But, how much can you rely on customer reviews, and how can you know that a review is real and not written by an AI bot or someone who got free products in exchange for positive reviews?
The Importance Of Reading Reviews
Customer reviews are crucial to your buyer’s journey. Research done by Dixa found that 93% of customers read reviews before purchasing a product. On average, 47% of reviews are about positive experiences, while 95% of reviews mention negative occurrences. Specifically, customers are reading about how the brand responded to customer complaints, whether the product did what it promised it would do, and also the finer details of the purchasing process.
Reading reviews on multiple sites, like Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Reddit, can provide you with a well-rounded view of a company or product you’re interested in. Most consumers read reviews on new restaurants, medical clinics, or local services before making a decision.
Even reviews for online sites, like feedback on specific games or platforms, should be considered. Gamers are quick to state their displeasure with an online experience, and will turn to Discord or other community platforms to discuss their experiences. These platforms are also often reviewed by independent critics, especially when it comes to casino platforms. For example, you can read more on PokerStrategy UK to get unbiased reviews and feedback on the top poker sites for UK players. These kinds of reviews offer both the pros and cons of gaming platforms, giving potential users all the information they need before signing up.
When reading reviews, it is important to also consider how a business is responding, especially to negative feedback. Businesses that call out a customer who had a bad experience may not be worth your time, while those who respond in kind, apologise, and promise to offer a better service next time can be considered, especially if they only have a handful of negative reviews.
The reasons online reviews are so important to consider include:
• Provide information on authentic experiences: It is similar to if someone in your friend circle tells you about their experience with a brand. This information is more relatable than what a brand promotes about itself.
• Mitigates risk: Reading reviews can prevent you from making a risky purchasing decision by learning about potential problems and how the seller mitigated them.
• Provide social proof: Positive feedback acts as social proof, giving potential customers peace of mind that others have had a good experience with the company.
• Unbiased: Most reviews are unbiased and impartial, especially when compared to traditional forms of marketing.
Unfortunately, not all reviews can be trusted. Brands have caught on to the importance of reviews and have found ways to cheat the system and get fake positive reviews.
How To Find Trustworthy Reviews
According to the US Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Advice, you should be reading reviews from various sources, like well-known platforms that are known for expert and unbiased reviews.
When reading a review, look for the following:
• See how recently the reviews were published. If there are a bunch of positive reviews posted within a day or two, it can indicate they’re likely fake.
• Go to the reviewer’s profile to see how often they write reviews. Read the feedback they have written to determine whether their reviews are reliable. If someone has created an account just to post a single overly positive review, it’s likely false.
• Never assume that a review is either real or fake. Sometimes a review can look legitimate, only to be false, and vice versa.
• Not all false reviews are positive. Sometimes companies want to harm their competitors’ reputations by posting fake negative reviews.
Real, trustworthy reviews have the following features in common:
• You can verify that the reviewer has purchased the product or service, either through images taken of the product or a verification badge provided by the platform.
• The reviewer uses a real name and surname and has a history of posting feedback.
• The review offers a balanced perspective, not being overly negative or positive. Negative reviews usually provide detailed information on why they didn’t have a good experience.
• The language used is natural without exaggerated punctuation or tone.
• The review was published recently, since older reviews may not represent the brand’s current offerings.
• There is supporting media, like videos or photos, showing the products.
Reviews are important to help you make purchasing decisions, but these reviews must be honest and trustworthy. Make sure you read reviews across multiple platforms to get a real representation of the brand’s products or services, to ensure you don’t fall victim to a scam. Today, it is impossible to trust a company’s promotions and advertisements, and getting word-of-mouth feedback from real consumers goes a long way to help you trust a brand.