Deciding not to give a review somehow still constitute a review

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 at [email protected] and we’ll grab a beer ;)

No review can sometimes be as bad as a negative review. Studies 1^1 have shown that people often avoid leaving a review after a poor experience. This may be due to feeling bad about it, fear of retaliation, or other reasons.

Regardless of whether the customer had a good or bad experience, if they don't leave a review, their experience isn't reflected in the average rating, meaning it’s not representative of all customers.

But can we expect everyone to leave a review?

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Exploration
  • Show the number of purchases. Often, potential customers mistake the number of reviews for the number of purchases. By separating these metrics, we provide readers with additional information. A low review rate can then be interpreted as another signal.

1^1 "Vocal Minority and Silent Majority: How Do Online Ratings Reflect Population Perceptions of Quality", Gao et al., 2015

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➡️ Next up: How rating thresholds shape our purchasing choices