The last time a customer made a purchase on your site, they probably looked up reviews before frequenting your business or clicking “add to cart.”

Brand Rated found more than 9 in 10 people say they read reviews before purchases.

Reviews not only provide shoppers valuable information about the product or service they’re interested in, but they also offer businesses precious feedback on potential shortcomings and insights on how to better meet customers’ needs.

Reviews help businesses build trust with customers and grow their confidence in their purchases, but a poor user experience to read reviews can hinder the shopping experience.

In recent years, fake reviews and even review bombing, coordinated attacks on companies, have plagued businesses. Federal regulators are trying to stymie the scourge with new rules meant to ban fake and misleading reviews and testimonials. But it’s also up to CX leaders to do their part to maintain the integrity of the information on their site — or risk losing customer trust.

Here are seven stories on the role of reviews in customer experience: