60% of Retailers use customer reviews; 55% say reviews are a priority in the coming year.  (Shop.org, July 2009)

Brands w/highest “social media activity’ (includes reviews) increased revenues by as much as 18%.  (Media Post News, July 2009)

11% of retailers reported a 20% or more overall increase in conversions as a result of adding reviews to their sites, 21% reported an 11% to 20% increase and 5% reported a 1% to 10% increase.  (ETailing Group, June 2008)

After their order, PETCO asked customers, “What online tool most influenced your purchase decision?”  The #1 answer was product ratings and reviews, with site search coming in a distant second.  (PETCO, June 2007)

Products with syndicated reviews convert 26% higher.  (Bazaarvoice Case Study, 2009)

79% of online UK retailers surveyed reported that the main benefit of consumer-generated rating and reviews was that they improved site conversion rates.  (eMarketer, 2007)

Compared to a base group that didn’t read or contribute product reviews at all, people who read a review were 30% more likely to purchase a product and visitors who wrote a review were 80% more likely to convert, based on analysis across several Coremetrics clients.  (Coremetrics, reported to B to B, March 2007)

63% of consumers indicate they are more likely to purchase from a site if it has product ratings and reviews.  (Major consumer electronics retailer/iPerceptions study, January 2008)

81% of consumers consider the availability of customer reviews to be “very important” (33%) or “somewhat important” (48%).  (Major consumer electronics retailer/iPerceptions study, January 2008)

According to a survey of 2,445 US online consumers, 82% considered user-generated reviews “extremely valuable or valuable.”  (North American Technographics Retail Online Survey Q3, 2008)

Customer reviews are an important research tool for online consumers, with 71 percent agreeing that consumer reviews make them more comfortable that they are buying the right product.  (Nielsen Online Holiday Survey, December 2008)

As of October 2008, almost half of US online adults read ratings and reviews at least once a month, and 19% post them.  Nearly twice as many read reviews compared with 2007.  (The Growth Of Social Technology Adoption,  Forrester, October 2008)

91% of millionaires say they always or often look at reviews before buying luxury goods; 68% of ultra-affluent shoppers use consumer reviews.  (Unity Marketing/Google study, reported in AdAge, October 2008)

When asked what sources “influence your decision to use or not use a particular company, brand or product” 71% claim reviews from family members or friends exert a “great deal” or “fair amount” of influence.  (Harris Interactive, June 2010)

Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted – nearly 12 times more – than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of US mom Internet users by online video review site EXPO.  (eMarketer, February 2010)

Facebook, blogs, Twitter and are customer reviews considered the most effective tactics for mobilizing consumers to talk up products online.  (Etailing survey of 117 companies, September 2009)

61% of people rely on user reviews for product information or research before a buying decision is made.  (Razorfish, 2008)

84% of consumers said they were more likely to check online for reviews prior to making a purchase compared to twelve months ago, according to a recent survey by Brand Reputation.  (Retail Bulletin, October 2009)

A survey of 1,000 online shoppers found that, while 46% of e-shoppers find value in product recommendations from their friends, 47% look to onsite customer reviews when making a decision.  (Manage Smarter, September 2009)