Believe it or not, customers often filter those 1-star reviews you don’t want them to see, but this doesn’t have to be bad for business.
Consumers often filter reviews since they believe they can trust the negative ones.
After all, why would another customer who’s invested their own money in a product or service lie about their experience with it?
The unfortunate thing for many companies, though, is that consumers will often focus on the few negative reviews that have been left instead of the positive ones. Even if the positive reviews vastly outnumber the unflattering ones, our brains are unfortunately wired to focus on the negative.
Given how much choice consumers have these days, they are far more discerning with how they spend their money.
That’s what makes reviews such an essential part of the decision-making process.
Customers Want to Make an Informed Decision
We all want to know that we are getting the perfect product or service for our own needs. Many times, positive reviews only reaffirm what we already assume, rather than providing new information.
However, negative reviews, for better or worse, reveal more about the product or service and give you a clear picture of what to expect.
They’re Wary of False Information
Since many consumers approach purchase decisions with a healthy deal of skepticism, it’s understandable that a lot of 100% 5-star reviews can seem too good to be true.
This isn’t so much an issue when it comes to negative reviews since it doesn’t seem like there would be much incentive to lie about a product or service that you don’t like. Sure, you could discredit a company by leaving a bad review, but it seems much less likely than being paid off to write a glowing review.
They Want to Know About Your Company
A company’s reputation in large part is shaped by how it responds to negative feedback.
If it chooses not to engage with its customers and provide solutions, then that doesn’t reflect well. However, if it goes above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction, it can do a world of good for how it is perceived in new customers’ eyes.
The Power of Reviews
Reviews, either positive or negative, can have a huge impact on your business.
Obviously, you should strive to get as many positive reviews as possible, since they can provide the following benefits for your company:
- They can elevate your status as a brand and help you build a strong reputation in your field.
- Positive reviews boost your overall rating, which can make your company easier to find through search engines.
- The more positive reviews you have, the higher the probability that prospective customers will choose your company over the competition.
However, as you already know, negative reviews are an inevitability for any business.
That’s not to say you can’t offset the potential damage they do to your business’ reputation, though.
Here are some drawbacks of negative reviews and how you can reframe them as benefits:
Negative reviews decrease the rating of your product
While you don’t want your product to have a low star rating, these negative reviews can provide consumers with key information to inform their purchase decision. Plus, the impact of negative reviews sprinkled in can add overall credibility to the product.
Negative reviews reflect poorly on your company
Sure, negative reviews can affect how some consumers perceive your business.
However, the opportunity here is to deal with issues raised by customers by responding to their reviews, and that way, you can offset some of the damage done.
If you prove to consumers that you are responsive and willing to adapt based on customer feedback, then that can only reflect well on you.
Summary
Much like many of us hold our friend’s recommendations in high regard, we do the same with product reviews as consumers.
These product reviews can play a significant role in our decision-making process and give us insight into how a company is run.
It should be clear by now that while negative reviews aren’t great when seen as opportunities to improve, they can help your business go from strength to strength.
With the help of Trustindex, you can manage all your reviews – whether they are negative or positive – from one place. It also gives you the option to only display the positive feedback, should you choose to do so. Try it our for yourself today!>>