UPDATE 2021: The top reviewer on Amazon is now Sara, with over 8,000 reviews on Yelp. Our previous top reviewer, Ali Julia, now has over 6,000 reviews and has achieved Hall of Fame on Amazon for 8 years. You can see all of the top reviewers on Amazon here.
With 6,052 reviews under her belt, Ali Julia* and Sara very well could be.
Although Julia refused an interview, one can garner more than enough just by her reviews alone.
Everything from lip gloss to a device called the “Long Reach Comfort Wipe” that aids in wiping duties while in the washroom, Julia has reviewed it all. (Though she does seem to have an affinity for battery chargers.)
In a profile conducted by The Boston Globe, “And in [the reviews], she has revealed much about herself and her tastes. But she remains, even to the other top reviewers, something of an enigma. Her bio on Amazon.com is light on details, other than that she lives in Boston and is an engineer.”
Julia represents the epitome of the strange alternate universe that is online product reviews.
Mandy Payne, who is ranked #10 on Amazon, says, “It’s a weird, creepy subculture. I get hate mail. I’ve had death threats. But then I also have fans who seem to follow everything I do. It’s bizarre.”
These days, “power reviewers” such as Julia and Payne play a very significant role in the success of a business or product. That’s why businesses are increasingly motivated to campaign for more reviews. (ReviewInc provides services and support to do just that. Request a demo for details.) So much so that people like her are receiving free products daily from businesses hoping to gain some positive feedback.
Each day, Payne arrives home to anywhere from 15-30 boxes on her doorstep, begging for reviews. One company even sent her a treadmill. However, most often, she gets a slew of whatever item is popular at the time. She claims that she once had so many Bluetooth speakers that she was able to give them out at Halloween in lieu of candy. (Amazon forbids the resale of such free items.)
Not unlike the elderly woman whose review of Applebee’s went viral in 2012, Julia’s reviews are no-nonsense and to the point.
In an age when a banana slicer can receive over 5,000 reviews, many of which are satirical in nature, it is refreshing to see that the traditional approach is still lauded as valuable.
*May or may not be her real name.
