Infocommerce data points has released a fascinating white paper on consumer ratings and reviews. While whole Internet businesses – like TripAdvisor.com and Yelp.com – have been built on the review Model, the paper reminds us that ratings and reviews have now become an essential part of any ecommerce site and can certainly have a place on almost any subscription.Here are some key findings from “The Strategic Use of Consumer Ratings and Reviews”:

• Reviews provide deep, high perceived value content at no cost to the publisher
• Reviews provide strong search engine optimization (SEO) benefit and yield improved search engine results rankings
• We believe the future of reviews is both online and in the mobile environment. Reviews are becoming as much a part of customer purchasing behavior as carrying a wallet. Nearly every online retailer displays some form of reviews generated by site consumers. In fact, reviews are as mobile as a wallet. Mobile apps are increasingly used for shopping and displaying reviews.
• For the vast majority of sites with reviews, getting market traction is very difficult. Adding a reviews module to your website is a starting point, not an ending point.
• The majority of ratings published on websites are positive. About a year ago Yelp analyzed its data and found that a majority of its reviewers – 66% – rated a product or service 4 or 5 stars.
• The number one best practice in the reviews area is full transparency in every aspect of your reviews activity. You need a written policy, it needs to be readily available on your website, and you must adhere to it rigidly.