Ratings and reviews increase time consumers spend on site

by Matt Hawkins | Marketing Data Analyst

Overview

Measuring the time consumers spend on eCommerce sites has become a key statistic for marketers. Nielsen Media Research decided to “scrap rankings based on the long time yardstick of page views and begin tracking how long visitors spend at sites.” One way to measure “time on site” is to measure product views per viewing session. Consumers spend more time on product pages than anywhere else on an eCommerce site. A higher average number of product page views per visit for rated products means that consumers spend more time and browse more products on a website when ratings and reviews are present. As consumers browse the site longer there is also a higher propensity for an increase in average order value and site conversion.

Executive summary

• Ratings & reviews contributes to an increase in the amount of time an online consumer spends browsing products on a site.
• Six online retailers who were analyzed saw an average of 28.8% increase in product views per viewing sessions for products with reviews, compared to those without.
• The same retailers saw an average 48.5% increase in product views per viewing sessions for products with 31+ reviews.
• On average, 63.8% of product visits are for products with reviews.
• Looking at top-visited product pages, consumers spent 41.8% more time on those pages with product reviews.
• In recent studies, leveraging review content through the SearchVoice Microsite has shown to increase time on site by 68% on top of the time on site benefits coming from SearchVoice pages.
• A large online apparel retailer that implemented Customer Favorite categories saw a 45.8% greater time on site compared to the category average.

Product Views / Viewing Sessions
Large Apparel Retailer

A large online apparel retailer saw a 106% improvement in product views per viewing sessions for products with 31+ reviews. Overall, the retailer saw a 47.1% improvement for products with reviews compared to those without.

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