The rise of online retail has given shoppers more avenues than ever to offer feedback. How should retailers respond to negative reviews?

Although it can be a bitter pill to swallow, negative feedback is useful because it’s honest.

Online reviews provide a wealth of information for businesses, and while positive reviews are definitely a morale booster, negative reviews can prove much more insightful and valuable.

“Online criticism can play a crucial role in helping businesses deal with problems before they get out of control”

Alan Duncan, Trustpilot

Simply ignoring negativity or lumping criticisms together as ‘bad reviews’ is definitely not the answer, because confronting feedback is the only way to truly change.

Online consumer

Online consumer

How should retailers respond to negative reviews?

Either your bad reviews are coming from a place of genuine complaint, or they’re unfair. If they’re unfair, you’ve got rights to complain about them. But if the criticism is fair, only by addressing it can you truly hone your customer experience. Use it as an opportunity to show your responsiveness and commitment to customer service.

Identifying the value of negativity

Online criticism can play a crucial role in helping businesses deal with problems before they get out of control.

For example, let’s imagine you’ve received a series of one-star reviews, and you’ve noticed a trend: delivery is always late or disappointing.

As a result, order numbers are dropping and customers are automatically on the defensive. Because of this one weak link, your whole customer experience could be at risk of failing. But without this customer feedback, you simply wouldn’t have known delivery was the fundamental problem.

While you sometimes need a thick skin, criticism can be an extremely useful tool in improving a product or service.

When it comes to product development, it’s important to ask yourself what’s more valuable – a thousand reviews saying everything is perfect or a few suggesting improvements that could be made?

“The reality is we all make mistakes, and while no one likes hearing it, criticism is fundamental to allowing businesses to improve customer loyalty in the long run”

Alan Duncan, Trustpilot

Responding to negative feedback

Receiving and processing criticism is one thing, responding to it is an entirely separate challenge.

Our research demonstrates it’s the way in which retailers react to a negative online review that matters most in terms of the retailer-customer relationship. Of the customers surveyed, 84% said they would use a retailer again if the retailer responded to a negative review addressing their concerns.

There a few golden rules to follow to ensure you address negativity in the right way. Firstly, be understanding, objective and focused.

Rather than arguing with a customer in the hope of them changing their review, listen to them and talk to them with the hope of changing their mind. Treat every review professionally and respond to customers in good time. Report genuine issues or fraud through the correct channels.

The second step is to make the necessary changes, showing customers you have listened to feedback and made improvements.

In the above example, you could promote a new or quicker delivery service, or perhaps offer a new delivery pricing system, such as free delivery.

The reality is we all make mistakes, and while no one likes hearing it, criticism is fundamental to allowing businesses to improve customer loyalty in the long run.

Take a step back, welcome the criticisms, and then manage the negative feedback you get to ensure a positive outcome.

  • Alan Duncan is the UK marketing director for consumer review website Trustpilot