Why bad feedback can be good for business
Posted 12th May 2012
Voice of the Customer
When it comes to social commerce, bad product reviews are good for business as two in three (68%) consumers say they trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores
The Reevoo research found that customers who go out of their way to read bad reviews convert 67% more highly than the average consumer, and that three times as many consumers actively seek out and read negative user generated content as look for positive content.
Those who seek out bad reviews are highly engaged with their pre-purchase research, viewing almost four times as many products as the average visitor to a site, and staying considerably longer. Three in ten of those who gave feedback suspect censorship or faked reviews when they don't see bad scores.
However, the balance between positive and negative comments that a brand or retailer attracts varies according to whether a proactive or passive reviews strategy is employed.
According to Richard Anson, founder and CEO for Reevoo, "Consumers who seek out negative reviews outperform the average visitor to a website. We saw a 67% bump in conversion rates for these shoppers. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, negative user-generated content is actually one of the most effective conversion tools."
