The disruptive power of customer reviews

THEIR STRENGTH IS THAT, EVEN IF WRITTEN BY ORDINARY PEOPLE, THEY ACCUMULATE ONE AFTER THE OTHER, GAINING WEIGHT. AND BY SHEER FORCE OF NUMBERS, IT BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE THEM

by Camillo Papini

There is an element of modern daily life that has been expressing all its disruptive force for years and that, today, shows no sign of abatement. Indeed, "online consumer reviews are broadening their reach," explains Giada Di Stefano, Associate Professor at the Department of Management and Technology at Bocconi University. “We started by publishing reviews and ratings of hotels and restaurants on digital platforms, and now rating reviews are available many products and services, including your doctor. Their strength is that, even if written by ordinary people, they accumulate one after the other, gaining weight. And by sheer force of numbers, it becomes impossible to ignore them".

But, when a company responds, admitting the error and promising to remedy it, isn’t the problem be solved? "Today, even the most famous restaurants respond to consumer reviews and customers appreciate it", Di Stefano explains, "but this does nothing but draw the attention of subsequent customers to confirming whether or not that glitch in service has really been smoothed out". The paradox of online reviews? According to the Associate Professor there is no doubt: the fact that they compete with the historical guides which give stars to the best restaurants: "These are different evaluation systems but of both have their importance and the ability to guide corporate strategies".