- Ariyh
- Posts
- Encourage comparisons in your reviews
Encourage comparisons in your reviews
Compared to normal reviews, positive comparative reviews increase sales by up to 26% and negative comparative reviews are up to 47% less harmful.
Topics: Reviews
For: B2C
Research date: November 2023
Universities: Tianjin University, Virginia Tech, and Nankai University
đ Intro
Imagine youâre trying to buy a new laptop. The more research you do, the more confused you become, as you struggle to understand what you actually need in terms of RAM, ROM, processing speed, screen resolution, and a myriad of other technical details.
Youâre looking through reviews to try and make sense of things, but are struggling. An online review from David says Laptop A has a great battery, while Debbie says the same in her review about Laptop B. But which one is better?
After much more scrolling, you finally come across Nijatâs review who after trying both, says that Laptop Bâs battery worked better than Laptop A. Finally, a review that tells you exactly what you need!
Youâre not alone. New research shows just how important comparisons are in reviews, and why you should encourage comparisons in the reviews of your products.
P.S.: You can easily increase the number and positivity of your reviews by replying to all reviews you receive (no matter whether they are positive or negative).
đ Recommendation
Encourage reviewers to compare your product to other alternatives or competitors (e.g. âHow was it compared to a similar product youâve tried?â). People who read the review will be more likely to buy your product.
Positive comparisons (e.g. Detergent A gets stains out better than Detergent B) are more effective than stand-alone positive reviews (e.g. Detergent A is great at removing stains from my kidâs clothes).
In contrast, negative comparisons (e.g. Detergent A doesnât make my clothes as soft as Detergent B) have less of a negative impact than regular negative reviews (e.g. Detergent A doesnât make my clothes soft).Â
đ Findings
Reviews comparing products (e.g. I like Item A more than Item B because ofâŠ) drive sales better than regular reviews (e.g. I love Item Aâs âŠ) when positive, and are less harmful when negative.
In an analysis of 58,481 reviews of 60 mobile phone models and a controlled lab experiment, researchers found that:
Positive comparative reviews (e.g. Phone A is better than Phone B becauseâŠ) increased sales 26.5% more than regular reviews (e.g. Phone A is great becauseâŠ)
A negative comparative review is 46.9% less harmful than a regular negative review
People were
22.7% more likely to buy a laptop after reading a positive comparative review (vs a normal positive review)
18.3% more likely to buy a laptop after reading a negative comparative review (vs a normal negative review)
đ§ Why it works
We use online reviews to help us form an opinion about a product and decide whether to buy it.
When we see a comparative review, it seems more certain and conveys greater power. We also think the reviewer knows the topic better, as theyâd need experience to be able to compare items.
Since we consider comparative reviews to be more engaging, credible, and persuasive, we follow these reviews more, making their impact on sales greater.
A regular negative review (e.g. Phone A has a low battery life) highlights a shortcoming in the product and leads us to avoid the risk of facing the issue if we buy the product. A negative comparative review (e.g. Phone Aâs battery isnât as good as Phone Bâs), shows a comparison, but not necessarily an issue with the product itself, leading to less of a negative reaction.
â Limitations
The research focused on mobile phones and laptops. While similar dynamics should exist for reviews of non-tech products, this hasnât been tested yet.
The status of the person leaving the review (e.g. a badge indicating a pro vs. first-time user, or a verified account or influencer) as well as their tone and language would also impact the credibility of the review they leave, though this hasnât been tested here.
The study was on reviews in China. The impact of othersâ opinions is likely different in different cultural settings. For example, whether an item is a bestseller tends to play a larger role in decision-making in Western cultures compared to a productâs rating.Â
đą Companies using this
Roughly 10% of online reviews include comparisons, but companies donât seem to proactively ask for them.
Many e-commerce platforms, from Amazon to Tmall to Alibaba offer Q&A options and comment sections for customers to discuss products, allowing them to make comparisons. Some, like Best Buy, also show product comparisons to easily compare features of similar products.
Capterra includes a section for users to compare ratings for similar products but does not encourage users to make comparisons in its review writing tips.
⥠Steps to implement
Encourage your customers to compare your product to others when they write a review. For example:
Ask them in the review prompting questions to explain âHow do Product Aâs features rate against Product B?â
In the placeholder text of the review box, you can include sentences like âI liked [product] better than [other product] because âŠâ
If youâve launched a new version of your product, you can specifically ask âHow does Product 2.0 compare to the original?â
Since the first review people read is usually the most influential, highlight reviews including words or phrases like âcompared to Xâ, âmore thanâ or âless thanâ to make your comparative reviews more prominent.
Donât be afraid of comparative negative reviews, especially if theyâre irrelevant. Not only are these less harmful than non-comparative negative reviews but including an irrelevant negative review puts your product in a better light.
đ Study type
Lab experiment and market observation (analysis of 58,481 reviews across 60 mobile phones on a Chinese ecommerce marketplace)
đ Research
The Effects of Comparative Reviews on Product Sales. Journal of Interactive Marketing (November 2023)
đ« Researchers
Min Zhang. College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University
Yuzhuo Li. College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University
Lin Sun. College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University
G. Alan Wang. Pamplin College of Business. Virginia Tech
Jiangang Du. Nankai University
Remember: This is a new scientific discovery. In the future it will probably be better understood and could even be proven wrong (thatâs how science works). It may also not be generalizable to your situation. If itâs a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely.