The Power of Verified Reviews in Shaping Buying Decisions and Building Brand Trust

Product reviews are a vital touchpoint in shaping consumer purchasing decisions, but also in shaping business and product development decisions as well as brand perceptions. For businesses, reviews are an invaluable source of feedback, offering insights that can improve products, enhance customer service, bolster their brand, and ultimately drive more sales. For consumers, reviews can provide an authentic look at products from real users, empowering them to make informed decisions before hitting “buy.”

Our recent study at AMC Global highlights just how important product reviews—especially verified purchaser reviews—are in building consumer confidence, particularly for high-ticket items like electronics and small appliances. This growing trend reinforces the broader shift toward transparency and authenticity in today’s shopping experience, with consumers increasingly turning to trusted sources. So, where are they looking for these reviews?

Seeking the Right Reviews

Insights from our study reveal that 68% of consumers turn to Amazon for product reviews, followed by popular platforms like social media (50%), YouTube (48%), and brand websites (47%). These platforms have become trusted sources of information, with consumers increasingly relying on user-generated content to inform their purchasing decisions. The study also finds that two-thirds (66%) of consumers feel confident in their purchase with just 100 reviews available, emphasizing that it’s not the quantity but the quality of reviews that truly matters to shoppers.

However, a recent article from Customer Experience Dive highlights a growing issue: While reviews are essential for informed decision-making, an overwhelming number of them—especially when there is an excess of paid or incentivized reviews—can actually create confusion. This can make it difficult for shoppers to distinguish between what’s truly valuable and what’s not. As a result, it’s crucial for brands to provide concise, relevant, and verified reviews that effectively guide consumers without overwhelming them.

Reviews Are a Key Factor for Purchase Decisions

Product reviews are most definitely a key factor in decision-making. According to Reputation, a reputation performance management consultancy, product reviews have become one of the most powerful drivers of consumer decision-making, surpassing traditional influences like company marketing, influencer opinions, and even recommendations from friends and family. This growing reliance on reviews places them firmly at the top of the decision-making pyramid. Whether online or in-store, reviews are often the first thing consumers check—with positive feedback fostering trust and negative comments serving as a red flag. In brick-and-mortar stores, shoppers are increasingly turning to their smartphones to read reviews, often scanning QR codes or visiting retailer and third-party websites to inform their purchases. This highlights how seamlessly reviews have become integrated into the entire shopping journey, no matter what they are shopping for at the moment.

Top Areas Where Reviews Are Consulted

A recent analysis from Harvard Business Review reveals that consumer reviews have the greatest influence on high-involvement products, such as electronics and appliances, where authenticity and reliability from verified purchasers are highly valued. For these products, reviews play a critical role in decision-making. And reviews have a slightly lesser impact on low-involvement or lower-ticket items, where consumers are more likely to prioritize factors like brand reputation or price.

In fact, AMC Global’s study found that 54% of consumers consider reviews essential when purchasing electronics, while 51% rely heavily on reviews for small appliances. These categories, being high-value purchases, naturally carry more weight in the research process, highlighting the importance of trusted feedback. Reviews still influence sectors such as beauty and personal care (41% and 36%, respectively) or packaged goods (25%), but their role is somewhat less decisive compared to high-ticket items. But how those reviews are delivered matters regardless of the product category.

Verified Purchaser Reviews

There is growing concern among consumers about the authenticity of online reviews. As information becomes more accessible, distinguishing between genuine and fake reviews has become increasingly challenging, and consumers are skeptical. With this growing difficulty, it is not surprising that our consumer study found a strong preference for verified purchaser reviews. These reviews—submitted by real, verified buyers—carry far more weight than incentivized or promotional reviews, and are easier to determine whether they contain authentic feedback. Consumers trust them more, and these reviews are integral in building both brand trust and confidence in the product’s effectiveness.

Verified purchaser reviews are increasingly seen as the gold standard, offering consumers the assurance that they are receiving unbiased, real-world insights into a product’s performance and quality.

• Brands that can provide verified purchaser reviews are not just building a repository of feedback—they are laying the groundwork for trust and transparency. Studies show that trust is the most important factor in a consumer’s decision to make a purchase, with two-thirds of consumers saying they would avoid a brand that they perceive as untrustworthy.
• Verified purchaser reviews give shoppers the confidence they need, particularly when products come with a significant financial commitment.

Reviews Integral to Brand and Product Success

Product reviews have evolved from a simple feature to a central component of the consumer shopping experience. As product reviews continue to strongly inform purchasing behavior, brands must ensure their review systems are transparent and authentic. The shift toward verified purchaser feedback is not just a preference—it’s a necessity for brands that want to succeed in a market driven by informed and discerning consumers.