The digital marketplace is botha goldmine and a battleground.Success and failure can hinge on asingle review;94% of consumerswill abandon a business over justone bad experience.A four-starrating? That’s no longer impressive—it’s expected. Managing your brand’s reputationgoes beyond putting out fires, orresponding with a laissez-fairedisposition—it’s a key driver of trust,growth, and long-term success. REPUTATION ISN’T JUST BUILT,BUT MANAGED, CULTIVATED,AND THEN DEFENDED. For businesses with hundreds or thousands of locations, online reputation isdifficult to manage and has a direct impact onrevenue, customer acquisition,and retention. While some industry players sprint ahead in engagement andresponsiveness, others are moving at a glacial pace. So where do you stand? InMoment’s 2025 Online Reputation Benchmark Report provides the answers.This analysis highlights the gap between industry leaders and those strugglingto keep up. Curious about our methodology? Read on. Short on time? Skipahead to So Who’s Winning? for the key insights. METHODOLOGY How Are BenchmarksCalculated? We analyzed31 million reviewsfrommore than226,500 business locations, spanning multipleindustries and geographies. The dataset includesinformation fromGoogle, Facebook, Yelp, andTripAdvisor, among other review sources. Table of Contents KEY FINDINGSSo Who’s Winning?4 Businesses were ranked within their industriesbased on key performance metrics: •Review Volume– Number of reviews received•Star Rating– Average customer rating•Review Velocity– Rate of new reviews generated•Response Rates & Times– Engagement speedand frequency•Sentiment Analysis– AI-driven insights fromreview content•Media– Owner photos uploaded to GoogleBusiness Profile and photos in reviews What ReviewsReallySay: MoreThan Just Star Ratings6 The New High-Impact MetricYou Can’t Ignore in 20258 The Race to Respond10 Industry Shake-Ups12 EXPERIENCE TRENDSReputation Across CXCategories14 How Are Industry LeadersIdentified? Industry leaders are businesses (in each sector)that rank in thetop 10%across multiple reputationmetrics. These businesses demonstratestrongeroverall ratings, higher review volume, attentionto photos, faster response times, and higherengagement ratesthan their peers. Reputation All-Arounders16 Stay on Top: Elevate YourReputation18 A FINAL WORDReputation is a GrowthEngine19 For example, in the restaurant industry, a locationwith a4.37-star ratingand52 monthly reviewsoutperforms90%of competitors. KEY FINDINGS SO WHO’S WINNING? Reputation isn’t given, but earned—and defended. Industries that proactively manage their reputation—by monitoring, asking,and responding to reviews quickly and consistently—see the greatest success.These businesses earn higher ratings and improve brand visibility in crowdedmarkets. Conversely, brands that lag risk alienating customers and losingmarket share. Needs Improvement:Industry leaders set thestandard, averaging significantly higher ratingsthan the overall market. While top brandsmaintain 4.5+ star ratings, most organizations lagbehind, with overall averages often below 4.2.This reinforces that actively managing reputationisn’t just beneficial—it’s essential for stayingcompetitive. Best-in-Class:The top 10% in most industriesmaintain a strong 4.5 star + rating. Hospitality,Retail, and Real Estate follow very closely with a4.4 star + rating. Key Takeaway Top brands don’t achieve high ratings by chance—they actively manage theirreputation. With industry leaders maintaining 4.5+ star ratings while the overallmarket lags behind, it’s clear that consistent engagement, review volume, andcustomer feedback drive visibility and long-term success. WHAT REVIEWSREALLYSAY: MORE THAN JUSTSTAR RATINGS Reviews are more than ratings—they’re real-time businessintelligence. Reviews shape your online brand image, providing social proof, enhancing yourreputation, and delivering real-time customer insights. High-performing brandsdon’t just wait for reviews—they generate them. Businesses that actively collectfresh feedback each month see stronger engagement, better visibility, and amore accurate reflection of customer sentiment. A steady stream of reviewssignals trustworthiness and delivers valuable experience insights that driveoperational improvements. Best-in-Class:TheAutomotiveandRestaurant Needs Improvement:TheInsuranceandLegal industries have room to grow. Increasing reviewvolume can unlock critical service insights,enhance customer experience, and drive strongerindustry positioning. industries are leading the pack, outperforming boththeir industry peers and the overall average. Theirhigh review volumes provide valuable customerinsights and strengthen brand trust. Key Takeaway Industry leaders aren’t just earning more reviews—they’re driving engagement at morethan twice the market rate. Frequent reviews boost trust, improve ratings, and generatedeeper experience insights that fuel customer satisfaction and ret