🎓 Q&A sections improve product ratings

Having a Q&A section on product pages increases star ratings by up to 0.5 stars.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 February 27, 2024 | [Read Online]( Q&A sections improve product ratings Having a Q&A section on product pages increases star ratings by up to 0.5 stars. [Thomas McKinlay]( [fb]( [tw]( [in]( [email](mailto:?subject=Post%20from%20Ariyh&body=Q%26A%20sections%20improve%20product%20ratings%3A%20Having%20a%20Q%26A%20section%20on%20product%20pages%20increases%20star%20ratings%20by%20up%20to%200.5%20stars.%0A%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Ftips.ariyh.com%2Fp%2Fqna-sections-improve-product-ratings) New to [Ariyh](? This is a 3min practical summary of a scientific study 🎓 Join 26,242 marketers who use science, not flawed opinions 📈 [Subscribe here]( Today’s insight is brought to you by… [Alexander Vilinskyy]( I’m pleased to introduce you to [Alexander Vilinskyy]( - the designer behind Ariyh’s new website and platform (which I think looks [gorgeous](). He’s previously designed for Grammarly, Spark, PDF Expert, wikiHow - and now Ariyh! I absolutely loved working with him and his team. I can’t recommend him enough. If you’re looking for help with UX or UI design, graphic design or animations hit him up. He’s open for new projects. [Check out his website]( Want to sponsor Ariyh? [Here’s all you need to know](. 📝 Intro When shopping online, chances are you’ve ordered something and been disappointed it wasn’t what you expected when it arrived. When this happens to you as a seller, mismatched expectations not only lead to more returns, they also increase negative reviews and hurt your product rating. Researchers from Boston University identified an easy way to help counter this: Q&A sections P.S.: Minimizing negative reviews is critical - [seeing just one negative review]( can make people 42% less likely to buy a product. Want to access hundreds more insights like these? [Explore Ariyh insights here](. Add a Q&A section to product pages to increase the product’s rating and positive reviews Topics: Ecommerce | Reviews | Website/App For: B2C. Can be tested for B2B Research date: May 2021 Universities: Boston University 📈 Recommendation Add a Q&A section on your product pages for customers to ask you specific questions about the item (e.g. size, compatibility). Allow other page visitors to read past questions and answers. This is especially important if your average ratings are on the low side (3 stars or less), or if you’ve received negative reviews about the item not matching expectations. You will receive more positive reviews and increase your product rating. 🎓 Findings - Adding a Q&A section to product listings can increase the average rating of the item and drive more positive reviews. - In an analysis of 5,077 products of a large UK online retailer, researchers found that when adding a Q&A section to a product page: - Products got a .1 average higher rating when they either had a high variance in ratings (many very positive and very negative ratings) or 10% of negative reviews about mismatched expectations - Negative reviews became 12.6% less likely to be about the item not meeting customer needs - The effect is strongest for products with lower average ratings - Products with average ratings between 2 and 3 saw a .5 stars increase in their ratings. - Products with an average rating between 3 and 4 saw a .1 stars increase in ratings. - Products with mostly positive ratings (between 4 and 5 stars), saw no impact on ratings after a Q&A section was added. 🧠Why it works - When a product has a Q&A section, we can directly ask the retailer about a question we have - even if it’s not covered in reviews. - This [additional information tells]( us whether it meets our needs, and reduces the likelihood that we’ll be unhappy with the final product. 📊 Connect your systems to your spreadsheet [in one click]( Spending hours manually pulling marketing data into spreadsheets? Those tedious exports and imports are… unfulfilling. That’s why [300K+ marketers rely on Coefficient]( to power Google Sheets and Excel with live marketing data – from their CRM, ads platforms, GA4, Google Search Console, and more. Import the data you need, and set it on a refresh schedule to power live reports and processes. This announcement was sponsored. Want your brand here? [Click here](. ✋ Limitations - The study focused on ratings and reviews of the product - it didn’t factor in purchase behavior. Answering customer questions prior to purchase may align expectations on the product, but may also drive a customer to choose not to buy the item. - The research focused on a single UK-based online ecommerce platform. Products are usually available on multiple sites and may be covered on third-party review and ratings sites as well. - Q&As may overwhelm customers with information, leading to decision paralysis. This could be especially true on sites that allow users to answer questions left by other users. - The study focused on technology, home, and garden products. It’s likely that other items, such as those bought for pleasure or fun, would have different dynamics, as customers tend to [research these items]( less. 🏢 Companies using this - Most major ecommerce platforms, such as Amazon and Alibaba, already include a Q&A section on product pages. - Q&A sections on individual ecommerce websites are not as common but seem to be gradually becoming more popular. Online vitamins and supplement store iHerb includes a Q&A on its product pages for customers to ask specific questions about whether an item would work for them. ⚡ Steps to implement - If you’re selling online, include a section for customers to leave reviews as well as a Q&A section for potential customers to ask you about the product. - A good place to keep this is above the product specifications/details - You don’t need to show many questions on the main page - an expandable section that visitors can open if interested is enough - If possible, include a system for other customers to upvote questions or an option to sort by popularity, so the most common questions are the quickest to find - Keep track of what the most popular or common questions about your product are. You can use this to improve your messaging about the product. - Make sure you answer questions quickly and keep the Q&A public so other customers can benefit from the information as well. - Adding a Q&A section is especially important if your product is highly technical or niche, or if you face high return rates from customers who say the item isn’t what they were expecting. 🔍 Study type Market observation (analysis of 5,077 products, 345,168 reviews, and 48,687 Q&As of a large UK-based online retailer, between 2009 and 2015) 📖 Research [Interacting User-Generated Content Technologies: How Questions and Answers Affect Consumer Reviews](. Journal of Marketing Research. (May 2021) 🏫 Researchers - [Shrabastee Banerjee](, Boston University - [Chrysanthos Dellarocas](, Boston University - [Georgios Zervas](, Boston University Remember: This is a scientific discovery. In the future it will probably be better understood and could even be proven wrong (that’s [how science works](). It may also not be generalizable to your situation. If it’s a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely. Rate today’s insight to help me make Ariyh's next insights 🎓 even more useful 📈 How was today’s insight? [Loved it]([|]([Great]([|]([Good]([|]([Meh]([|]([Bad]( - 📈 Access 100s of insights and learn how other evidence-based marketers apply them, with [Ariyh Pro]( - 📘 Supercharge your business with Ariyh’s [Playbook of Pricing & Promotions]( or [Playbook of Ecommerce]( - 🎓 New to Ariyh? If this was forwarded to you can subscribe below for $0 [Subscribe here]( [fb]( [tw]( [ig]( [in]( Update your email preferences or unsubscribe [here]( © 2024 Ariyh Calle Bailen, 11 Barcelona, Barcelona 08010, Spain [[beehiiv logo]Powered by beehiiv](