In an era of rising digital expectations and abundant online options, what your customer reviews say about you matters just as much—if not more—than what you say about yourself.
At Acorn Marketing, we believe every business can benefit from a proactive Ratings & Reviews Strategy that helps shape brand perception, boost search visibility, and increase conversion rates. Here’s why collecting reviews—and asking for them—is essential to smart marketing in 2025 and beyond.
Reviews are a Core Part of the Customer Journey
According to a 2024 study by PowerReviews¹, reviews have become virtually universal in the online shopping experience:
- 99.75% of consumers consult reviews before making a purchase.
- 98% now consider them essential, up from 86% just 10 years ago.
In other words, reviews aren’t optional—they’re expected. And their influence isn’t just about perception; they drive behavior. The same study found a 108.3% increase in conversions when shoppers engaged with reviews before buying.
Why is Asking for Customer Reviews an Effective way to Grow the Quantity and Quality of your Reviews
One common myth is that ‘happy people just don’t leave reviews.’ In truth, most are more than willing to share feedback—they just need a nudge. Realtime Reviews2 reports that 70% of consumers will leave a review if asked, yet few will do so unprompted.
When you ask for reviews, you’re showing a genuine interest in customer satisfaction, whether positive or negative. Done so at the right time—after a successful transaction, resolved issue, or positive interaction—allows you to capture meaningful feedback that may otherwise go unspoken.
When you time the request right—after a positive experience, resolution, or transaction—it signals that you care. Not only can this uncover hidden insights and encourage balanced, authentic feedback from the majority of your satisfied customers, but studies also show that it’ll boost your overall rating scores.
The Business Benefits of Online Reviews
Here’s how reviews help fuel brand growth and digital marketing ROI:
Proactively Requested Reviews Yield Better Results
Ratings and reviews have proven incredibly impactful in the healthcare industry, where decision-making is deeply personal, and choices are often made by caregivers on behalf of their family members. NRC Health, a company that provides healthcare organizations with solutions and data-driven insights to improve patient and consumer experiences, published the impact of proactive review solicitation in their 2023-24 case study3. In these examples, they cited healthcare organizations using their proactive “Smart Request” method, which achieved:
- A 379% increase in third-party review volume.
- Over 75% of reviews rated 5 stars.
- An average rating improvement from 2.9 to 4.6 stars.
Third-Party Review Sites Build Greater Trust
We’ve all used third-party review sites in our own personal decision-making process, referring to the ratings of doctors on Healthgrades or selecting a resort to stay in after reading reviews on TripAdvisor. But what we may not realize is that, by in large, consumers perceive third-party platforms as more objective and trustworthy than reviews found on a brand’s website. In BrightLocal’s 2025 survey4, consumers are still visiting Google above all other sites to consult reviews, but industry-specific sites are heavily utilized when available:
- 83% of consumers used Google
- 44% referenced Yelp
- 40% checked Facebook
- 22% used TripAdvisor
- 20% visited the Better Business Bureau
By encouraging reviews on these trusted sites, your brand builds transparency and boosts visibility where it matters most—on the platforms your customers are already using.
Fresh, Frequent Reviews Matter More
A steady stream of authentic reviews shows that your business is active, trustworthy, and engaged with customers. Google uses both volume and recency of reviews as ranking signals for local search, which can directly impact your visibility. According to GatherUp5 and PowerReviews6 respectively:
- 79% of shoppers consider the number of reviews before buying.
- 97% say review freshness matters—feedback older than 3 months starts to lose relevance.
Timely Requests Get Better Results
Don’t wait too long to ask. A 2025 study by GatherUp5 found that 66% of consumers prefer being asked for a review the same day they receive a product or service. Prompt requests boost response rates and help keep your reputation current.
If you’re new to a ratings & review strategy, here are a few simple ways we can help you get started:
- Develop an automated email or text follow-up to send after purchases or appointments.
- Create QR codes to post at checkout counters or to print on receipts.
- Craft a script for your team to make verbal requests during in-person interactions.
- Conduct short surveys that feed into platforms like Google, Facebook, or Yelp.
Pro Tip: Make it easy. A fast, simple review process increases the chances of positive feedback.
Sources:
1. PowerReviews, Ratings and Reviews 2024.
2. “70% of Consumers Will Leave a Review for a Business When Asked,” Real Time Reviews, accessed July 15, 2025.
3. NRC Health, Seeing Stars: Navigating Patient Ratings & Reviews.
4. BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2025.
5. GatherUp, How to Respond to Local Business Reviews, Based on Data, Jan 16, 2025.
6. PowerReviews, Survey: ‘Stale’ Product Reviews Are a Big Turn Off for Shoppers, Jan 11, 2021.
