Our survey findings have discovered the true impact of negative reviews on a business’s reputation.
Key Findings:
- Nearly 90% of survey respondents stated that they read business owner’s responses to negative reviews
- About 80% of people said a negative review prevented them from choosing a particular business
- 75% of consumers have left a negative review at least once
- 55% of potential customers will read a negative review before reading a positive one
- Only 50% of consumers said they would visit a business if their rating was 3 stars or less
- 46% of people stated that they are more likely to visit a business that responds to negative reviews
Due to the widespread use of the internet, online reviews have become more common, affecting businesses more than ever. Consumers are always looking for new places to spend their money. However, consumers are looking to spend their money on quality services and products. How does one know if a product is worth their hard earned cash? Well, reviews of course.
Review sites provide transparent customer reviews to allow other customers to become well-researched and informed about the business’s overall quality before one decides to purchase products. While a good initial first impression will lead to consumers reading reviews, if the reviews don’t continue to make a positive impression, consumers will often spend their money elsewhere. Overall, negative customer reviews on your business can harm your profitability, trustworthiness, and prestige, as seen from potential consumers.
Popular review sites such as Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and more make it easier for consumers to give their opinion minutes after a poor-quality experience with a business, allowing there to be no cool down period between the experience and when the possible nasty review is written.
People can tend to be more focused on the negative than the positive. The survey indicated that nearly 55% of people would read a negative review before reading a positive one. People want to know every possible flaw that a product, service, or experience can have before spending their hard-earned money on it.
The survey also found that 80% of people said a negative review prevented them from choosing a particular business.That means your business could potentially be losing every 8 in 10 customers, solely based on online review presence.
Reviews alert buyers to how different products and services compare against one another. Nearly 90% of survey respondents stated that they read business owner’s responses to negative reviews. So, if a business owner can quickly and efficiently attend to the bad review, there is a possibility of maintaining the customer.
Consumer Fusion provides a dashboard that businesses can manage their company’s online presence in an easy-to-use place, along with replying directly to reviews from the dashboard. Customers want to see that their reviews are taken into consideration, and their feedback is being implemented to improve the quality of the business.
Not a single business runs perfectly, and what one person believes, another may not share the same opinion. Likewise, a few negative reviews may present a more honest representation of the business to shoppers. Yet, it is how brands respond to the reviews that are truly impactful. Consumers like to trust a collective opinion, so if positive customer reviews are abundant, then the business shouldn’t stress.
With the dashboard, Consumer Fusion provides brands with reputation analytics tools, which allows businesses to get a clear idea of how their reviews are distributed online. Nonetheless, a company needs to strive for honest, good consumer reviews to establish a quality environment to attract more consumers and continue to be profitable.
If your company needs help maintaining its online reputation so you can continue to attract new consumers, request a demo. We strive to keep reviews honest by providing business owners with the tools they need to take control of their online reputation. With our innovative software, creative thinking, and stellar customer service, there’s no doubt that we will be able to help you achieve your goals and improve your business on all digital platforms.