Did you know that negative reviews are still a big ecommerce win? We wanted to recap this awesome post, and add some of our own insight.
Negative reviews actually boost credibility.
Ted over at Hubspot brought up a good point. Let’s say you’re surfing around on Amazon, and come across a product that has 267 5 star reviews. Yep, that’s it. Just those reviews. No 4 star, no 3 star, and so on. Wouldn’t that raise a little suspicion? Especially if all of these reviews were caked with positive, fluffy recommendations, you’d be a little skeptical, right? Negative reviews help you seem more real. People trust real businesses, not perfect ones.
Your customers have a greater chance of experiencing purchase satisfaction.
Most bad reviews aren’t personal insults. Instead, they might outline some of your weaknesses, and potential areas for improvement. With that said, sometimes these bad reviews can actually help your cause. For example, let’s say you sell winter boots. One specific pair caters to the high fashion individuals. They catch the eye of most shoppers, but when it comes to actual outdoor performance, they lack durability. You have nine bad reviews that feature customer complaints regarding this issue.
So, when a new shopper is surfing your site, looking for a pair of boots to last them on their Adirondack trek, they see these reviews and drift away from this pair. Instead, they buy one that better suits their needs. You made a sale, they bought a pair of durable boots – everyone’s happy.
Negative reviews help you showcase your customer support skills.
A customer leaves a horrible review on your Facebook Business page. The smart marketers see this as an opportunity. You now have a chance to prove to the entire community that you actually do care about customer satisfaction. You can publicly make this problem right. In the long run, this will enhance your brand reputation and strengthen credibility.
To add to Ted’s opinions, we also want to note the following.
Negative reviews help you better manage inventory.
So you own a graphic tee shop, and you’re deadset on selling this one Rolling Stones tee. But, this one product is stacked with horrible reviews. Apparently after one washing, the decal peels off, and the tee is no longer wearable. When enough bad reviews stack up, all offering the same complaint, you can make an informed decision on this product. Why carry a poor product, that hinders customer satisfaction? For this reason alone, negative reviews aid in inventory management.
Negative reviews help you pinpoint performance issues.
Let’s say you have a customer support team that’s 50 people deep. You sense a problem with performance, but can’t pinpoint it to one or two individuals. Bad reviews help you weed out the problem employees. For example, let’s say Cheryl, a customer support rep, has a short fuse, and regularly lashes out at customers. But, her office is all the way at the other end of the building, so you never hear Cheryl losing her cool.
Five bad reviews later, you realize who’s the weak link, and can quickly deal with the issue. These bad reviews also make sure each employee stays accountable, and performs based on company standards.
