Why reviews matter on the checkout
By checkout, the shopper has mostly decided. What stops them now is a late doubt about shipping, sizing or quality. Most stores put all their proof on the product page and none here.
Dave Diederen's view is that generic five-star comments do little at this step. The reviews that help answer the exact hesitation a buyer has at that moment.
Measured results
Reviews on their own
Dave Diederen's reviews on the checkout page test is the strongest evidence here: +17.96% conversion rate, +23.13% revenue per visitor and +4.39% AOV. It is the only test on this page where reviews were the single change.
Want results like this on your store?
Dave Diederen at Syntra Labs. Dave builds and tests Shopify stores at Syntra Labs, and shares most results in public.
Reviews bundled with other checkout changes
Kasper Dolk added trust and urgency elements to a Shopify Plus checkout: Trustpilot widgets, UGC and before/after images, plus a timer and low-stock notices. The test was reported while still running, adding $33,435 for an accessories client. The reviews' share of that is unknown.
Kasper Dolk also built checkout blocks with store USPs, reviews and a checkout upsell for a Plus client. The client reported conversion rate of 3.8% (+24%) month to date against the previous period, with total sales +100% and sessions +58%. That is a period comparison, not a controlled test, and traffic grew at the same time, so read it as a signal, not a measured effect.
Losing or flat tests
No losing or flat checkout review tests are listed. With three results, one of them uncontrolled, that tells you little. Run your own test before assuming reviews will help your checkout.
Untested ideas
3 ideas have no measured result yet:
- Show 2-4 reviews that address quality, shipping, sizing or results, instead of a generic star widget (Dave Diederen).
- Put reviews, brand USPs, an order-reserved timer, a free-shipping-reached message and FAQs beside the order summary. Dave Diederen says this combination has won about 95% of the time, but gives no test figures.
- On Shopify Plus, add featured reviews, guarantees, a call or email option and repeated benefits to lower perceived risk (Kasper Dolk).
Placement and design patterns that won
- A few reviews, not a full widget, near the order summary.
- Pick reviews that answer the doubts buyers have at checkout.
- Reviews often sit with other reassurance, such as USPs or guarantees, but only the reviews-only test tells you what reviews do alone.
Related tests elsewhere on the store
See all checkout tests, the full review collection, product page review tests and homepage review tests.
Questions
Should I show reviews on the checkout page?
The one isolated test here says yes: Dave Diederen showed reviews on checkout and won +17.96% conversion rate and +23.13% revenue per visitor. One test is thin evidence, so test it on your store.
Which reviews work best at checkout?
Dave Diederen suggests 2-4 reviews that answer specific doubts, such as shipping speed, sizing or quality, rather than generic five-star comments. That approach has not been measured on its own here.
Can you add reviews to a Shopify checkout?
Both of Kasper Dolk's results used Shopify Plus checkout customisation, adding reviews alongside USPs, urgency or an upsell.