Negative reviews got you feeling...negative? It's time to change that. Today we're showing you the many benefits - yep, you heard us, benefits - of negative reviews. Find out how to turn that frown upside-down and profit from negative feedback today.

5 benefits of negative reviews

There are not one, there are not two, not even three, but five fantastic benefits of negative reviews.But before we go ahead and talk about those, it's essential to understand that most of these benefits don't come for free. In order to really reap the benefits and turn that negative into a positive, you'll need to be proactive. Be proactive, and almost anything is possible.

Ready? Then let's get started.

Benefit #1: Save relationships

Here at, we don't believe in the phrase 'too late' and it seems that most customers don't either - 95% of unhappy customers return if their issue is resolved .

Reviews facilitate resolution and resolutions help you save customer relationships. Without reviews, it's likely you'd never hear from disgruntled customers, would never be able to correct your mistake and thus, could end up losing customers as a result.That's why, really, even negative reviews can be a blessing.

balicom review response

In order to save a damaged customer relationship, it's imperative that you learn how to handle negative reviews correctly. Responding to negative reviews isn't as easy as simply apologising - every piece of feedback should be viewed and treated individually and given your utmost attention.

Play things right, and you should have no problem saving relationships and keeping loyal customers.

Benefit #2 Increase consumer trust

The second benefit of negative reviews is a rather surprising one - it involves customer trust. Believe it or not, customers don't' fall for thousands of 5* reviews. In fact, they actually like to see some negativity. 52% of buyers say they trust a product more if they have a few negative reviews. After all, no product or service can be perfect for everyone, and customers know that. Anything suggesting otherwise could actually be a signal of untrustworthiness.

So next time you get a negative review, don't try and hide it or shy away from it. Instead, remember customers don't like perfection and embrace your flaws.

Negative reviews can also have a secondary impact on customer trust. Replying to negative reviews gives you an opportunity to showcase excellent customer service skills - a sort of second chance, if you will.

When negative reviews are replied to professionally and apologetically and publicised alongside your current reviews, they can actually show your business in a really great light: you're unafraid to admit to mistakes, proactively resolve them and care about your customers. Far from being deterred, other customers are likely to view such cases as positives.

Benefit #3: Negative reviews help you improve

bloom and wild negative reviews

Don't they always say the key to a good relationship is communication? If your customers don't tell you what they're unhappy with, how are you ever meant to know?

Feedback, whether bad or good, can tell you so much about your company's performance by highlighting both areas of greatness and those to improve upon.

Had a negative review about customer service? Approach it with an open mind and you could learn a lot from it. It might inspire you to change your current customer service channels, make some new hires or just implement some new training. All of these are likely to benefit your business in the long run and keep your customers happy and coming back for more.

Benefit #4: Evidence

Continuing on from the point raised above, negative reviews can provide real substance to ideas and changes you want to implement. If not everyone is onboard with alterations or improvements you wish to make in the business, customer feedback - both of the positive and negative kind - can add some real oomph to your cause and get everyone seeing along the same lines.

After all, the customer is always right, right? Authentic, verified customer feedback is hard to argue with.

Benefit #5: Informing the customer

As previously mentioned, one size doesn't fit all, at least, not in the real World. It's highly unlikely that your business' offerings will be absolutely perfect for everyone and customers know and understand that. Often, customers rely on reviews -  both good, and bad - to make informed decisions on their purchases.

Sports Direct review

While yes, it is possible that feedback left about sizing or suitability may put some people off that specific item or service, it will help them choose something that's a better match, increasing customer satisfaction in the long run. And making our customers happy is the aim of the game, right?

Blog summary

While negative reviews may seem like the worst thing in the World at the time, hopefully today we're proven that, when dealt with correctly, they can actually be really fruitful.

One thing to note with the benefits above is that they all of them involve dealing with negative reviews face on. Put negative feedback to work, and the rewards really can be great.

Download PDF Survey

2021 State of Reviews

Changes in Consumer  Buying Behaviour

Similar Posts