Brands have long found that consumer feedback plays an important role in making purchasing decisions, especially online.

But the latest scandals at Amazon, TripAdvisor or Allociné have highlighted the fact that these reviews are not always ironclad authenticity.

Many online businesses strive to garner the highest ratings to attract more customers.

And yet, we have seen that it is the "credible" notes, and not necessarily the ones closest to perfection, that bring in the most sales.

 "Trying too hard to please, you end up disliking yourself"

A recent study analyzing the impact of ratings on sales of about 40 different products found that bad ratings (to some extent) can help improve sales (Northwestern Spiegel Research Center study).

It actually appears that the ratings that most influenced the purchase decision were in the average around 4.2/5 and 4.5/5. Products enjoying a 5/5 rating benefited less from improved sales.

This is due to the rather skeptical attitude of consumers who now say to themselves « "it's too good to be true "» when they see 100% positive ratings.

So getting a few less enthusiastic reviews lowers the overall rating and can increase sales.

Why doesn't a perfect score inspire buyers?

From experience, any product or service can make people unhappy.

This is even often the case because we know well that a disgruntled customer will be quicker to share his anger than the satisfied customer.

So, a (favorable) mix of good and not-so-good reviews show the transparency of a brand and this legitimizes the totality of the published ratings.

What should you do about your consumer ratings?

Positive or negative reviews, your customers have their say!

- Evaluate the content

The content itself must be analyzed. A negative review filed by one consumer may be positively perceived by another consumer.

In fact, if the first one complains about the color of the product that they think it's the wrong shade of red, or that it's too big, that can be a very good reason for a second customer to decide to buy.

- Keep negative content

82% of Internet users are specifically on the lookout for negative content when they are hesitant to buy a product. So this type of content needs to be offered to them.

In addition, by offering customers the opportunity to express themselves about their purchase, the number of reviews - good and bad - will necessarily increase accordingly.

- Analyser

When a brand is looking to improve its product or service, these ratings area great feedback that helps make improvements.   

Consumers expect brands to offer products of impeccable quality but also to respond to criticism with honesty.

In conclusion, therefore, spend time monitoring ratings on social-networks, on your Google Business page or directly on your site and respond to the critics (in a cold-blooded manner).

You will stand out brilliantly!