Positive online reviews have slumped this year, as businesses struggle to maintain good customer service in the face of tough economic conditions.

Review platform Trustpilot has reported 50,000 fewer positive reviews since April – a 5% drop on the previous year.

The biggest problem areas raised by reviewers are deliveries, response times to enquiries, and mistakes made with orders.

Trustpilot released the data along with research of 2,000 UK consumers, which found that three in ten feel companies have used the cost-of-living crisis to treat them “poorly”.

In addition, the company has just released its first “Online Review Index”, a quarterly analysis of review data highlighting customer sentiment across retail sectors.

And it emerged that not only are positive reviews decreasing, but negative opinions are also on the up – having risen by 3%.

Mieke De Schepper, chief commercial officer for the review platform, said: “Through Trustpilot’s new quarterly “Online Review Index”, we now have the ability to understand how consumers are feeling about businesses from the way they write reviews.

“It’s a unique way to measure how customers are interacting with a range of companies and organisations, and it’s especially valuable as the UK continues to grapple with the cost-of-living crisis.

“On the face of it, receiving fewer positive reviews can be worrying, but businesses should treat it as an opportunity to understand how their customers are feeling about them.”

As well as overall figures for customer sentiment, the company’s tracker is able to measure how different sectors are performing.

The electronics, technology, and entertainment sectors saw the biggest increases in negative sentiment in online reviews – and across all the sectors the same issues were highlighted.

The biggest problems appeared to be centred around mistakes made with orders, frustration when dealing with businesses, issues around the delivery of products, and poor customer service.

For the sectors that had fewest negative reviews — travel, construction, manufacturing, and education — levels of customer service were praised highly.

Mieke De Schepper added: “Feedback from customers is an essential part of the process of getting to know where improvements can be made, which will ultimately fuel growth.

“Businesses are, of course, facing tough economic headwinds – but they need to ensure that levels of customer service are maintained in order to earn and maintain the trust of consumers.

“With consumers’ purse strings stretched more than ever, the evidence suggests reviews are playing an increasingly influential role in helping shoppers ensure they’re not just getting a good experience, but genuine value for money, too.

“And businesses should heed that those who feel they’re getting a raw deal will not hesitate in voicing their concerns.”

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