Responding to reviews: what the research recommends
By Jeremy Fain, founder of Restelys. Updated 17 October 2026. 2 sources cited.
Responding to reviews improves reputation, provided it is done well. Marketing research has measured the effect.
A study of hotels on TripAdvisor and other platforms showed that after they started responding to reviews, establishments received more reviews and a slightly higher average rating.
Other research adds nuance: responses to negative reviews are the most useful, especially when personalised and visible to future guests, while generic replies to positive reviews add little.
That is the spirit of what we will do on our own shop, with signed replies, including to disappointed reviews. To track and encourage your Google reviews, Crewdos attributes each review to the team member who prompted it.
Sources
- Proserpio D., Zervas G. “Online reputation management: estimating the impact of management responses on consumer reviews”. Marketing Science, 2017.
- Wang Y., Chaudhry A. “When and how managers’ responses to online reviews affect subsequent reviews”. Journal of Marketing Research, 2018.
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