This page is part of a global project to create a better online reviews system. If you want to know more or give your feedback, write at [email protected] and we’ll grab a beer ;)

Businesses should have the opportunity to respond to reviews, both positive and negative. Research has shown that consumers trust businesses more when they reply to reviews $^1$.

Potential customers read these responses to understand the business's tone and to get additional context (cf. “All reviews don’t count the same”). If an issue has been resolved, people want to know what steps the business has taken. A well-crafted response can significantly mitigate the impact of a negative review, though the rating still affects the overall average, despite this.

The biggest hurdle is that potential customers can't read all the reviews and their replies. They typically rely on the average rating and may disregard a business if it falls below their threshold of consideration.

<aside> 💡 Exploration

• Maintain the right to reply. While most platforms currently offer this feature, it's crucial to ensure it remains a standard practice in the long term.
• "Marked as fixed.” If a business claims in their response that an issue has been resolved, it would be fair to mark this as "fixed" once confirmed by subsequent customers. This could potentially reduce the weight of the negative review in the overall average.
• Display the number of negative reviews that have received replies. While the total number of reviews and the average rating significantly influence consumer decisions, showing how many reviews have been addressed by the business could provide additional context. Although these replies may not always be relevant, they do represent the business's voice, which should be considered just as much as the reviewers'.

Image or the number of replied reviews

image of an answer given by he business with no informatioN. </aside>

$^1$ "What does the brand say? Effects of brand feedback to negative eWOM on brand trust and purchase intentions”, Bhandari and Rodgers, 2017.

➡️ Next up: Negative reviews: Businesses have the right to fail sometimes