Reviews.io

Overview

REVIEWS.io is a verified review platform for collecting and displaying customer, product, and service reviews on ecommerce and service-industry websites. It enables merchants to gather verified purchase reviews, display star ratings and review carousels, earn Google Seller Ratings, and syndicate review content to Google Shopping rich snippets and Facebook product catalogs. REVIEWS.io integrates with Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and major ecommerce platforms via native apps and API.

What This Script Does

REVIEWS.io deploys JavaScript from its CDN (typically cdn.reviews.co.uk or widget.reviews.io) to embed review widgets on storefront pages. The script loads synchronously or asynchronously depending on widget type.

Widget types and their behavior:

• Product review widgets: Embedded on product detail pages, these load review content (text, star ratings, reviewer names, verified purchase badges, photos) from REVIEWS.io servers. They set a first-party session cookie (__reviews_io_session) to track widget interaction state (active tab, sort order, pagination position).
• Aggregate rating badges: Render a site-wide star rating summary on category pages or footers. Fetch aggregate data from REVIEWS.io API on page load.
• Review collection forms: Post-purchase widgets that load a review submission interface. May read a _reviews_io_reviewer cookie (persistent, 365-day expiry) to pre-populate reviewer details for returning customers.
• Review invitation flow: After purchase events, REVIEWS.io can be configured to send review request emails. The email links back to a review form that references the order token. No pixel fires in the visitor's browser — this is a server-side trigger.

Technical details:

• Script filename: widget.js or modern.js loaded from cdn.reviews.co.uk
• All widget requests are first-party in terms of content (reviews data is fetched to your domain), but the script itself is third-party hosted
• Review submissions POST reviewer name, star rating, review text, and optionally photos to REVIEWS.io servers
• Google Seller Ratings syndication uses structured data (application/ld+json schema markup) injected into the DOM — no separate Google pixel is fired

Consent & Compliance

• Category: Functional
• GDPR: Review display widgets serve a functional, user-requested purpose. Cookies set are ancillary to widget state and qualify as strictly necessary for the service the visitor requests (browsing reviews). Email addresses used for review invitations are processed under the merchant's contractual or legitimate interest basis — this is separate from website consent.
• CCPA: Reviewer names, email addresses, and review content are personal information but are voluntarily submitted. The widget interaction cookies are not used for cross-site tracking or sale.
• ePrivacy: The __reviews_io_session cookie maintains display preferences and qualifies as strictly necessary for the functional review widget. The _reviews_io_reviewer cookie pre-fills form fields as a convenience — this is functional rather than tracking in nature.
• Data residency: REVIEWS.io is UK-based. Post-Brexit, UK GDPR applies. EU users' data may transfer to UK under the UK adequacy decision.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

No. REVIEWS.io provides functional ecommerce features — review display and collection — that enhance the shopping experience and are directly connected to purchase activity. It does not perform advertising, cross-site behavioral tracking, or audience building. Review widgets can operate under a functional or legitimate interest basis without requiring prior consent, provided the cookies set are limited to widget state management.