Gen Z is the nastiest generation with reviews on the internet

According to a survey by Capital on Tap, a small business credit card issuer, 46% of Britons say they would not buy a product or service from a company if a review found it to be of poor quality.

To help business owners, the survey sheds light on why people leave reviews – both positive and negative – and how cities in the UK are most likely to leave negative reviews.

The full study can be viewed here: https://www.capitalontap.com/en/blog/posts/how-do-customer-reviews-impact-business

The main reason for negative Brit reviews is the low quality of the product or service

Poor quality of a product or service is the reason most people will leave a negative review – 72% of respondents said they would do so in such a situation.

Customers are more likely to leave a negative review if they have had an overall bad experience, whether they are a national business (69%) or a small business (66%). It’s worth noting that the British are a bit more understanding of small businesses compared to larger giants.

Rank	Situation	% who would give a negative opinion
1	The product or service is of lower quality than expected.	72%
=2	You purchased a product or service from a domestic company and had an overall negative experience.	69%
=3	You purchased a product or service from a small business and had an overall negative experience.	66%
=3	The product or service you purchased differs from the original description.	66%

Belfast is the city most likely to give a negative review, with 90% admitting they would do so

When looking at locations in the UK, Belfast residents are most likely to give a negative review, with 90% admitting they would enjoy it. This is followed by Bristol and Brighton, where 88% and 84% of residents gave negative reviews respectively.

It seems that Brighton residents are happy to leave a review no matter what the situation is, as they are most likely to leave a positive review. 94% of seaside town residents say they would give good reviews in various purchasing situations.

84% of people are most likely to leave a positive review if they think a product or service provides good value for money

Brits are most likely to give a positive review if they think a product or service provides good value for money – 84% said they would do so.

An additional 83% of people said they would leave a positive review if the company offered good customer service.

Alex Miles, Chief Operating Officer at Capital at your fingertips areid: “Negative reviews can clearly have a major impact on consumer behavior. In fact, our survey found that 11% of people say they wouldn’t buy a product or use a service if its online review is lower than five stars.

“If you receive negative reviews as a business owner, don’t ignore them. It’s a chance to fix the problem, but it’s also an opportunity to show other potential customers that you are a professional company that cares about each individual’s experience. Each negative opinion is also an opportunity to improve your product or service.

“Also try to encourage as many reviews as possible. Make the review process seamless and personal so that customers feel like their opinions will actually make a difference. One of the best ways to encourage positive reviews is to provide excellent quality products and services so that each of your customers has something good to say.

All data was collected from a survey of 1,002 UK consumers conducted in April 2024.

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Tags: Customer experience, Generation Z, reviews