6 Reasons Why Customers Write Product Reviews

If you ever search through e-commerce sites like Amazon, you might find it surprising that there can be more than 1,000 reviews on an extension cord, for instance, and only a handful of reviews for a TV that some consider “the best” to buy this year. This then raises important questions like what drives consumers to write reviews.

Clay Shirky, an author and specialist in Internet technologies, once pointed out:

"Writing a review is more like writing fan mail (or even hate mail) for a product, and people who post are not expecting anyone to read it. "

This is why there can be so many reviews for a simple product like an extension cord. Consumers do not care about simplicity- they just want to express how they feel. They do it without thinking that someone will take the time to read it.

Diving deeper into what motivates a consumer, Kelly Fay's marketing institution conducted a study among 1,300 reviewers that showed more than 70% of customers want to help companies improve their products. In addition, 79% expressed the desire to write product reviews in order to reward a company. So, it is not only about taking the time to write fan mail. The consumer is also thinking about the company and how the review can have a positive impact on the brand.

NOTE: Businesses that plant fake reviews to bolster their ratings should take heed, as discerning customers are suspicious of reviews that are uncharacteristically “gushy” or complimentary.

So why do people write reviews? Let’s look at the six of the most common reasons that compel consumers to leave their feedback for businesses:

Exceptional (or unsatisfactory) customer experience?

Like fan letters, consumers simply want to express how they feel with no real consideration as to who will read their review or when, especially if they feel very happy about the brand or the service/product experience. A superior customer experience that has truly gone above and beyond naturally makes one want to talk about it with the world.

Inversely, if customers have a negative experience, they will want to warn other existing or new buyers. Businesses must pay close attention to the specifics of negative reviews as they provide crucial feedback for brand improvement (psst - we blogged on how to effectively respond to bad feedback). Today’s analytics technology like Wonderflow even helps managers pinpoint exactly what specs, features, service points, etc., sure, need improvements.

Find out more reasons why consumers leave reviews.