Most FMCG teams still obsess over their average star rating, but what if that number isn’t doing the heavy lifting? Independent business school research and our research data show that shoppers don’t buy based on ratingsalone – it’s what the reviews actually say that makes the sale. If your top reviews are old or unfair, you’re losing customers even with a 4.5-star average.
In this article, we break down why review sentiment matters more than stars and how brands can use this fact to drive measurable sales uplift.
This article was originally inspired by: HU, Nan; KOH, Noi Sian; and REDDY, Srinivas K. Ratings Lead You to the Product, Reviews Help You Clinch It? The Dynamics and Impact of Online Review Sentiments on Product Sales. Singapore University.
Rethinking Ratings: Why It's Time to Focus Elsewhere
For years, brands have chased high average ratings in the hope that shoppers would be impressed by four or five shining stars. But recent research - and our own data - shows that a high star rating on its own is not what drives sales.
In their paper, Hu, Koh and Reddy analysed over 4,000 books on Amazon and built a structural equation model to understand the interaction between ratings, review sentiment, and sales. Their finding? Ratings had no significant direct effect on sales. Instead, review sentiment – the positive or negative tone of the written feedback – was the real driver.
This turns traditional thinking on its head. It’s not the score. It’s the story. That is because as Jonathan Gottshchall put it in his book The Storytelling Animal: "We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories."
What We See in Grocery: Volume and Recency Matter More
In grocery, we’ve seen the same thing play out. Most FMCG brands still aim for a high average rating. But the reality is that shoppers are far more influenced by the text of the top three visible reviews than by the average star rating.
That’s why our Always On review programme is based on three core principles:
- Minimum 30 reviews per SKU per retailer
- Top 3 reviews must be under 6 months old
- Top 3 must be representative (within 1.5 stars of the SKU average)
Why Sentiment Trumps Stars
Let’s be clear: sentiment refers to the emotional tone of the review – what the reviewer actually says and how they say it. Hu et al. demonstrated that this sentiment had a strong, direct impact on sales, whereas star ratings only mattered indirectly through their impact on review sentiment.
This means you could have a 4.5 average rating, but if the top three reviews are outdated or irrelevant, you will lose the sale.
In our blog, Busting the Myths: The Truth About Product Reviews and Sales, we broke down how review sentiment consistently impacts grocery sales across categories, from impulse products to long-standing household brands. Sentiment matters as it brings emotion into the discussion and shoppers (in fact all of us) are heavily influenced by emotion.
Review Impact Isn’t Limited to Online
One of the most persistent myths is that reviews only matter for online sales. But we’ve shown this isn’t the case.
In fact, 58% of shoppers have read reviews in or near a store. Younger adults, especially women under 45, routinely use their phones to check what others think before making a decision.
Even in impulse categories like biscuits or confectionery, shoppers are reviewing options. Our data shows:
- 89% of biscuit buyers read reviews
- 86% do so for crisps
- 85% in health & beauty categories
👉 Read more in our blog: Supermarket Product Reviews Read by Category
The Sales Uplift Is Real – If Reviews Are Managed Properly
It’s not just theory. We’ve measured it.
When we compared SKUs enrolled in our Always On programme against non-managed SKUs (same brand, same retailer), we saw a consistent uplift in baseline sales over time. For Lactalis, this uplift was visible even in commoditised categories like cheese. The conclusion? The presence of consistent, fresh, and fair reviews drives regular long-term conversion.
We also highlight this in our work with Heineken’s Inch’s Cider. Once reviews were added across Tesco and Sainsbury’s, sales performance improved and credibility strengthened. Read the full story in Boosting Brand Trust with Shopper Reviews.
As can be seen below, adding good quality reviews to this Kellogg Coco Pops reformulated product, increased and sustained sales in ASDA by 32% in an analysis supplied to us by Kellogg.
Shoppers don’t trust scores.
They trust stories.
Next Steps: Get a Sentiment Audit
We monitor SKUs daily across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Ocado and Amazon. We can tell you exactly:
- Which SKUs need more reviews
- Where sentiment is hurting you
- Which products look strong and which need intervention
Want your free Sentiment Audit?
Email us at help@checkoutsmart.com and we’ll show you exactly where you stand – and how to take action.
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