Online review statistics 2026

The short answer

The most cited current source is BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, published in February 2026 from a representative panel of 1,002 US adults. Its headline: 97% of consumers read reviews when evaluating a local business, and 41% now say they always do — up from 29% a year earlier.

Two things changed sharply this year. Expectations rose, and AI tools became a mainstream route to finding a local business.

How many people read reviews

97% read reviews when evaluating a local business, and 93% have made a purchase after reading them. The change worth noticing is intensity rather than reach: the share who *always* read reviews while browsing went from 29% to 41% in twelve months.

The average consumer now consults six different review platforms before deciding, which is the practical argument for showing more than one source on your own site.

AI became a mainstream discovery route

The single most striking figure in the 2026 survey: use of AI tools for local business recommendations jumped from 6% to 45% in one year. Over the same period Google’s share of where people read reviews fell from 83% to 71%, as consumers spread across niche and video platforms.

This is early-stage and one survey, so treat the exact number with care. The direction is hard to argue with, and it is why how assistants pick businesses is worth understanding now rather than in two years.

Recency matters more than volume, past a point

74% say they only care about reviews written in the last three months. 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews. Together those set a target that is a rate rather than a total: enough reviews to clear the threshold, arriving often enough that the newest is recent.

89% expect a business owner to respond to reviews, which makes replying a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator.

Where these numbers come from, and where to be careful

Most statistics circulating about reviews trace back to a handful of vendor surveys, often several years old and frequently requoted without the source. The figures above come from BrightLocal’s 2026 survey (1,002 US adults, February 2026) and Capital One Shopping’s 2026 research, and both are cited by name so you can check them.

Be sceptical of any specific conversion uplift figure, including on this site. Those vary by an order of magnitude depending on category, price and how much doubt the buyer had, and nobody has a universal number. The reliable way to get one for your business is to measure it — reviews on one page and not on a comparable one, for a fortnight.