The theory that it’s mostly unhappy customers that head online to share reviews is being challenged, with new figures suggesting it’s those happy consumers that are willing to put their positive opinions on the World Wide Web.
Close to 950 Aussies were surveyed by online business directory TrueLocal in order to uncover reviewing habits online. 67 per cent of respondents said they only head to the web to write a review after a positive experience.
“Our findings debunk a belief among many businesses that reviews are used by the public to vent about their experiences. In reality, just 6 per cent of reviewers admitted to doing so,” TrueLocal Group Manager Ruth Trewhella said.
“While you’d imagine that Aussies would draw on negative reviews to help them choose a business, the opposite is true. Our research found 82 per cent of those surveyed say glowing reviews, not negative ones, made their purchasing decisions easier.”
This isn’t to suggest upset customers won’t share their frustrated opinions. 56 per cent of those surveyed said they would have be ‘furious’ to write up a negative review, while 16 per cent said they would they need to be ‘annoyed’ to do the same.
Customers look to be more lenient regarding what it would take for a positive review. 36 per cent said positive feedback may be on the way if they were ‘happy’, while a further 30 per cent said a positive write-up would come if they were even ‘satisfied’.
“While the public finds positive feedback more relevant, businesses should not ignore negative reviews, as they offer a window into the areas of their product or service that may need improvement,” Ms Trewhella said.
“It’s really important to respond to negative reviews as doing so demonstrates to consumers that the business is committed to improving customer service.”
