Customer reviews matter to B2B buyers, but too high of praise may get ignored
Customer reviews are widely accepted as an effective and persuasive marketing tool, but it turns out you may not want them to be too complimentary.
B2B customer reviews are a product research priority for 49 percent of buyers, according to recent research from TrustRadius, a review site for B2B technology. In a survey of B2B technology buyers, only product demos ranked higher than customer reviews as the most important source of product information.
“The way we can now communicate via the internet, sharing our thoughts and experiences without a filter, has a big impact on the buying process,” says survey participant Scott Rosen, vice president of technology at Guardian Credit Union. His team recently made a six-figure investment in IT infrastructure, and he ranked user reviews and references as the most influential and trustworthy resources.
TrustRadius CEO Vinay Bhagat told Target Marketing magazine, “Analysts are the Kim Kardashians of the B2B world. Buyers are still interested in what analyst[s] have to say, but ultimately they want to hear from people like themselves. Their peers and other users are more relatable and provide a trusted view into what it is like to actually use these complex technology products.”
High praise can be doubted
Writing recently for Harvard Business Review, social psychologist Zakary L. Tormala and marketing professor Daniella Kupor state that surveys they conducted indicate a moderately positive customer review can be more persuasive than an extremely positive one. This is especially true when consumers are aware the review rating system defaults to the highest rating and the reviewer deviates from that. “Reviews that deviate from a default review selection are perceived to be more thoughtful — and thus more accurate — than reviews that conform to the default,” the authors write.
The researchers analyzed a retail platform that asks customers to rate products on a five-star scale, and on which a five-star rating is the most frequent — and thus perceived to be the default. Consumers stated the non-five-star reviews were more helpful than the non-deviatory five-star reviews.
In a follow-up study, the researchers found that five-star ratings regain their persuasiveness when they are accompanied by a long, detailed review. The takeaway is twofold, the authors state:
- When consumers perceive that a review platform’s default rating is extremely positive, publicizing at least some moderately rather than extremely positive reviews could increase sales.
- If a review system has a five-star default, firms that receive moderately positive reviews on that platform should highlight that the default is extremely positive. Doing so could increase the perception of a moderately positive review’s accuracy, and as a result heighten sales.
TrustRadius reports that 84 percent of those surveyed would provide reviews, but few B2B companies are requesting them. Only 22 percent said they had written such reviews.
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