Rapidly growing industry
A look at how the review and local discovery industry continues to expand and why its growth creates a strong foundation for weRate.
⚡ A behaviour that keeps accelerating
Checking reviews has become a default habit worldwide. People do it before eating out, booking hotels, choosing activities or exploring new neighbourhoods. This instinct now shapes entire local economies. As more people explore new places and travel more often, the volume and importance of reviews grows with them.
What used to be a simple online action is now a global behaviour that influences billions in economic value.
💵 Massive economic importance
Local businesses depend on online discovery. A single trusted review can influence where people go, what they try and how they perceive quality. Across restaurants, bars and shops; reviews directly drive
Foot traffic
Sales
Customer trust
Retention
Visibility and ranking
This makes the review industry one of the most impactful channels for small and medium sized businesses.
🌍 Market size and growth
The online review industry shows signs of explosive scale and long term value, yet remains one of the most under-innovated digital markets.
97% of internet users consult reviews for local businesses (BrightLocal, 2024)
77% use them regularly
91% of 18–34-year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
Industry projected to hit $34.5B by 2030, growing at 17% CAGR
The opportunity is massive, but the ecosystem is outdated.
📊 Usage at scale
Yelp receives 26,830 new reviews every minute
Yelp saw 244 million total reviews in 2021
178+ million people visit Yelp monthly
TripAdvisor passed 1 billion reviews in 2022
Yelp generated $1.3B in revenue in 2024
The user activity is huge. The business value is undeniable. But the value distribution is completely broken.
🧠 What this means
The user activity is massive. The business value is undeniable. But the value distribution? Completely broken.
These numbers give weight to everything that follows: Fake reviews don’t just hurt trust, they undermine a $34B+ market.
Lack of incentives doesn’t just frustrate users, it limits revenue potential. Platforms profit, while contributors are left with nothing.
The next platform to solve this imbalance will reshape a global industry.
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