Companies send customers review reminders immediately or some days after the product experience. Comparing immediate versus delayed review reminders reveals that while immediate reminders aim to leverage memory recall, they often lead to customer reactance and fewer reviews. Delayed reminders, on the other hand, reduce reactance and are more effective. Businesses can send delayed review reminders based on the product type and customer demographics for optimal results.
Zomato sends its customers a message asking for feedback shortly after delivery. In contrast,
Amazon asks for feedback a few days after delivery. These are the two popular timings for seeking feedback: immediate and delayed. Review reminders are requests for reviews sent to customers to serve as calls to action. While there is no doubt about the value of customer feedback, there is debate regarding the best time to send review reminders. A study looks at the impact of both review reminder options to answer the question: “What is the most optimum time to remind customers to review their product experience?”
The study found that immediate review reminders reduce the chances of getting reviews.
(see Figure 1) Businesses send immediate review reminders in anticipation of higher memory recall, a greater chance that customers will remember to review the product experience. However, receiving a review reminder immediately or shortly after the product experience can make a customer feel that their freedom is being threatened, as reviews are meant to be optional. This feeling leads to reactance, which leads them to not leave a review. Their reactance outweighs the benefits of their memory recall, leading to fewer reviews.
On the other hand, delayed review reminders are far more likely to result in reviews (see
Figure 1). In this case, the benefit of memory recall from being reminded to post a review exceeds the reactance. Most customers take an average of 5 days to evaluate the product experience and make up their minds. A delayed review reminder allows customers to take their time, reducing reactance and reminding them to complete the reviewing action. In this case, the benefits of memory recall outweigh the reactance, leading to more reviews.
Firms’ concerns about negative reviews are legitimate. Here’s a discussion of how they can affect sales and what firms can do about them.
It is important to note that the timing of the review’s posting has no bearing on the content
of the review. There is no difference in the number of stars the customer gives, the sentiment held by the customer, or the review length. The fear of getting poorer reviews after a longer time period (due to customers forgetting their experiences or having second thoughts) is unfounded, according to this study. Thus, it further supports delayed reminders, which can lead to more reviews without lowering the quality of the reviews.
This study has important implications for most businesses, especially those that actively seek
feedback from customers, such as online retailers. The average time to evaluate a product or service experience depends on the type of goods or services being purchased. The review reminder needs to be sent at an appropriate delay based on this. For example, a reminder can be sent the next day for purchases of search goods like paper towels, bottled water, groceries, etc., but the reminder for experience goods like mobile phones, clothes, or salons should be sent after a longer interval.
Moreover, early reminders are particularly detrimental for businesses with younger
customers. Members of Generation Z are digital natives who are also independent and pragmatic. Immediate reminders can violate their freedom more acutely. Thus, businesses with a younger clientele can customise the timings of their reminders based on customer age profile instead of adopting a “one size fits all” approach.
Receiving positive reviews is a boon for businesses as long as they can respond to them appropriately. This post looks into how businesses can do so.
Figure 1: Likelihood of getting reviews with and without reminders sent immediately or later
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