Is it possible to get customers to write better reviews for your product or service? An analysis by Market Quotient says that there is a way.

Through research it was discovered that individuals who posted reviews later or those that lived farther away, gave more favorable reviews. This very information could help a product get a better review online.

The investigation involved collating a large number of information of people through various online e-commerce marketplaces which are locally popular. It involved the investigation of over 10,000 consumer product/service reviews posted online on various e-commerce websites. Along with the review, the distance travelled by a customer was tracked using the Google map search engine function. This established the distance travelled by a person to reach a certain destination, i.e. hotel, etc.

More often than not, it was observed that individuals who lived far away posted a more favorable review for, let’s say, the crab served at The Golden Restaurant than those who lived nearer to the place.

The more effort one put in travelling or the farther one lived, the more positive a review they posted. Here, a twofold scenario emerges, long distances and late reviews actually made for a positive comment. This is an area which companies can exploit to good use.

According to our research lead:

  • The people who lived out of town gave more positive reviews of The Golden Restaurant than those given by people who lived nearby.
  • The people, who lived close to The Golden Restaurant, gave more positive reviews to an out of town restaurant that they have taken pains to visit, than that given by the locals of that area.

Here a twofold scenario emerges:

  • A negative review is inversely proportional to the time taken.
  • A positive review is directly proportional to the distance travelled.

 

When someone posts a review instantly, they focus more on specifics, giving a calculated opinion regarding the pros and the cons. While, if a review is posted later, a customer has the opportunity to analyze the entire situation and take into account the overall experience, therefore, they would be more positive in their reviews and limit the use of negative and critical words which could have a detrimental effect for your product or service.

If the study holds true in one area of concern, it should hold true in all areas of concern. Therefore, companies or mobile software application developers, instead of asking people to review a product instantaneously, would benefit if they send in the review mail a bit later, after the experience is allowed to set in, for that would make for a much favorable review.

For more such articles by Market Quotient, an Outsource Market Research India firm, do log onto our website or write to us at contact@marketquotient.com.