70% of Consumers Will Leave a Review For a Business When Asked
70% of Consumers Will Leave a Review For a Business When Asked
Not a few small businesses have perished due to their ignoring or disregarding online reviews. As society across the globe increasingly grows interconnected and web-connected, so too do people look to online resources for advice when making purchases, visiting restaurants, or even bothering to drive by a physical store. Wise businesses are able to encourage their satisfied customers to leave positive ratings on critical review sites, as without this encouragement, only the odd upset customer will even think to lend his or her two cents on the company.
It may seem awkward at first to [ask your customers to leave a positive review online](), especially if you own a physical business. Even the largest online retailers often have trouble getting their customers to leave a positive opinion. However, the most important step is asking in the first place. Studies have shown that over 70% of consumers will leave a review for a business when asked, with far fewer going out of their way otherwise to put in a good word.
Have you ever received an email after purchasing an item requesting you leave a review for it or, for some websites, for the seller of the item? If you’ve made an online purchase in the past few years, chances are a follow-up email like this has made its way to your inbox. While these are a strong and harmless business practice, do be careful to avoid sending out bountiful quantities of emails to those who simply have no desire to respond.
Consider sending out an automated email if your business operates online, asking recent customers to rate their product and experience with the company alike. For a physical business, you could put up a small sign or two reminding patrons to say something nice in Yelp or similar services, or even make it a routine to ask them verbally once they’ve made a purchase. An excellent motivator for all types of businesses can be coupons or rewards, given out when a customer leaves a review (but be careful not to explicitly coerce a positive one!) or shares your business on social media. Not only will this help other potential customers to feel more secure in their business, but you might also make a few return customers.
Without a stream of satisfied customers leaving reviews online, you’ll likely find review pages clogged with one and two-star reviews before long, as response bias takes hold among your angrier customers. Response bias is the phenomenon wherein a customer with a particularly unpleasant view of your company will be more inclined to comment on it than a regular customer or someone with a positive view. As a result, these consumers will often go out of their way to justify their anger through reviews and potentially hurt the business which may have wronged them, while without prompting, those satisfied with their experience will go about their business, assuming that you don’t need any further help from them.
The first step to getting reviews for your business, and the customers that come with them, is to simply ask for them. Find a way to incorporate this request into your company’s routine, and your online presence can only grow healthier.
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