Product research is a crucial step in building a business, finding new offerings for your customers, or even just making a personal purchase decision. At first glance, it might seem like the best way to go about product research is searching for all the positive reviews to make sure it’s a good product and to find out what people like most. However, it’s actually more beneficial to focus on negative reviews to find out what people don’t like, what’s frustrating them, and what’s wrong with the product overall.
There are several reasons you’ll get more value from researching the negative aspects of a product more than the positive.
User error can help you avoid mistakes
Often, people buy the wrong type of product and then write a negative review about their experience. While it’s clear to the manufacturer that they didn’t buy the right product, the customer has no idea until they receive a response from the business explaining what went wrong.
These types of interactions are absolute gold. You may not know there are different types of a given product or piece of equipment that have different applications. For example, if you’re looking for an electrical transformer, you have to find the right manufacturer, but also the correct type for your application. Sometimes it’s possible to use a dry-type transformer or an oil-filled transformer, but not always. For instance, oil transformers carry a greater fire risk and should always be used outdoors.
No matter what you’re looking for, if you have multiple options and don’t know what to choose, reviews from people who made mistakes can be helpful.
Positive reviews are often vague
Positive reviews are typically vague, and that won’t help you make a decision. Most of the time, people write things like, “this product is amazing!” and “I love it, it was everything I wanted.” These reviews can be deceptive because they make you feel like the product is great, but without any specificity, you can’t pinpoint why.
If you can’t identify the specifics of what makes people think a product is great, you can’t assess how that might apply to your situation. For instance, people can rave about a new software application, but if you can’t integrate your core business tools, it may be useless to you.
Negative information is usually more specific and diagnostic compared to positive information, which makes decisions easier.
Nobody knows a product better than dissatisfied customers
There’s one thing about people who leave negative reviews that most people don’t realize: they can tell you everything that might (or will) go wrong. The company selling it isn’t going to hand over this information – they’re only going to give you marketing messages designed to sell the product. The only way you’ll get access to the negative aspects of a product is through reading online reviews, and sometimes from comments on social media.
When you read negative reviews for a product people say didn’t work, failed to live up to how it was advertised, or literally broke, you’ll know what to expect. From there, you can decide whether or not those potentials are acceptable. In some cases, they might be small risks that outweigh the benefits, but not always.
Knowing the negative can help you avoid losses
Once you learn what’s wrong with a product (no product is perfect), you’ll have the information needed to avoid loss. For example, if a negative aspect is a deal-breaker, you can look for another product. There could be other potential losses associated with a product outside of its durability.
For instance, you might sign up for an email marketing system that won’t allow you to export your contacts. If you ever need to change providers, you’ll have to get every single person on your list to opt in again, and that will lead to a devastating loss of contacts. If you start researching with the assumption that you can export your contact list later if needed, and you read a negative review that reveals that isn’t the case, you can avoid a massive problem.
Turn the negatives into a positive
When researching products, you might be initially inclined to focus on all the positive aspects, like the features, rave reviews, and what the company highlights about their product. However, dedicating time to researching the negative aspects is crucial. It’s not about being pessimistic, but rather, being realistic, gathering correct data, and making smarter decisions.
By thoroughly investigating a product’s negative qualities, you can avoid the worst-case scenarios that often come from uninformed purchase decisions. After all, the best decisions are made with awareness of what could go right as well as what might go wrong.
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