Researchers of a new study found that negative reviews are usually more informative and helpful to readers than positive ones.
It's not often that a customer goes online to write a review about a product or service immediately after using or purchasing it. However, there are a few instances when this happens, especially if the customer is overly satisfied. Researchers found that negative reviews are more informative than positive ones.
"Prior research shows that positive online reviews are less valued than negative reviews," explained Zoey Chen, a fifth-year doctoral student in marketing at Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business, who-authored the study with Nicholas Lurie, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Connecticut.
Often, positive reviews are considered less informative than negative ones because in most positive reviews, the customer goes on bragging about how he made such a good decision to purchase/use a certain product/service instead of actually explaining what's so good about the product. Whereas in a negative review, the customer vents out his frustration and describes everything bad about the product.
"Their motivation for writing might be self-enhancement, signaling their expertise," she said. "But negative reviews are generally seen as reflecting more about the product or service than the lifestyle choices of the writer. Therefore, they tend to be seen as more credible.
"If people learn that you just went to an establishment and had a positive experience, they might think it's more about the experience than the individual," Chen said.
Researcher noted that immediacy of language increases the creditability of the review, in turn also increasing the creditability of the product. Sentences like "I just got back from the best lunch ever" or "I can't believe how great the shampoo I used this morning is" can boost the value of a positive review.
