Positive Reviews Come with a Caveat

Ann-Marie Vazzano

Sometimes rave reviews can be detrimental to a business, according to research in the Journal of Retailing. The study found highly rated products lead to high expectations among consumers. When those expectations aren’t met, shoppers are more prone to return the product. While good reviews did lead to higher sales, the researchers found shoppers were more likely to be disappointed in the product if there were few negative reviews to balance out the good ones. GP