The Role of Ratings and Reviews in eCommerce

The Internet is a daunting place to shop. It has been the site of many scams since the customer can neither see nor physically touch the product they are buying. Instead, only photos are available for reference to the product – and most pictures are retouched in some way. In such conditions, comments from other users, independent bloggers, or sites specializing in product evaluation, are important indicators. By regularly posting reviews of their purchases and experiences, consumers and bloggers have developed an advantageous informal certification system. The websites or products with the best reviews will be the ones that inspire the most confidence to potential customers. 

Consumer reviews than others much more influence some industries. The business sectors for which these ratings and reviews have the most impact on customers' purchasing decisions are housing, transport, food, and household appliances. For a company like Blablacar, the world leader in carpooling, ratings, and reviews are essential because it is the opinions of users that determine the rating of a driver or passenger. Drivers with the best ratings will be more likely to have customers, and customers with good ratings will be more likely to have their application accepted. It's the same story in the accommodation sector, with AirBnB, the world leader in short-term accommodation where customer feedback is vital for people who rent a room or apartment. 

However, rating and reviews have limits. The most important limitation is the subjective nature of the comments. Each user describes their experience from their point of view, which is influenced by various contexts. It is, therefore, necessary to read many comments before getting a somewhat objective idea of the product or service, which requires a lot of time, but it is useful for making the right choice for you. 

When all else fails, it is essential to shop only on websites which value your security. Export Portal takes the first step in safety, verifying every user on our platform to make sure our network is protected from potential scams. Register on our B2B international trade platform today, and protect your purchases from the first step.