Ratings and reviews are a helpful web feature for consumers

UK shoppers find ratings and reviews to be the most useful web feature when researching products they are considering buying.

That is according to a study conducted by Jupiter Research and Bazaarvoice, which revealed that 70 per cent of consumers in Britain cited these features as being the most helpful source of information.

A further 53 per cent of those questioned in the survey said that customer reviews provided the most helpful guidance on making a purchase.

Consumers also said that recommendations from friends were influential (47 per cent), while only four per cent of participants cited magazine and radio ads as helping to determine purchases.

The survey reflected results obtained by the Forrester report in the US.

This study discovered that American consumers wanted to see reviews and ratings on the websites they visited, with 64 per cent of participants voicing a preference for these features.

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