In 9 out of 10 online orders a purchase decision is made using reviews: customers read them, watch photos and videos, and ask questions. And in 2 out of 10 orders, reviews play a decisive role in choosing a product.
Proper reviews help attract new audiences and increase the loyalty of existing customers. Here are strategies and tools to help companies increase the number of positive reviews and handle negative ones correctly.
What the Perfect Review Should Be
Customer confidence in information from businesses is declining, and advertising is having less and less impact.
Buyers trust the recommendations of loved ones and experts the most. Experience in using the product and independence of opinion are important.
If we talk about the review itself, here’s what’s important to buyers:
- A comprehensive opinion.
- The presence of photos or videos whose quality is as great as games at WooCasino.
- Completeness of the profile of the author of the review: availability of photos, rating, reviews of other products.
- Responses from company representatives.
- Comments on reviews from other customers.
Why Do They Write, Who Reads and Why Do Some People Ignore Reviews
Interestingly, it’s far from the monetary rewards or bonuses that companies and online stores often offer that motivate customers to leave reviews.
82% of shoppers leave reviews to share their opinions about the quality of the product and to help others make a choice.
Over half of shoppers turn to comments to see if the product is right for them personally. Forty-four percent want to make sure the product description matches reality, and 34% want to see more actual photos.
Most often customers consider reviews when:
- Choosing sporting goods, electronics and appliances, and children’s products.
- Frequently leave reviews themselves.
- Choosing to buy for a few days or longer.
Don’t read reviews mostly if the product already has a comprehensive description: photos, videos, specifications – and additional information is not needed (42%). Or those who buy repeatedly or on the recommendation of friends (16%). 10% of respondents don’t have time to read them, and 9% don’t trust reviews.
Too High a Rating Causes Distrust
According to Canvas8 research, in the U.S., U.K. and France, the level of trust in reviews posted on CNET, Amazon and eBay is very low. This is due to the fact that these companies often pursue their own interests without caring about the credibility of reviews.
Consumers note that having both positive and negative reviews – as a more credible story – inspires more trust.
55% of consumers are more likely to choose a company with an average rating and more reviews than one that has a high rating but minimal reviews.
Negative reviews can also help businesses, according to a study published in the Journal of Marketing. For example, when users see one or two stars for hotels on TripAdvisor, they think those ratings are unfair. In such cases, consumers tend to empathize with businesses and support them financially.
How to Turn Negative Reviews Into Positive Ones
Negative comments reveal flaws in a company’s operations and processes that need to be changed.
Addressing the issue often becomes the first step to improving a brand’s online reputation.
But before you can respond to a customer – and it’s always better to respond – you need to identify the type of negativity:
- Constructive criticism. Such comments are distinguished by a detailed description of the problem. The customer is ready for a dialogue and is highly likely to delete or change the review if the problem is solved.
- Emotional feedback. The text lacks a clear description of the problem, uses large letters and contains a frightening number of question marks and exclamation points. More often than not, such clients refuse to engage in dialogue.
- Trolling. The client does not want to solve the problem; on the contrary, he wants to provoke conflict.
- Unfair competition. The purpose of such responses is to harm the company’s image. Texts may contain inaccurate information: “the administrator was sassy”, “the service was not provided”, “terrible service”.
It’s easy to check a fictitious claim: if you ask about what happened, the author will refuse to specify the time and date of the visit, the order number or other information that will help make sense of the situation.
How to Respond to Negative Feedback
According to brightlocal research, 80% of users are willing to change a negative review to a positive one if the problem is fixed.
Interestingly, 52% said they would use the company’s services if the seller only responds to negative comments. That’s why it’s important that they at least respond to them.
Giving customers a bonus as an apology for the inconvenience is the best way to turn a negative review into a positive one. For example, if a customer has a problem with a product or service, you can offer a discount on future purchases.
In the case of an emotional comment, you should try to move the dialogue in a constructive direction: ask for the order number, ask what exactly was unsatisfactory.
If we are talking about trolling and unreliable information, it’s worth immediately contacting the resource’s support service. Usually large sites in such situations are going to make advances and remove such responses.
Working Proactively
It’s better to prevent the publication of negative comments and, after every sale, to be interested in the customer’s opinion, particularly in whether he is satisfied with the collaboration.
If for some reason the client is dissatisfied, you should find out the reason, assure the client that you intend to eliminate it, and offer him a bonus or gift so that he will return. This way you can intercept the negativity, keep the customer and buy time to resolve the issue.