\ Prompted vs. Unprompted Reviews 3. Reviews from Verified Buyers Are Perceived as More Credible and Have a Greater Impact on Sales VALUE OF THE “VERIFIED BUYER BADGE” We examined whether consumers evaluate reviews from verified buyers differently than reviews from anonymous reviewers. That is to say, do shoppers place more Verified Buyer trust in a review if it’s written by a verified buyer? We found that displaying reviews written by verified buyers – identified by a “verified buyer badge” – has a positive impact on sales. This suggests that reviews written by those with direct experience using a product are considered more credible and trust- Purchase likelihood increases 15% when worthy. The verified buyer badge shows that the reviewer is a real consumer and not someone who was paid to write a review or someone who has an axe to grind against consumers are exposed to reviews written the company. by a verified buyer vs. an anonymous review. Because verified buyers typically provide more positive reviews than anonymous reviewers, having more reviews from verified buyers provides the dual benefit of higher ratings and increased credibility. Kim, S.J., Malthouse, E.C., and Maslowska, E. “Understanding the Role of Different Review Features in Purchase Probability” Submitted to International Journal of Advertising, 2017. 16 \ How Online Reviews Influence Sales \ spiegel.medill.northwestern.edu