Negative reviews are especially important to the trust factor. Online shoppers in the UK said they are more likely to trust online consumer reviews when a review includes the pros and cons of specific product attributes; when there is a mix of positive and negative reviews, and when the review is comprehensive and well-written.

Our research also shows that the use of reviews is widespread among the most desirable buyers, popular with consumers over 24 years old and higher-income consumers - cited as those who earn £45K or more annually. Also, shoppers who have been online for more than two years find customer reviews one of the most helpful sources for product quality or performance.

While these facts alone should spur online brands to consider ratings and reviews as a ‘must have’ for their sites, Bazaarvoice wanted to go further to demonstrate and understand why online consumers write reviews. Our study with Keller Fay, a US-based research firm specialising in the measurement of word of mouth, gave us insights into the motives behind reviewers.

We found that, overwhelmingly, reviewers are motivated by goodwill and positive sentiment. 90% write reviews in order to help others make better buying decisions and more than 70% want to help companies improve the products they build and carry. The study also revealed that 79% write reviews in order to reward a company, and 87% of the reviews are generally positive in tone.

This is encouraging news for brands afraid of negative reviews. But there’s more evidence to eliminate this fear which affirms the aforementioned research. Bazaarvoice has several UK clients that have implemented ratings and reviews on their sites, including Figleaves, Boden, Halfords, Early Learning Centre and Goldsmiths. When analysing all review content, we found that 88% of all product ratings are at least four stars out of five – rated ‘good’ or ‘very good.’ This is a trend we’ve seen this across our US client reviews as well, but it is even higher in the UK.

Despite the good news, some companies still feel uncertain about allowing their customers to share views on their websites. What if consumers want to say something vulgar or off-topic? In this case, it’s critical to have all content moderated by a disinterested third party. Such moderation should not preclude any negative product reviews from showing up on a site – these are critical to maintaining an honest site – however, moderation can ease an online seller’s mind. Such moderation programmes, the best of which combine automated and human components, help ensure that off-colour remarks stay off the site, and particularly conservative brands can tighten their parameters. Content moderation allows online companies to breathe easier while still allowing valuable word of mouth content.

Consumers are demanding more from their online experiences. In October 2007, 1&1 Internet surveyed 1,300 users and found that 90% of UK shoppers said they wished they could communicate directly with businesses via their websites; one in three required direct, online interactive service from the UK businesses they currently use. Implementing customer ratings and reviews, or adding capabilities that allow customers to ask questions that companies or other consumers can answer online, will help online brands succeed above those that are slower to adopt and adapt to word of mouth needs of their customers.

Higher levels of trust, increased traffic to online shopping sites and improved customer satisfaction: we have found that these are all benefits of customer reviews. The most successful online brands will take hold of the ageless power of word of mouth for the new age of online shopping.