# A/B test: show three-star reviews as well

> If we also show three-star reviews instead of filtering down to five-star ones, then add to cart will rise, because a product with no downsides at all looks less believable.

- Source: https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/show-imperfect-reviews
- Language: en
- Updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Bixlow

## Why it can work

Twenty five-star reviews in a row don't reassure people, they make them suspicious. Everyone knows no product pleases everybody, so when there isn't a single complaint, shoppers assume someone deleted them.

A three-star review saying “Lovely, but runs small, size up” does two things: it makes the rest believable and it answers a practical question. Sometimes the critical review is the most useful one on the page.


## How to set it up

In Bixlow you describe the change to the agent, it builds it on your site and launches it as an A/B test once you approve it. A/B tests are on the paid plans, starting with Standard.

1. Check what shows now: many review widgets sort by rating or filter to the best ones by default.
2. In the variant, sort by most recent or most helpful, with no rating filter, so three-star reviews appear where they naturally fall.
3. If you have replied to critical reviews, show your replies underneath: a good reply sells.
4. Run it on product pages with enough reviews for the change to be noticeable.


## What to measure

|  | Metric |
| --- | --- |
| Primary metric | Add to cart per product page visitor |
| Metric that must not get worse | Orders per visitor |
| Where it is measured | Clicks on “Add to cart” on the pages in the test |


> **When I would not test it.** If the critical reviews describe a real defect you haven't fixed, this test is not the priority: the product is. And if a product has lots of one and two-star reviews, showing them more won't save it.


## FAQ

### Isn't it better to show only the good ones?

That is what almost everyone does, which is why people no longer believe it. Also, in the European Union, filtering reviews to give a misleading picture can count as an unfair commercial practice.

### What do I do with an unfair review?

Reply calmly and with facts. A shopper who reads an unfair review with a good reply often leaves with a better view of the store than if there had been no review at all.

### What about one-star reviews?

This test is about no longer hiding things, so they appear too. If they worry you, count them first: if they are few and reasonable, they do no harm.

## Further reading

- [Next idea: sticky add to cart on mobile](https://bixlow.com/en/ideas/sticky-add-to-cart-on-mobile)
- [What an A/B test is](https://bixlow.com/en/glossary/ab-test)
- [A/B testing without a developer](https://bixlow.com/en/platform/ab-testing)