Yes, negative reviews can deter potential customers, make sure your business has its best online footprint forward.

When looking at reviews for a company, do you gravitate toward the negative or positive comments first? How much do the negative reviews sway you? Consumer Fusion, Inc.^®, a leading software company specializing in online reputation management, recently conducted a survey on how negative reviews alter the decisions of potential consumers. In a survey with more than 1,000 respondents, nearly 80% stated that a negative review prevented them from choosing a selected business.

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“Our survey found that negative reviews can have an impact on consumers’ decisions,” said Brynn Gibbs, CEO of Consumer Fusion. “Yet it was also telling that a large percentage of consumers are also looking at business owners’ responses to negative reviews.”

“A business’ online reputation and engagement with customers can be just as crucial as its in-person delivery of services,” continued Gibbs. “While business owners dedicate an incredible amount of time and energy into the day-to-day operations of their companies, ensuring that the first online impression is satisfactory is just as important because businesses could be losing potential customers over a minor mishap.”

The following are the key findings from the survey:

• Nearly 90% of people stated that they read business owners’ responses to negative reviews.
• Nearly 80% of people said a negative review prevented them from choosing a particular business.
• 75% of people stated that they had left a negative review before.
• 55% of people answered that they would read a negative review before a positive one.

“Our survey also found that most respondents expected business owners to respond to reviews in a timely fashion, and consumers were more likely to visit a business that did respond to negative reviews,” added Gibbs. “Our team works with businesses of various sizes to manage review responses and help maintain honest reviews.”

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