In the article, "2 Guidelines For Reading Consumer Product Reviews", we posed two questions to ask while perusing consumer reviews and help you decipher which are useful and which aren't. When we are shopping online, we don't actually see the products with our own eyes, do we? We can't touch them, manipulate them, jiggle them, or ask the store owner what he or she knows about them. Relying on consumer reviews makes sense because those who take the time to write them have actually used them – or so we assume. Here are a couple more aspects about consumer reviews to consider as you sift through the review masses: What is the nature of the consumer review? When you come across a review that's just explosively nasty or just full of expletives and negatives, the only thing you want to consider is how many of these does the product have and by how many people. If the review is far too shiny, then that one might be suspect as a retailer review, or someone who is exceptionally loyal to the company and wouldn't find fault with any product. Here are three fictional reviews – which one do you find is informative? "These nose rings are just simply cool. They look even better than they do in the pictures! My friend's say I look awesome. If you're looking for great nose rings, these will thrill you." "I got the stuped nose rinks and their just auwful. If yous lik thim, than ur stuped to." "I was hoping to find some nose rings that would be comfortable and stylish. I've tried so many that aren't. These have soft metals that don't hurt if you blow your nose and they stay shiny even when the sun isn't. You should try these." If you found the third to most helpful, you'd be correct. The first is suspiciously shiny. The second is utterly useless. But the third cites specifics with the positives. How useful is the review? Did you find specific information about the product, In other words, did the reviewer cite aspects about the product that would only be known to someone who's actually used it? Did the reviewer explain how the product either helped or hindered the function it was designed to perform? You want to gain insight about a product from a consumer review. If the reviewer says, "I love, love, love this thing!" – well, that's great, but how does it help you as a potential buyer? Take what you read with a grain of salt and don't believe everything. Use the ones that actually help.
Related Articles -
consumer reviews, customer ratings, online product reviews,
|