The world of commerce has been irrevocably changed by the shift to online services. Customers have far more power these days, and they can now make far more informed choices when deciding whether or not to make a purchase.
Reviews are one of the most important things to any online business, app developers being no exception. The reviews on an app can be the deciding factor that could propel an app to the top of the charts or condemn it to obscurity. They are so important that we are seeing developers buying app reviews to give their products an advantage over competitors. Are reviews really so important? How much stock should we put in them? Let’s find out.
How do App Reviews Work?
Modern mobile apps are sold on online digital stores, with Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store serving as the largest digital app marketplaces. When a user downloads an app, they will be prompted to leave a review. This can be something as simple as a star rating of one to five or a more detailed comment that gives more information. This review will then be displayed on that particular app’s product page alongside any other reviews it has received. The star rating will contribute towards the app’s overall rating, which is also displayed as part of the product page.
App Reviews and Rankings
There are an incredible number of apps out there. Each of the major digital stores features an enormous catalog of apps. The Google Play Store alone has over 3.5 million apps available for download.
To manage these huge numbers, online stores sort apps into lists. These lists can then be easily browsed by users to find new apps to download. Where an app is in these lists can have a significant impact on the number of downloads it receives. Apps at the top will see a lot of traffic and a lot of downloads, while those at the bottom will see little, if any, engagement.
So, how do digital stores rank apps and decide where they will sit in the charts? They use complex algorithms to do so, with reviews being a significant factor that they take into consideration. Apps with lots of positive reviews will rank higher, while negative reviews will push an app down the charts.
Influencing Users
When a user visits an app’s product page, one of the first things they’ll look at is the reviews section. Here they’ll be able to read the thoughts and opinions of people who have downloaded and used the app and will be immediately made aware of any potential issues or problems the app might have. This can have an enormous influence on a user’s decision to download an app. Lots of good reviews indicate quality and reliability, while negative reviews can make an app seem unreliable, untrustworthy, or even dangerous.
Conclusion
It’s impossible to overstate how important reviews are. Successfully encouraging positive reviews of your app will see it climb up the charts, attract more traffic, and generate more downloads.
