When it comes to customer satisfaction KPIs in the consumer goods industry, a 5-star rating is the gold standard. Yet with millions of consumers writing product reviews on a daily basis, even the most high-quality product is hard-pressed to maintain a perfect 5-star rating over time.
The good news is, many industries don’t need to maintain a perfect 5-star rating (or even a 4.9 or 4.8) to hold on to shopper purchasing confidence. In fact, the threshold for what constitutes a good star rating fluctuates greatly by industry based on factors such as customer expectations, emotional value, and duration of expected use.
Having analyzed millions of product reviews and ratings from some of the largest and most innovative consumer goods companies in the world, Yogi insight experts identified basic thresholds for what makes a good star rating in various product categories.
In this article, we define a “good” star rating as the minimum star rating to maintain purchasing confidence and brand trust for the majority of consumers. Next, we’ll explore what makes a good star rating across the most prominent consumer goods industries and the determining factors for each.
Want to hear more predictions and get an analysis of Customer Sentiment around Price & Value for the top ten CPG product categories?
For electronics, the minimum acceptable star rating is 4 stars or higher. Electronics are often expensive purchases and consumers spend longer researching and considering their choices, so customers have high expectations and are much more sensitive to negative or even neutral reviews.
When purchasing items such as headphones, laptops, and televisions, consumers are discerning and tend to shop with specific features in mind. Reviews that specifically call out these features (both with positive and negative sentiment) have the opportunity to greatly influence purchase decisions.
In this vertical, aligning product description pages (PDPs) with consumer expectations and the real-world experience of using your product is critical, leading to higher ratings and happier customers. Top-performing category leaders on Best Buy, Amazon, and other electronics retailers almost always have 4.5 stars or even higher. Without a clear, dedicated review analysis process maintaining those high marks can be nearly impossible.
For home appliances, a good star rating typically starts at 3.5 stars. While home appliances serve an essential role, consumers tend to attach less emotional value to them and are often willing to make concessions on features or high-end quality to get the best price.
On the other hand, customers place a high value on reliability, efficiency, and ease of use, so reviews that specifically assign negative sentiment to these attributes will make a larger impact on consumer decisions.
Top performing category leaders at retailers like Best Buy and Home Depot generally are around 4 stars, showing less review score sensitivity than other product categories, but demonstrating there is a floor where star rating matters significantly. In most home appliance categories, products under 4 stars lack exposure and fail to stand out from the competition.
For beauty and personal care products, a good star rating starts at 4 stars. This industry is known for having results-oriented claims, and products often carry heavy emotional weight, so customers have high expectations and are more likely to share their feelings. Ratings in this category are also critical to building trust that the product is not only effective but also safe and well-formulated.
Since beauty and personal care products are often used on a daily basis and are purchased regularly, customers pay close attention to small variations, and are sensitive to any changes in formulation and even packaging and marketing. Top performing category leaders on sites like Sephora and Ulta are also right around 4 stars, with a select few being as high as 4.5. Brands under 4 stars quickly fall behind and are buried under other competing products.
To succeed in these categories, brands must pay close and constant attention to the features and attributes that appear in reviews and the positive or negative sentiment attached to them. As many products in the space are dependent on very specific needs and expectations, small changes to the marketing and PDPs can have profound impacts on customer expectations and lead to large changes to reviews.
For food and beverages, an acceptable star rating for purchase starts at 3 to 3.5 stars. Since food and beverage items are a relatively low investment and consumers have a wide variety of tastes, shoppers are more willing to take a risk on a lower rated product than in other categories.
Rating factors such as flavor and texture are highly subjective, which means that food and beverage products receive highly varied customer feedback. A rating of 3.5 stars or higher suggests that a product has met the basic standards for the majority of customers.
However, for industry leading products, 4.5 star ratings are common and brands that can compete with these high ratings will get extra exposure. To maintain great reviews, ensuring expectations match product experience is vital. Reviews will show when expectations created by PDPs and marketing are not being met by the product. Identifying these mismatched expectations and making adjustments quickly is the best way to ensure consistently high reviews.
For home goods and furniture, a good star rating is 3.5 stars or higher. This industry is known for having products with practical, everyday applications. However, shoppers may have a degree of leniency for star rating due to factors such as assembly and trends.
While shoppers expect high quality and durability, they tend to have fewer specific requirements and a relatively low emotional value attached to these items. Customer values for home goods and furniture are reliability, efficiency, and design, so a rating of 3.5 stars or higher suggests that a product meets these requirements.
Reviews that mention damage or missing items, different color or design than advertised, or other attributes that show a mismatch between expectations and product experience will carry more weight in this category. Quickly identifying and addressing these issues will go a long way to avoiding poor reviews.
For toys and games, a good star rating would typically be 4 to 4.5 stars or higher. Since entertainment and enjoyment are the top values in this category, shoppers are more likely to spend time searching for the best option.
These items are associated with quality time and family, giving them a high emotional value. Slight defects, broken parts, or failed expectations can easily ruin a game or toy, so aligning PDP and marketing with reviewer feedback is especially important in this category.
Customer (or shopper) sentiment is a way to measure exactly how users feel about a product by analyzing product reviews for positive, negative, and neutral tone and phrasing. Yogi helps consumer goods brands determine exactly how shoppers feel about their (and their competitors’) products, down to individual features and attributes, letting them ensure that PDP, marketing, and product experience are all aligned. This leads to higher ratings, better conversion rates, and happier customers.
In the modern shopping experience, star rating has a higher impact on consumer decision-making than almost anything else. For brands, understanding online product ratings and reviews helps improve products and customer experiences and ultimately increase conversion rates.
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