Businesses in numerous marketplaces today send review reminders to customers shortly after they’ve bought a product or paid for a service. These businesses are operating under the assumption that these reminders will boost the number of reviews they receive. That’s a reasonable assumption: With the passage of time, customers naturally become less likely to post reviews. When viewed against this backdrop, it would seem to make sense for businesses to send review reminders at the earliest possible time.
When Is the Best Time to Ask Customers for a Review?
Researchers tested reminders that went out the next day, five days, nine days, and 13 days after the product experience.
February 21, 2023
Olena Koliesnik/Getty Images
Summary.
Customers often need time to evaluate a product or think about their experience with it before they decide to post a review. If they’re asked to provide a review too early, they can feel pressured and rushed. But when is the right time to do it? The authors conducted experiments in an attempt to answer this question — and found, contrary to the conventional wisdom, that immediate review reminders (sent the next day) lower the likelihood that customers will post reviews, whereas delayed reminders (13 days later) increase the likelihood. Against that backdrop, in this article they suggest a set of best practices for companies trying to figure out when to send out review reminders to customers.
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Customer Focus Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Customer Focus. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to keep your customers—and their most important needs—front and center.