If you’ve noticed something different about your Amazon ratings & reviews lately, you’re not alone. Earlier this year, we shared a blog post breaking down an important shift in how Amazon collects and displays product feedback. Since then, a few additional developments have come to light—quiet changes that may seem minor at first glance but could have meaningful implications for how consumer ratings are interpreted across the platform.
In this follow-up, we’ll walk through what’s new, what it means for brands, and how to stay ahead..
👉 Missed our original update? Catch up here.
In March, Amazon updated its system to limit ratings-only submissions—those with quick star ratings without writing a full review:
Most recently, in April, Amazon also removed the separate display of ratings-only from product pages entirely. The only visible metric is now the total global ratings, which blends both written reviews and ratings-only across all product variants into a single topline figure.
Here’s how it looks:
And when you drill deeper into customer reviews for a product, you can also see that what used to be split out into ratings and reviews under the filter options, is now bundled together.
Before: Ratings and reviews were separated for transparency:
After: Ratings-Only has been removed:
Amazon hasn’t officially announced or explained this shift, but the implications are becoming clearer.
Historically, star ratings without written text tended to skew more positive. These “drive-by” ratings boosted average scores, even if they didn’t add context. With the possibility of fewer of them coming in—and even fewer visible—brands could see:
That’s not necessarily bad. In fact, it could give consumers more complete, qualitative information to make informed decisions. But it’s a change that could subtly shift how products are ranked and perceived. Since this affects all products across every category, the entire average is shifting—not just individual SKUs.
Previously, brands could analyze how many 4-star ratings-only a specific variant received in a given week. Now, those fine-tuned metrics are no longer visible or trackable in Amazon. We can still view topline totals, but it’s no longer possible to break down Amazon ratings-only feedback by:
This level of detail, however, still exists across other non-Amazon retailers.
As the option to leave quick, ratings-only feedback becomes less prominent in Amazon’s UI, the emphasis naturally shifts toward written reviews. That doesn't mean consumer sentiment is changing—fans who once left a 5-star rating might now leave a short written note instead. What is changing is the nature of what gets analyzed. Written reviews have always carried more context: they reveal not just opinions, but the why behind them—pain points, desires, use cases, and expectations. Brands that ground their analysis in this qualitative layer will unlock richer, more actionable insights.
We’re not sounding the alarms—but we do encourage brands to reorient their strategies.
If your team uses ratings-only to gauge product health or track performance, you may need to recalibrate. The good news? These changes affect all products on Amazon, across every category. That means your ability to benchmark against competitors remains intact—everyone is playing on the same field, just with new rules.
Review content is one of the richest forms of feedback, both for your products and your competitor’s products. The words consumers use tell you what matters most—about product quality, fit, flavor, performance, and more, is critical to innovation, renovation, and messaging.
With tools like Yogi, brands can:
Even if topline ratings are slightly less shiny, the story behind them is smarter and more actionable than ever.
Amazon’s quiet shift signals a broader trend: greater emphasis on substance over shortcuts. It’s less about five-star volume and more about consumer voice; what people actually think, feel, and share.
At Yogi, we’ve always believed that the truth is in the text. As Amazon evolves, we’re staying one step ahead so you can too.
If you're ready to make smarter, faster decisions based on what customers are really saying, let’s talk. We’re here to help you turn every word into a winning strategy.
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Yogi is the leading consumer insights platform for CPG brands, trusted by names like Nestlé, Conagra, and Microsoft. We transform consumer feedback into clear, actionable insights so you can keep up with what your customers truly want.
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