Randall Quejano

Brands know that customer reviews play an integral role in consumers’ purchasing decisions, especially online. As such, they work hard to drive the highest ratings they can. And yet, it’s the presence of less-than-five-star reviews that can actually be what drives purchase. Recent data analysis across 40 product categories looked at the impact of reading reviews on purchases. Northwestern University’s Spiegel Research Center and PowerReviews found that, in moderation, bad reviews actually help boost sales. In fact, product purchases were most influenced by reviews with an average star rating between 4.2 and 4.5, according to research from GetApp. Products with five-star ratings were less influenced, likely due to today’s skeptical consumers’ “ too good to be true” sensibilities. Having a few less-than-perfect reviews decreases a product’s average star rating, but grows the business more. Why are five-star reviews too good to be true? We think it’s authenticity. There’s a healthy cynic in us all. We know nothing is perfect. So when a consumer sees only five-star reviews, they smell something fishy, something that causes their BS meter to go off. They know that some negative opinions about a product, service or place are to be expected, and become suspicious when something is marketed as “perfect.” And as Amazon recently filed a lawsuit against more than 1,000 sellers of fake four- and five-star reviews, consumers are scrutinizing reviews more closely than ever before — and have reason to do so.