How many customers read reviews before choosing a business?
Reading reviews has become a reflex before visiting a local business.
of consumers read reviews for local businesses.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers “always” read reviews when browsing for businesses (29% the year before).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers care about star ratings when choosing a business.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
What it means for you: For a local business, the Google profile and its reviews are often the first visit, before the shop itself.
What minimum star rating do customers expect?
The rating below which customers walk away rose sharply in one year.
of consumers will only use a business with four or more stars (55% in 2025).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
will only use a business with 4.5 stars or more (17% in 2025).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
say they will only use businesses with a five-star rating.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
What it means for you: To find out how many five-star reviews you need to reach a given rating, use our free review calculator.
Do customers look at how recent reviews are?
An old review reassures less: customers want to know what a visit is like today.
of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
look for reviews written in the last two weeks (20% the year before).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
are only swayed by reviews written within the last week.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
What it means for you: Getting reviews steadily, every week or month, matters as much as the total count.
Should you reply to reviews? What customers expect
Customers read the owner’s replies too, and they notice when there are none.
of consumers expect business owners to respond to reviews.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers are more likely to use a business that responds to every review.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers are unlikely to use a business that ignores its reviews entirely.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers are unlikely to choose a business that uses templated or generic responses.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
expect a response to their review within a week; 19% expect it the same day.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
What it means for you: A short, personal and quick reply beats a perfect one posted three weeks later.
Do customers leave a review when asked?
Most happy customers do not think of it on their own: asking makes the difference.
of people asked to leave a review went on to leave one.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers were asked to write a review in the last 12 months.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
say they will “always” write a review if asked (16% in 2025).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers are open to writing reviews.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers are more likely to write about positive experiences, against 29% about negative ones.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
What it means for you: Asking at the right moment (end of a meal, order pick-up, end of a job), with a QR code or a direct link, is the simplest lever.
Where do customers read reviews? Google, AI, Apple Maps
Google is still the leading review platform, but AI assistants are growing very fast.
of consumers use Google to read reviews (83% in 2025).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
use AI tools to research a business (6% the year before).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
use Apple Maps (14% in 2025).
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
different review sites are used on average by a consumer when choosing a business.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
of consumers trust AI platforms to provide business recommendations.
Source : BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (US) (2026)
What it means for you: AI assistants draw on what is published online: recent, detailed reviews and a complete Google profile also help you show up there.
Fake reviews: what European regulators found
In 2021, consumer protection authorities from 26 Member States, Iceland and Norway checked the reviews on major websites (online shops, marketplaces, booking sites, search engines and comparison sites).
at least of the websites checked potentially violated the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive; authorities had doubts about another 18%.
Source : European Commission, online reviews sweep (2021) (2021)
of the 223 sites could not be confirmed to be doing enough to ensure reviews are authentic.
Source : European Commission, online reviews sweep (2021) (2021)
sites did not say whether incentivised reviews were banned, or how they were flagged.
Source : European Commission, online reviews sweep (2021) (2021)
What it means for you: Buying or writing fake reviews is illegal and penalised. Our guide on online review laws covers the rules.
Method and sources
We only use figures read on 18 October 2026 on the original source, without rounding or extrapolating them. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey was run with 1,002 adult consumers in the US. The European Commission sweep dates from 2021 and covers major websites, not local business listings. We will update this page with each new edition.