\ Impact on Conversion Behavior How Ratings, Number of Reviews, and Price Influence Purchase and Conversion Behavior WHAT WE FOUND: 1. Displaying reviews can increase Spiegel’s analysis of ratings and review data from multiple conversion by 270% e-commerce sites found that online reviews have the power to dramatically influence purchase decisions. But the degree 2. Reviews impact sales more for of this influence depends on many factors, including: higher-priced items … • Price of the product 3. … and for higher-consideration items • Degree of uncertainty or risk involved in the purchase 4. 5 stars is “too good to be true” • Average star rating • Presence of negative reviews 5. Initial reviews have the greatest impact • Number of reviews 5 \ How Online Reviews Influence Sales \ spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu