2 Million Verified Reviews: How We Got Here and Why It Matters

January 10, 2023
Contributor: Caroline Hogan

It’s time to celebrate in a big way because Gartner Digital Markets now has more than two million verified reviews and is the No. 1 software review collection platform!

We’re extremely proud of this milestone and all the hard work and dedication it took to get here. It’s hard to believe that only a few years ago we were celebrating 1 million software reviews. 

Collecting verified customer reviews is the heart of our service for software and service providers because we know how much social proof influences B2B sales. 

According to our 2023 Global Software Buying Trends Report, 45% of buyers engage with reviews more than any other type of content to help make purchase decisions—above user guides (43%) and personalized product demos (39%). 

But not all reviews are created equal. Most buyers (86%) say verified reviews are important or very important when evaluating software. 

Reputable third-party review platforms, like Gartner Digital Markets, serve an important purpose in the B2B marketplace: to instill buyer trust in reviews by verifying they’re authentic.

With 9 million monthly visitors and 2 million verified reviews (and counting), our reputation has made us the world's largest software and services marketplace. 

How did we get here and what does this milestone mean for the software and service providers on our platform?

How we reached 2 million reviews

We’ve helped thousands of companies collect and leverage reviews on our platform to build their brand reputation and grow their business—and we’re just getting started. 

We continue to expand and improve our Review Collection Service so it’s easier for companies on our platform to scale business growth.

Here’s what we added to our Review Collection Service to drive better results:

  • Copy templates and marketing tools to scale multichannel review collection
  • More translation support for international review collection — now available in eight languages
  • Dedicated review consultants to support unique business goals

Another strategy we use to grow reviews on our platform is search engine optimization. We’ve invested in the organic growth of our review sites — Capterra, Software Advice, GetApp and UpCity — and they’re seeing more high-quality traffic than ever. More than 9 million people visit our sites every month! 

With more visitors to our sites, we get more opportunities to engage reviewers and generate organic reviews.

What 2 million reviews on Gartner Digital Markets means for software and service providers 

Anyone in marketing knows that customer reviews matter to your company's reputation and help influence sales. But most companies struggle to acquire a steady stream of reviews. They have to put in significant work to collect, validate and maintain even a small pool of reviews. 

Gartner Digital Markets is the No. 1 platform for companies to acquire a high volume of software reviews and maintain an always-on review collection program. 

We act like a strategic partner and extension of your team to make review collection easier and more sustainable. 

But automating review collection is just the beginning.

Getting more reviews on our sites also leads to stronger brand awareness and better performing product listings. In fact, the first review a software or service provider gets on our platform can increase product profile pageviews by more than 80%.

And companies can use reviews on Gartner Digital Markets to:

  • Quickly pull customer quotes and embed them on their website
  • Easily promote how their product stacks up against the competition
  • Qualify for highest-rated products badges and category report badges, like the Capterra Shortlist, Software Advice Front Runners and GetApp Category Leaders

Once companies earn badges, they’re able to use them to strengthen marketing messages and build trust with potential customers. Many embed them in blogs, newsletters, press releases, social media, websites, and other marketing collateral.

The bottom line is: Automating review collection with Gartner Digital Markets is an incredible opportunity for software and service providers looking to accelerate growth. 

If you need more reviews to fuel your marketing strategy and grow your business, we can help you get them. Join the 17,000+ businesses that have built powerful reputations with our free review collection campaigns. Start collecting reviews now. Don’t have a listing on our sites yet? Get your free listing.

Caroline Hogan

Caroline Hogan is the Senior Director of Vendor Marketing at Gartner Digital Markets, where she manages the marketing strategy for the vendor platform. She has more than 20 years of marketing experience, leading initiatives from brand strategy and demand generation to customer retention and advocacy. Connect with Caroline on LinkedIn.
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