In order to give you essential insight and more valuable information about customer reviews we have done small research. Now we can summarize in short way, why people write customer reviews? We hope that our post will be as helpful to you as our widget is to your website...
First of all you need to know, that behind answers we will give you there are big scientific researches. Not ours of course but we went into trouble of reading few of them. Of course the most basic reason why we, people write customer reviews is within ourselves. It is our psychic, our feelings and our needs that drives us. Also, it is worth to note, that at some levels both good and bad reviews are written because of the same reasons.
To make things easier we will divide people into two types of personality – introverts and extroverts. The general observation is that the later type is more likely to write a review. However even an introvert will do so if only the need to do so or emotions will reach necessary levels. Because of that, it may also be true, that introverts are more likely to write bad reviews.
Two types of motivation drive people to write customer reviews
There are two different types of motivation behind us sharing reviews through so called eWOM “electronic Word of Mouth”. The intrinsic motivation and extrinsic one. We will focus on the first type of motivation. Most of you want to understand users pushed by this reason. The extrinsic motivation is the one that relies on separable outcome. In other words it is the one that “expects” gratification – discount, cash, bonus in exchange for review. The first one, intrinsic is the one that, to put it simply – makes you feel good.
Reasons why we write customer reviews
The reason by many mentioned as the most important is altruism in people. You may summarize this as “Sharing is caring”. If we have strong feelings about a product or service we simply feel the need to share with others. Once this need is fulfilled we simply feel better. This reason drives us to write both types of reviews. Either we want others to have/use good product or we want to warn them.
Second reason is so called need to say “thank you”. On the other side of scale there will be a need for vengeance. And of course both are strongly connected to reason number one.
Third reason listed by many is our need to improve product or service. Such reviews are especially valuable. They give you a great insight into how customers see your product and what are their real needs. Number four is “self enhancement” or so called “the need to be heard”. We all like from time to time to be perceived as experts. Some people just want to act as “better one” as “experts” some indeed do possess some insights into company itself, its politics, etc. Such reviews more often can be found at different forums, where customers are a bit less anonymous and are part of a social group.
And this is the last reason listed as important. Being “part of the crowd”. In order to feel included you express yourself. Again, this type of service and product reviews are more likely to show up on forums than on websites, but it is not a rule. All depends on how company communicates with their customers. In some cases such reviews can show up in a rely to other seeking advice about service or product.
In any case all of the reviews give you UGS – user generated content. Always unique and very valuable to your new, potential customers. This is why it is important to have a good way for you and your customers to create and share reviews and simply communicate with each other.
