Good news for good reviews

Positive experiences are more likely to translate into positive feedback, according to new research from TrueLocal.

Over two-thirds of online reviewers only post feedback after a positive experience with a business, with group manager Ruth Trewhella saying it’s the good times that get special mention.

“Australians are more inclined to give positive feedback, with 67% of respondents revealing they only write reviews after a positive experience,” she said.

“Our findings debunk a belief among many businesses that reviews are used by the public to vent about their experiences. In reality, just 6% of reviewers admitted to doing so.”

TrueLocal surveyed nearly 1000 Aussies about their online reviewing habits to uncover the findings.

“While you’d imagine that Aussies would draw on negative reviews to help them choose a business, the opposite is true,” Trewhella added.

“Our research found 82% of those surveyed say glowing reviews, not negative ones, made their purchasing decisions easier.”

Meanwhile, more than half of reviewers need to be ‘furious’ before reviewing a business negatively online, with most respondents admitting that negative emotions would need to run extremely high to stir them up to post a negative write-up.

56% said an experience would need to leave them ‘furious’ before they’d review negatively, and a further 16% would need to be ‘annoyed’.

For positive reviews, 36% would need to be ‘happy’ and a further 30% ‘satisfied’ with an experience before giving positive feedback.

Proving that emotions are high when people tap out a negative write-up, further TrueLocal research found that reviewers use nearly twice as many words when penning negative reviews. Highly positive (five-star) write-ups were short and sweet, averaging 55 words.

Negative reviews, on the other hand, were verbose at 83 and 95 words for two- and one-star ratings, respectively.

“While the public finds positive feedback more relevant, businesses should not ignore negative reviews, as they offer a window into the areas of their product or service that may need improvement,” Trewhella added.

“It’s really important to respond to negative reviews as doing so demonstrates to consumers that the business is committed to improving customer service.”

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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