The Review Economy: How Local Buyers Decide in 2027

The audience

97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 41% now always read them when browsing, up from 29% in 2025. Google carries most of that attention, with 71% using it to read local business reviews, though the average consumer checks six different review sites before choosing. After reading positive reviews, 54% go on to visit the business website.

The bar

Minimum acceptable ratings jumped in one year. The share of consumers who will not use a business rated below 4.5 stars rose from 17% to 31%, and the share demanding at least 4 stars rose from 55% to 68%. Star ratings factor into the decision for 92% of consumers, 77% are put off by negative reviews, and 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, so a high average built on a handful of reviews does not clear the bar either.

The shelf life

74% only trust reviews written in the last three months and 32% want reviews from the last two weeks. Replies now count as part of the review: 89% expect owners to respond, 80% are more likely to use a business that replies to all of its reviews, and 50% are put off by generic or templated replies. A copied response does measurable damage.

The AI layer

45% of consumers now use AI tools for local recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier. 82% read AI generated review summaries, and 23% would decide on the summary alone without opening a single review. That summary is assembled from whatever is currently visible across platforms, which means listing accuracy and recent review volume now shape what the AI says about a business.

What this means for a growing business

Review generation has to run continuously rather than in bursts. A rating built two years ago fails the recency test today, and the businesses losing calls here rarely have bad reviews. Their good reviews got old. Ask after every completed job, reply to each review individually, and audit the rating on every platform a buyer might check, not just Google.