Why Every Review Does Not Have to be 5 Stars

Customer reviews are an incredibly important aspect of online shopping. During the buying process, over 90% of consumers read online testimonials and reviews first. An impressive 84% of them trust online reviews as much as personal suggestions. It’s no secret that businesses like Kleen-Rite greatly desire feedback from customers in the form of reviews. We encourage our customers to review products, and even offer benefits through our Rewards Club for doing so.

kleen-rite loyalty rewards logo

While we absolutely hope our products are always at least satisfactory—if not excellent—that is simply not realistic all the time. With the incredible number of supplies required to run a car wash, you’re bound to encounter something that just doesn’t work for you or you feel was not advertised properly. That’s why it’s important to remember that not every review needs to be a 5-star review. Not just for ethical reasons, but for practical ones too.

Building Credibility in Reviews

Customers often consider products that have only received 5-star reviews as “too good to be true.” Customers are most likely to purchase a product rated in the range of 4.0-4.7, while their likelihood of buying goes down if something has a perfect rating.

This is likely due to suspicion that the seller has created fake reviews to boost the attractiveness of the product. Details included to justify the 5-star rating often alleviate this fear. Still, customers are likely going to see only the star rating first and create an initial judgement based on that. So as a seller that strives to be the most reliable source in the car wash industry, we’re okay with seeing reviews under five stars as long as they’re honest and reasonably accurate.

Helping Manufacturers

A detailed review that points out product issues or flaws can be a huge help for manufacturers. Try as they might to test things out and produce a great product, it is very hard to replicate all of the things that happen in a real-world setting. Learning that a seal fails under certain situations, or a vending towel loses moisture too fast in certain climates, or maybe a vacuum nozzle wears out too fast in one spot, can lead the manufacturer to make a change that takes the product from good to great. What’s more, if customers see that a manufacturer reacts to reviews with an update to their product, it can build incredible trust and loyalty that lasts for many years.

Helping the Seller

Reviews often alert a seller like Kleen-Rite that an advertisement or web page has incorrect specifications or features listed. Perhaps the product page is showing a wrong image. We deal with a huge number of products on a daily basis, with more coming in regularly. Having our customers act as an extra set of eyes and ears for us is much appreciated. If a less-than-stellar review is because of our mistake, we like to turn it into an opportunity to improve!

Helping Other Customers

All of these things, of course, ultimately help other customers avoid customer service issues and get the right products to their car wash faster. If a review helps a customer make a decision or figure out a problem, the hope is that they in-turn provide their own knowledge in the form of a reviews for products in their next order!

We Still Love 5-Star Reviews!

Don’t get us wrong, we still want 5-star reviews. We’re proud to offer what we think are the absolute best car wash products in the industry, and we love a perfect review where it’s deserved. In fact, keep an eye on our social media for 5-Star Fridays that promote products with all 5-star reviews. But we don’t want customers to hesitate to leave an honest review either! Don’t forget we offer rewards for leaving reviews on the products that you purchase. We want to build a collection of the best reviewed car wash products on the market!

Visit us today to experience the most reliable supplier for the car wash industry!