Why Shopify & Other E-Commerce Store Need Negative Reviews?

Eric Pong
negative reviews influence on sales - Floship

You might believe in working hard to get incredible reviews for your business. If you do so, you are not all alone. Almost every business endeavor earns a high number of five-star reviews. And we all know the reason behind our intention, i.e., to enhance consumer’s confidence.
What is the first thing you look for when you:

  • Wish to buy something from an online store?
  • Want to drive crosswise over town to an eatery?
  • Need to download an application?

Of course, I go for the review section, and I’m sure you might also.
Finding bad reviews may stop you in choosing that particular service or product. Hence, you probably try another one. However, if they are in favor of the company, you are most likely to give them a try.
So, you might have considered a strategy to power your services with five-star ratings and great reviews. Similarly, you must be looking forward to avoiding the negative ones. If this is the case, I must say, your intentions are clear, but still that should not be your ultimate goal.
If you are trying to avoid negative reviews altogether, your approach might not be that good for your business. Believe me or not, earning high-rated reviews is not only the key to your success. Negative reviews can also help you many ways which you might not have thought about.
Let us be more precise and discuss the importance of negative reviews for your Shopify store.

Why Are Negative Reviews So Important?

We all know, running an e-commerce business is not an easy task. It takes all your efforts, heart and soul to put into your Shopify store, and then a negative review could make you feel bad.
Customer Reviews play a vital role in convincing new visitors to spend more time and leave with a purchase.
online purchase influences
Shopify store owners look for the highest ratings they can earn. But it is required to understand the hidden treasure in negative reviews. Yes, it is a real treasure. See how it will benefit your business and will improve your conversions.

1. Customer Can Estimate The Risk

We are altogether frightened of the obscure. More often customer calculates their own risk by comparing the experience of other products and online stores with your Shopify store. It allows the customer to assume what can turn out badly with their purchase.
It allows them to understand the most unfavorable situation they can face and also let them know how you will accommodate them. Your responses provide shoppers an idea of how they will be dealt in with such a situation. It encourages them to make a purchase.
reviews to influence purchase
Such reviews let customers understand that the support is human and rarely they can suffer from the delayed response. However, it clearly shows that they responded via email. This could encourage your visitor.

2. Negative Reviews Lead To Conversion

Having some less-star reviews no doubt decreases the product average star rating, but it is observed that it results in higher conversion rates. It influences purchase behavior as human psychology does not accept a thing with completely perfect aspects.
In fact, customers seem not trusting the five-star rating. Many studies have proved that customers are more likely to make a purchase when the review rating lies between 4.2 and 4.5. Consider the following review with a three-star rating.
negative review becomes conversion
These type of review help buyer understand that it might take time with the delivery but they will definitely receive their product and company is not a scam.

3. Negative Reviews Highlight Transparency & Build Trust

We know that nothing is perfect. Your clients realize that some negative statement about an item, your service or store will unavoidably emerge and if a guest sees only 5-star ratings, they get suspicious.
A few customers move to such an extreme as to overlook brands or items with just five-star audits and search for other straightforward options.
While it may entice make progress toward the ideal 5-star rating. However, showcasing both good and bad reviews on your product pages let customer trust you. It demonstrates your clients that you don’t have anything to stow away, and signals that the audits showed on your site are not phony, altered or separated.

4. Customer Often Look for Negative Reviews

82% of customers go for checking the negative reviews after they know the star rating of your store. If they do not find any negative reviews, they are more convince leaving your site due to unauthentic perception. It is thereby vital to keep some negative reviews on the site as well.

5. Negative Reviews Gain More Value

It is clear that there are more positive reviews available on the internet as compared to negative ones, resulting in scarcity of non-perfect comments. It makes them stand out amongst all reviews. Customer values such remarks more than the positive one as they address their concerns better and with authenticity. Replying such reviews along with your marketing message can benefit your store as it is seen more by the visitors.

6. It Helps You Improve Your Quality & Service

What you need better than a bit of advice or an opinion about your product? Negative reviews let you know what your customers think of your provided services and your offered products. Taking their comments as a positive intent and assuming it as advice, motivates you to improve your quality. More negative reviews mean more chances to improve.

7. Let You Stand in the Competition

Being a former customer support executive at MHR Writer, I can state it with my personal experience that negative review help being busy in a healthy competition with your competitors. I remember, most often when clients and visitors ask about the negative reviews on our site, I used to satisfy them telling the truth that it might be our rivals’ strategy. About 90% of customers understand the reason and do not argue on it further.

How to Deal With Negative Reviews?

So, I think the above discussion might have changed your views about the negative reviews. But the thing is that how you need to deal with such reviews? Shall you leave them with a response? When respond to them and how to?
Look at some tips below that will helps your managing such situations.

1. Respond Quickly

Whenever you face negative experience with reviews, respond back to them quickly. A customer always expects an answer when they are highlighting an issue with their writing. Over 40% of them need a response in 60 minutes. Premium Jackets utilizes AI to monitor their negative reviews which help them answer it within 20 minutes.

2. Do Not Panic and Look For Common Themes

It is human nature that we got frustrated by negative statements about us or our products. But, being a professional, you need to absorb such comments and think for the betterment of your product and service. A simple practice that can help you is to sort out the reviews with similar complains and problems. Work on it, and that will help you solve the issue and improve the quality.
Author Bio: Stella Lincoln is a UCLA graduate, and currently she is working as an E-Commerce Executive at Academist Help. She loves to be updated with technological advancements. Stella has a great vision to help students start their business as an entrepreneur. She often shares her views and expertise on her blog Educator House.

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