The Reviews are In: Online Reviews in the Post-Scarcity Age Get a Thumbs Down

Outside of getting a recommendation from a trusted friend or acquaintance, what is the first thing someone does before trying out a new restaurant?

They check the reviews.

With the internet at everyone’s fingertips, consumers want assurance that their cuisine preferences, approximate budget, and general vibe they’re looking for will be met. And there’s certainly no shortage of reviews – close to half of all internet users post them regularly.

That wasn’t always the case – user-submitted reviews reflecting points of interest were once much scarcer and required more digital digging to find. In the days before the internet’s ubiquity, word-of-mouth, and occasional published critiques, were the prime sources of insight. As the digital age dawned, early adopters painstakingly crafted reviews on nascent platforms, often providing meticulous insights emulating the long-form reviews of the past that were found in newspapers and guidebooks. But in today’s “post-scarcity” era – an era where opinions on the internet are abundant – anything from a quaint café to a Michelin star restaurant could have hundreds of reviews alongside videos and images of menus, dishes, and seating arrangements. This proliferation undoubtedly provides internet users with more than enough information to find an ideal restaurant.

Perhaps too much.

For instance, with nearly 27,000 new reviews posted to Yelp every minute, the sheer abundance has become unnavigable and is increasingly less helpful, especially without the aid of personalization mechanisms. The rapid proliferation of reviews might also be inadvertently diluting their overall quality. The sheer ease of posting has led to many hastily-written reviews, which may lack the comprehensive feedback once seen when reviews were a novelty.

Therefore, online review platforms that enable users to parse and pinpoint the most relevant information will prove crucial in bolstering user engagement and trust.

The Expectation of Personalization

Personalization – the process of tailoring services, experiences, or advertisements to the preferences of a specific individual – has fundamentally changed the way people shop and consume content. The algorithms working behind the scenes at Netflix, for instance, save users’ time and ups satisfaction by recommending content based on prior watch history. The same principle applies to online shopping.

Indeed, consumers have grown to expect online experiences to reflect their needs. According to McKinsey, 71% expect personalized interactions with companies and 76% feel frustrated when that fails to happen. In addition to driving engagement and revenue, 70% agree that personalization increases brand loyalty.

But when it comes to combing through online reviews for specific information, you’re on your own.

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Navigating the Sea of Reviews

While reading multiple reviews can help users narrow down a decision, skimming through hundreds makes it harder for them to find exactly what they’re looking for, which is usually something specific – a restaurant that serves cold brew, kosher pizza, or vegan Thai peanut noodles, and so on.

Reviews, however, are one of the few pieces of the online puzzle left untouched by personalization technologies. But such technologies could help users navigate the vast sea of miscellaneous reviews and find the information that truly matters to them.

Moreover, with the rise of incentivized reviews — where businesses offer rewards for glowing feedback — the trustworthiness of platforms is under scrutiny. Users now face the challenge of discerning authentic experiences from those that are commercially motivated.

So what can review platforms do to ensure that users don’t have to exert excessive effort to find the most pertinent, trustworthy reviews (or excerpts)?

Instead of relegating users to search bars or keyboard shortcuts, review platforms can grant specificity in one of two ways.

The first is through tagging and filtering tools. These tools quickly cut through the noise and surface the most sought-after information pertaining to the specific, personal interests and needs of the user.

The second is to categorize reviews written by like-minded users. For the person searching for the spiciest taco or the most delicious gluten-free pastry, the best reviews would be written by someone with those same tastes or dietary restrictions. Creating such specific online communities would not only help highlight the most relevant points of interest, but it would also counteract the randomness and anonymity of reviews.

Providing individuals with reviews that align with their personal preferences will enhance the user experience and help businesses connect them with the most relevant places, goods, and services they desire.

Creating a Five-Star Experience

Considering the endless proliferation of online reviews, users must be given the tools to make the most of the information available, which they’ve come to expect in virtually every other realm of the internet.

The potential for personalizing the digital discovery process and connecting consumers with hotspots that resonate with them lies in high-quality, relevant reviews and the tools that retrieve them.

Lastly, in this age of digital skepticism, transparency isn’t just a virtue; it’s a necessity. Review platforms should openly share their mechanisms for ensuring the authenticity of feedback, be it through vetting processes, user verifications, or algorithms that weed out suspicious patterns. This commitment to providing genuine feedback will be the bedrock upon which a truly positive experience is built.

Proactively modernizing reviews will not only enhance the user experience, but also boost ROI for businesses, leaving all involved with a five-star sentiment.

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