> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.butternut.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Reviews & Social Proof

> Submit reviews and understand public rating statistics.

Building trust with your audience is essential for conversion, and the Reviews & Social Proof system allows you to capture and display authentic feedback from your customers.

## Submitting public reviews

Visitors can contribute to your site’s credibility by submitting public feedback through a simple submission interface.

### Mandatory information

To prevent spam and ensure accountability, a valid **email address** is the only strictly required field for every submission.

### Optional feedback fields

Reviewers can provide as much or as little detail as they prefer:

* **Name**: Identifies the reviewer publicly.
* **Rating**: A numerical score from **1 to 5**.
* **Text review**: A written description of their experience.
* **Discovery source**: How they found your business (for example, “Social Media” or “Search Engine”).

### Automatic timestamps

Every review is automatically stamped with the submission date and time in **UTC**, ensuring the feedback timeline remains accurate.

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## Accessing public statistics

The system provides an aggregate view of your brand’s performance. These statistics update automatically as new reviews are submitted.

### Average rating

The platform calculates the mean score of all numerical ratings, rounded to **two decimal places** (for example, 4.75).

### Rating distribution

A breakdown shows how many reviewers gave **1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 stars**, helping visitors understand consistency.

### Total count

The total number of reviews is displayed to show the volume of feedback received.

### Empty state logic

If no reviews exist yet, the system defaults all values to **zero** to keep the display clean and professional until the first review arrives.

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## Analogy for reviews & social proof (Digital trophy case)

Think of the reviews system as a **digital trophy case**:

* Each individual review is a new trophy added to the shelf, with the customer’s words acting as the inscription.
* The public statistics are the plaque on the front of the case—summarising total wins and average performance “score” without requiring visitors to read every inscription.