amazonA behind-the-scenes change to the way Amazon calculates product ratings is having little to no impact so far on ratings for the top-selling products across the site, according to a new study.

amazonstarsOut of 185 products, representing the top 5 selling products in each major Amazon category, only one product saw a significant decrease in its overall rating since the change started to roll out, according to the study by Seattle-based DNA Response, which provides data and analytics to Amazon sellers. That product, a magazine, dropped from a 5-star rating to a 4-star rating following the announcement of the change, according to the study.

All of the other products included in the study — in categories ranging from appliances and beauty products to pet supplies and shoes — have experienced little to no change in their overall rating so far, according to the data, compiled by DNA Response and provided to GeekWire.

Amazon announced the change in its ratings and reviews calculations last month. With the help of a new machine-learning algorithm, the company said it would give greater weight to newer, more helpful and verified customer reviews (written comments) and ratings (the 5-star system) when determining top reviews to display, and when calculating a product’s overall rating.

The lack of major changes so far might not be the end of the story. Amazon indicated when it rolled out the the changes that the new algorithm would learn and adjust as it goes. The company said in a statement at the time, “The enhanced system will use a machine-learned model to give more weight to newer, more helpful reviews from Amazon customers. The system will continue to learn which reviews are most helpful to customers and improve the experience over time.”

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