Online reviews: Let's build a better system together

Why this study?

Think back to the last time you checked out online reviews. Maybe it was while you were hunting for a great restaurant on Google Maps or deciding whether to buy something on Vinted or Amazon.

Did you ever feel uneasy while reading those reviews? I have. Choosing one place over another just because its rating is 0.1 higher can feel frustrating, especially when you know some reviews are fake or written by people with different standards. There are countless reasons why relying on these reviews can feel unfair to other options that might be just as good, if not better, leaving us with nothing more than a false sense of control.

So, I decided to delve into why reviews don’t always work. I started with the basics—why we read them, why we write them—and then explored what goes wrong at different levels: the reviewer, the reader, the business, and society as a whole.

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This meta-analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the principles behind online reviews, what works, what doesn’t, and explores potential solutions. It draws from books, articles, research studies, and statistics—and of course, my own interpretations and sentiments.

This document is open to everyone, and ongoing: please feel free to comment, react, share your opinions, offer confirmations or contradictions, and contribute any other articles that can enrich this exploration. The aim is to create a dynamic THand evolving reference.

I’ll be using the 5-star rating system as the default throughout this document. While other systems exist (NPS, CSAT, Like/Dislike…), the 5-star system is the most prevalent, especially on public platforms, making it the logical focus for this analysis.

Let’s kick it off

The main goal of online reviews is to build trust in businesses. However, for this trust to be well-founded, we also need to trust the review process itself. And that's where the cracks begin to show:

95% of people in the US look at online reviews before making a purchase 1^1, but only 50% have left a review for one of their last 10 purchases, and a mere 2% do it for every purchase 2^2. In other countries, it’s estimated to be even less than this. Reviews are heavily relied upon, yet only a small subset of customers actually contribute, often providing minimal context and information.

So, what’s going wrong here?

Table of content

Introductory principles

Why do we look at online reviews?Why do we leave online reviews?Why do businesses invest in online reviews?When requesting a review, the question asked mattersExpectations, subjectivity, standards & risks

What needs to be fixed: at the reviewer level

Unclear scale: when reviewers don’t know what score to chooseCategorization: reviewers should evaluate on specific criteriaRatings don’t cover the depth and nuances of an experiencePeople are more likely to express an “extreme” opinionCustomers may feel bad reviewing other peopleSome people don’t send reviews out of fear of retaliation Data privacy is a concern to reviewersFake or corrupted reviews flood the webA review should be quick to give… while remaining qualitativeBusinesses often request reviews at the wrong timeReview requests are invasivePeople don’t know what to say when asked for a review‘Will they read it anyway?’: People are concerned their review may be uselessDeciding not to give a review somehow still constitute a review

What needs to be fixed: at the reader level

How rating thresholds shape our purchasing choicesHow many reviews are enough? Quantity generates trustFew reviews lead to instable ratings All reviews don’t count the sameAbout unrepresentative reviewers and biased feedbackSentiment distribution among reviewers matters to readersThe impact of suggestive reviewsToo many reviews to read leads to overload & doubtSatisfaction vs. Performance: understand the difference

What needs to be fixed: at the business level

Businesses should be able to consent to receiving reviews or notFlagging reviews is a necessary yet dangerous powerReview gating: a fraudulent business practiceNegative reviews: Businesses have the right to be forgotten for past mistakesBusinesses have the right to publicly reply to reviewsNegative reviews: Businesses have the right to fail sometimesOut of fear of bad reviews, businesses show people-pleasing tendenciesBusinesses should pursue the mission, not the average ratingNegative reviews: Customers may blackmail companies, and companies may corrupt customers

What needs to be fixed: at the society level

🔜 Ultra-progressivism

🔜 Standardisation

🔜 The governance of numbers

🔜 Manichean society

🔜 Society of control

🔜 Risk aversion

1^1 “How Online Reviews Influence Sales”, Spiegel Research Center, 2017.

2^2 “Survey: The Ever-Growing Power of Reviews”, PowerReviews, 2021.

Give your opinion!

➡️ Next up: Why do we leave online reviews?

This page is part of a global project to create a better online reviews system. If you want to know more or give your feedback, write to [email protected] and we’ll grab a beer ;)

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