A survey of 1,500 Americans commissioned by Yelp found 50% of consumers do not trust reviews if they know the business has asked customers to leave a review.
Consumers in the US (88%) are more likely to overlook an unfavourable review if they see that the company has responded and resolved the issue effectively. In fact, customers are also 33% more likely to update a critical review if the business replies with a personalised message within 24%. These numbers indicate that being responsive can help businesses effectively recover from negative reviews.
The study further found that written reviews, along with a star rating, are the most helpful sort of online review for local companies. Moreover, 59% of consumers say that star ratings without accompanying text explaining the customer's experience should be ignored entirely. 59% of consumers also believe that medium-length reviews with 16-50 words were the most helpful.
In addition, 54% of consumers read 3-5 reviews about a business, before visiting a business. Companies that offer discounts and incentives are more likely to get reviews, according to 71% of consumers.
[3 minute read]
