Kaspien recently conducted an anonymous survey of Amazon shoppers evaluating which listing features affect their browsing and purchasing decisions. The survey gathered more than 150 responses to 11 questions.
If you want help auditing and optimizing your Amazon channel, reach out to Kaspien.
Survey Highlights
Customer Reviews are the Most Influential Factor
- 70% of respondents named customer reviews (40%) and product price (30%) as the most important factors for their purchasing decision.
- Respondents nearly always read product reviews to make their purchasing decision.
- 24% of shoppers will not buy a product if it doesn’t have any reviews, and 22% report not buying a product due to bad reviews.
Shoppers Assess Listings Holistically
While customer reviews are king, the survey results indicate that shoppers view product detail pages holistically. When asked to rank the importance of listing features for their purchasing decision on a scale of 1-5, all options were ranked above a 3, suggesting that shoppers consider all features.

This trend was also represented elsewhere in the survey results:
- Shoppers report viewing a Brand Store at least half the time.
- Respondents nearly always scroll down the product detail page to read the description or look for additional content.
- 20% of respondents said they are unlikely to buy a product if it lacks quality images.
- 18% of respondents said they have opted not to purchase a product because there was not enough information in the listing.
- Shoppers ranked lifestyle images (images of the product in use) as the most useful type of image, followed closely by size charts and studio images (images of the product on a white background).
Read about other marketing insights in our free eBook, 100+ Tips for Mastering Amazon Marketing.
How to Act on These Insights
Enroll in the Early Reviewer Program
Update: Amazon retired the Early Reviewer Program on April 25, 2021.
Brands may not fabricate customer reviews (though some certainly do – you can use Review Meta to spot fakes). However, brands can enroll products in Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program.
The Early Reviewer Program offers buyers a small credit to their Amazon account in exchange for writing an honest customer review. Amazon facilitates the program and charges brands $60/ASIN. The program lasts for one year or until 5 new reviews are generated, whichever comes first.
Optimize Listings to Set Accurate Expectations
Our survey found that the two most common reasons that shoppers leave product reviews are because the product was really good or really bad.
Both of these responses are subjective, to a degree, which means that marketers can influence them. Whether a product is “good” or “bad” is often a matter of how closely expectations and reality align. If marketers set accurate expectations, they can significantly reduce the chance of negative customer reviews.
The survey results show that shoppers assess listings holistically, evaluating the title, bullets, enhanced content, and images alongside customer reviews. Marketers should use the listing copy and images to provide clear product info and set accurate expectations.
Learn how to craft great copy.
Take a Comprehensive Approach
Comprehensive listing optimization is critical for sales success. Shoppers view a listing as the sum of its parts. Missing information like pictures, product dimensions, and detailed information can dissuade potential customers.
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