppers in the US prefer posting an online review using their desktop or laptop computers
  • More than two in five (41%) shoppers prefer using a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) to post an online review post-purchase
  • More than one in five (22%) shoppers 18-24 year old prefer mobile to post reviews compared to only 11% who prefer a computer
  • Just over half (52%) of female shoppers prefer mobile to post online reviews while an equal share of men prefer using a computer
  • Shoppers living in urban areas are the most likely to prefer using a mobile device for posting online reviews

US shoppers are more likely to use a computer – desktop or laptop – to post online reviews after buying a product. More than three in five (61%) shoppers use a computer to post online reviews compared to just over two in five (41%) shoppers who use a mobile device – smartphone or tablet.

Shoppers prefer posting online reviews using computers over mobile devices

However, the trend is shifting in favour of mobile, driven by younger shoppers – especially young millennials aged 18 to 24 who overwhelmingly prefer mobile device over computers to post online reviews. Twice as many younger millennials post online product reviews using their mobile devices (22%) compared to computers (11%). Generation-Xers are already using mobile as much as their computers to post online reviews.

Young shoppers prefer mobile device to post online reviews Female shoppers are slightly more likely to post online reviews using their mobile device

Female shoppers (52%) are slightly more likely to use mobile device to post online reviews compared to male shoppers (48%), making mobile a key device to focus on for apparel, beauty, and home, garden & pets brands who want to both monitor existing reviews as well as generate future reviews.

Brand Owned Websites

Data Highlights
  • Three in five (60%) shoppers prefer to post online reviews on Amazon
  • More than a quarter (27%) of shoppers post reviews on Walmart and over one in ten (16%) post on Best Buy
  • More than one in five (22%) young millennial shopper posts an online review to help others make better purchase decisions
  • Three in ten older millennial shopper posts an online review to share their positive experience
  • Three in ten millennial shoppers aged 25-34 year olds post online reviews to warn others about potential negative experience
  • More than two in five (43%) shoppers post online reviews to help other shoppers make a better purchase decision
  • A third of US reviewers are driven by an intention to share their positive experience with others
  • Just under a third (32%) of online reviewers post reviews to warn others about a bad experience
  • Almost two in five (38%) shoppers go back to the e-commerce website from where they purchased the product  to leave an online review
  • Around three in ten (29%) shoppers go back to the brand website to leave a review
  • More than one in five (22%) shoppers leave a review on Amazon despite buying it on another e-commerce website
  • With more than three in ten (31%) shoppers, Amazon is the most preferred site to post reviews amongst older millennials aged 25 to 34
  • More than one in five (22%) boomers aged 45 to 54 prefer posting online reviews on the brand’s website
  • One in five early boomers aged 35 to 44 prefer posting reviews on the e-commerce website they bought it from
  • More than half of women post reviews on e-commerce websites (53%), brand websites (55%), and the brand’s Facebook page (52%)
  • More than half of men post reviews on Amazon (53%) and online forums (58%)

Most reviewers turn to e-commerce giant Amazon when it comes to posting online reviews. Three in five shoppers visit Amazon to post reviews compared to less than three in ten (27%) shoppers post reviews on Walmart and less than one in five (16%) shoppers who post reviews on Best Buy.

Amazon is the top destination to post online reviews

Amazon’s prominence is not surprising because nearly two in five (38%) shoppers prefer to post reviews on the retail website where they bought the products from. As Amazon tends to be the site shoppers buy online, it is only natural for them to go back to the site of purchase to post a review. Some shoppers even prefer posting a review on Amazon despite having bought the product from another site or from a store. More than one in five (22%) shoppers prefer posting a review on Amazon for purchases made elsewhere.

Shopper prefer to leave reviews most on e-commerce websites where the purchase happened

While monitoring Amazon for reviews should continue to be a key focus for brands, they have an additional opportunity in generating reviews on their own website. Nearly three in ten (29%) online shoppers say they would like to post a product review on the brand’s website compared to online forums (16%) and the brand’s own Facebook page (13%). Older millennials aged 25 to 34 (26%) and older Generation-X shoppers aged 45 to 54 (22%) are the most likely to post reviews on a brand owned website. Female shoppers  (55%) also prefer posting reviews on brand owned websites compared to men (45%).

Amazon is the top review venue amongst Older Millennials

Quick ratings

Data Highlights
  • More than two in five (44%) shoppers rate the product but do not write a reviews
  • More than a third of US shoppers write a short online review after purchasing a product
  • Just under a third (32%) of US shoppers write a detailed online review of their purchase experience
  • More than a quarter (26%) of older Millennials only rate the product compared to less than one in five (19%) younger Millennials
  • More than one in five (21%) older Millennials and Gen Xers posts a short online review of the product
  • More than three in ten (31%) younger Millennials write a detailed review of their purchase experience compared to 23% of older Millennials
  • More than three in five (63%) men write a detailed review about their purchase experience compared to 38% of women shoppers
  • Men (51%) and women (49%) are equally likely to leave behind a product rating without a review
  • Men are slightly more likely to write a short review (52%) compared to women shoppers (48%)

In a mobile driven consumer culture brands should not expect shoppers to post detailed online reviews around their purchase and product usage experience. Ratings are increasingly popular with shoppers who want to leave feedback after purchase.

Nearly half (44%) of shoppers rate the product but do not write a review. Ratings are not only quick but give an accurate read into how the shopper feels about his or her purchase. This means brands should be monitoring ratings more frequently as well as integrating their own websites and apps to collect quick ratings.

Most shoppers rate the product, while some write a short or detailed review of the product

Older millennials are most likely to leave a quick rating. More than a quarter (26%) of 25 to 34 year olds leave behind quick ratings instead of writing a review. Surprisingly, younger millennials aged 18 to 24 are the most likely to leave behind detailed product reviews with more than three in ten (31%) saying they do so. This could largely be because they have the free time to do so as well as most purchases they make cut into their smaller wallet making it seem important to leave behind a detailed review.

Older Millennials most likely to rate or leave a short review Younger millennials most likely to write a detailed review of their purchase experience

Leaving behind a quick rating is equally popular among male and female shoppers. However, when it comes to writing detailed reviews, male shoppers (63%) are much more likely to do so compared to female shoppers (38%).

Men are more conscious of how they write online reviews compare to women shoppers