12.3% of the products that rank #1 in Amazon's organic search results have fewer than 100 ratings, about one in eight. The median #1 product has 3,600 ratings, and the bar ranges from 1,200 in outdoor to 16,700 in beauty.
Analysis of 4,887 #1 Amazon products · Amazon.com search results (US), September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.12.3% of the products ranked #1 in Amazon's organic search results have fewer than 100 ratings, about one in eight.
- 2.The median #1 organic product on Amazon has 3,600 ratings, while the average is 17,684, pulled up by a few products with very large rating counts.
- 3.The median rating count on Amazon falls from 3,600 at the #1 organic position to 2,100 at #3 and 1,200 at #5.
- 4.The median #1 beauty product on Amazon has 16,700 ratings, nearly 14 times the 1,200 of the median #1 outdoor product.
- 5.61% of #1 organic products on Amazon carry the Amazon's Choice badge, and they average 4.47 stars against 4.45 for products in positions 2 to 10.
Summary
A seller launching a new product looks at the top result for their main search on Amazon and sees tens of thousands of ratings. It looks like an impossible wall to climb. But that listing is not typical, and plenty of products hold the top spot with a few hundred ratings or fewer.
Ratings matter on Amazon because shoppers read them as proof, and a product with a long, positive history converts better. For a seller, the useful question is how many ratings it realistically takes to compete for the top organic spot in their own category, not across all of Amazon.
The bar is lower than the famous examples suggest. 12.3% of #1 organic products have fewer than 100 ratings, and the median #1 product has 3,600. The average, 17,684, is pulled up by a small number of huge listings. The typical rating count also varies widely by category, from 1,200 for the median #1 outdoor product to 16,700 in beauty.
What we measured
This study covers the top organic Amazon.com (US) result for 4,996 product searches on September 23, 2026, from a licensed marketplace data provider. For each #1 product we recorded the number of ratings Amazon displays, its star rating, its price and any badges, and compared them with the products in organic positions 2 to 10 on the same page. 4,887 of the #1 products showed a rating count.
The #1 product is the first organic, non-sponsored product on the results page; paid listings are skipped. A rating is a customer's star score, with or without a written review, and the rating count is the total Amazon shows on the listing. The median is the middle product: half have more ratings and half fewer. The average adds every count and divides, so a few very large counts can pull it well above the typical product.
One in eight #1 products has fewer than 100 ratings
Another 20.1% have between 100 and 999, so about a third of top-ranked products have fewer than 1,000 ratings. The largest group, 32.9%, has between 1,000 and 9,999. At the other end, 34.7% have 10,000 or more, and 10.6% have 50,000 or more.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 4,887 #1 Amazon products · Amazon.com search results (US), September 2026
A long review history helps, but it is not a requirement. Rating count is only one of the signals that decide the top spot, so a well-targeted product can reach #1 for a specific search while its rating count is still small.
The median #1 product has 3,600 ratings
The average #1 product has 17,684 ratings, but that figure is pulled up by a small number of listings with enormous counts. The median, 3,600, is the better guide to what a typical top product looks like. The median #1 product sells for $44.99.
Star ratings barely separate the winner from the rest of the page. The average #1 product is rated 4.47 stars, against 4.45 for products in positions 2 to 10. Badges set it apart more: 61% of #1 products carry the Amazon's Choice badge, and 6.9% carry a Best Seller badge.
Rating counts fall with position
The median rating count drops from 3,600 at #1 to 2,700 at #2, 2,100 at #3 and 1,200 at #5. Positions 5 to 10 sit between 1,000 and 1,500. Higher positions go, on the whole, to products with longer histories.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 4,887 #1 Amazon products · Amazon.com search results (US), September 2026
| Organic position | Median ratings | Average ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,600 | 17,684 |
| 2 | 2,700 | 15,071 |
| 3 | 2,100 | 13,558 |
| 4 | 1,400 | 9,878 |
| 5 | 1,200 | 8,945 |
| 6 | 1,200 | 8,519 |
| 7 | 1,000 | 8,146 |
| 8 | 1,100 | 8,165 |
| 9 | 1,500 | 10,070 |
| 10 | 1,500 | 9,725 |
The step from #5 to #1 is where ratings count most: the median triples, from 1,200 to 3,600. Below position 5 the counts level off between 1,000 and 1,500, so the climb into the top three is where a larger review history shows most.
Beauty needs the most ratings, outdoor the fewest
The bar varies a lot by category. The median #1 beauty product has 16,700 ratings and the median #1 pet product 8,200. In outdoor, the median #1 product has 1,200 ratings, and in apparel 1,500.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 4,887 #1 Amazon products · Amazon.com search results (US), September 2026
| Category | #1 products | Median ratings | Average ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty | 661 | 16,700 | 36,051 |
| Pets | 410 | 8,200 | 17,548 |
| Kitchen | 471 | 6,900 | 20,404 |
| Home | 527 | 4,800 | 16,787 |
| Fitness | 433 | 4,000 | 13,317 |
| Kids | 307 | 3,400 | 10,761 |
| Electronics | 618 | 3,400 | 22,633 |
| Phones | 62 | 2,000 | 16,084 |
| Gaming | 315 | 1,900 | 10,430 |
| Apparel | 590 | 1,500 | 9,417 |
| Outdoor | 430 | 1,200 | 4,143 |
The gap between categories is wider than the gap between positions. A beauty seller needs a review history nearly 14 times longer than an outdoor seller to match the typical #1 product, so a single review target for all of Amazon will be too high in some categories and far too low in others.
What this means for Amazon sellers
Set a review target for your category, not for Amazon as a whole. In outdoor or apparel, a #1 product typically has 1,200 to 1,500 ratings; in beauty it has more than ten times that. Plan launch and review programs around the median #1 product in your own category, not the average across the site.
Do not wait for a big review count before competing. One in eight #1 products has fewer than 100 ratings, so a well-matched listing can win a specific search early. Target the searches where the current leaders have modest counts, and build ratings from there.
Combine paid visibility with a review plan so a new product gets seen while its history grows. An amazon ppc agency can pick the searches where the top products' rating counts are within reach and put launch budget behind them.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/amazon-top-product-review-counts">12.3% of Top-Ranked Amazon Products Have Fewer Than 100 Ratings - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). 12.3% of Top-Ranked Amazon Products Have Fewer Than 100 Ratings. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/amazon-top-product-review-counts
12.3% of Top-Ranked Amazon Products Have Fewer Than 100 Ratings - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/amazon-top-product-review-counts
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