It's no secret that high ratings and positive reviews lead to more downloads.
People tend to trust the opinions of other users. The opinions of other users can have a significant impact on the download decisions of app store visitors. These ratings and reviews may be more influential than any marketing campaign.
No matter how good a product is, the problems still exist. When they do, it's not uncommon to encounter a sudden spike in negative reviews. For example, Instagram accidentally changed their favorite feature at some point and ended up causing a huge outrage in the review section of the app.
Responding to these reviews can make users feel like their issues are being heard. It feels good to feel like you have meaning and value as an app user. Even if the problem won't be solved immediately, it's good to know that someone is working on a solution.
>>> The Importance of app ratings & reviews for App Visibility in App Stores
💡 What problems do developers encounter in managing app reviews?
- Time pressure: Increasing users lead to more comments, slowing response times.
- Resource constraints: Small teams lack dedicated staff, resulting in inconsistent reply quality.
- Visibility issues: Uncertainty if users see replies, especially with complex App Store navigation.
Strategies and best practices - pay attention to app reviews
1) Be on time
Replying days or weeks after an iOS or Google Play review is not smart. Do you leave a support email in your inbox?
2) Use names (theirs and yours!)
Reviewers are people too! A small thing, but it shows users that you consider them more valuable than a pre-defined response. Make like Opera and treat your users like real people.
3) A bad experience deserves an apology
Even if you think the complaint is invalid, it is still directed at the user. A brief apology will make the reviewer feel heard and acknowledged. Don't hesitate to apologize or admit fault for your user's poor experience with your service. As an app developer, apologizing to your users will make you a person, not a businessman who only cares about numbers.
4) Be specific about any additional information you want
Reviewers are often unsure of what further information would be useful to you. If you really want quality information, you need to ask for it clearly.
5) Tell users what action you have taken (or plan to take)
As the old saying goes: action speaks louder than words. Being a good listener is a good first step, but in general, users really want their feedback acted upon in some way. This is especially true if you are offering real-world goods or services outside of your app.
Users also want to know that the negative experience can be resolved in some way. Solving problems for your users helps a lot and can actually reduce churn: our research has found that if you resolve a user's complaint and fix the mistake, they will continue to use your app 96% of the time.
6) Point users to helpful solutions, FAQs, and help documentation
Again, stay relevant and specific. A simple solution or link to targeted help documentation may deter users from going elsewhere.
7) Off-line conversations
By providing your email address in the response, you allow users to contact you directly. Taking the conversation away from the app store allows you to dig deeper and get to the root cause of the problem. Plus, it shows that you really care about helping them solve their problem.
8) Respond to criticism in 4 and 5 star reviews
Give as much attention to happy reviewers as you do to wishy-washy ones - the good people who give you good star ratings deserve some love!
9) Follow up
Built in a feature requested by many reviewers? Fixed bugs that you initially surfaced from the reviews? Go back to those users and share the good news.
10) If in doubt, think about what if
When all else fails, try thinking like a user. Each of us has had good and bad user support many times, so use your personal experience to guide you in the right direction.
>>> The Understanding and Practice Collect User Feedback and Reviews for Mobile Apps
Strategies and best practices for minimizing negative reviews
1) Overuse template responses
With so many similar queries, it can be tempting to create a set of prepared responses and use them to answer each review. It's helpful to have a standard set of responses ready to go, but remember that your responses will be available for all to see.
So switch as much as possible to personalize your messages and rephrase your preset responses so that people feel like they are talking to a human rather than a chatbot. This goes a long way in showing your users that you do care about them.
2) Refer each reviewer to other support channels
This falls into the same category as overusing template responses - sending each reviewer to your support email or help desk tool doesn't really help the user as much as it helps you. Put the user first and write a thoughtful, helpful response.
3) Being on the positive attitude
When writing a user feedback response, you should always approach it with a positive attitude.
Even if the feedback is rude, don't attack the user. If there is an inappropriate user review, you can "report the issue" so that the app store can evaluate it and remove it.
It's your job to protect your apps and features - but do it in a positive way. For example, when a user complains about a missing feature, you can point out if there's a workaround or if you're already working on a new feature.
4) Don't argue
Okay, so maybe you already have the feature the angry guy who gave you a scathing 1-star review really wanted. Or maybe the user has requested a feature that will never work in your app for some very valid reason. Resist the urge to argue and send polite, helpful replies to app reviews.
Since you've been working on the app for a long time, you may take some things for granted. So imagine that you're using your app for the first time and show empathy for people's frustrations or problems.
Solution for different types of app reviews
Aggressive users
When receiving aggressive app reviews, it's important to show empathy by adopting a pleasant tone even though you may not agree with the user's opinion. Sharing your app's contact information to offer further support shows that you are willing to discuss and actively try to improve the user's journey.
If you see a review that contains offensive material, spam or other content that violates the conditions of the app store, you can always report the review instead of replying to it. In this case, the user who wrote the offensive review will not receive notification that you reported the issue.
Big supporters
While replying to bad reviews is still a top priority, replying to fans will show how much you care about them, while putting your app in the spotlight.
Re-engage frustrated users
When dealing with complaints about the technical aspects of your app, you should show empathy and support to your users.
Give comprehensive responses that are friendly and natural in tone. The more detailed and transparent your feedback is, the more users will trust your app and feel valued. Rather than simply sharing contact information for user support services, try to resolve the user's issue directly. Seeing your app provide relevant and personalized feedback is sure to reassure your item detail visitors and drive conversions.
3 steps to level up your App Reviews on iOS or Android
1. Read your review
We agree - going through your app reviews can be very time-consuming; however, you have to do it to get to know your users. Especially if you want to prepare some template responses, you will need to read the reviews to identify common complaints/behaviors.
2. Prepare "template sentences" for each case
While applying a template response can save time, you want an authentic and personalized response more than a neutral and repetitive one.
We recommend preparing "template sentences" and associating them with tags so that you can copy and paste some sentences directly from the context. For example, you can use an Excel sheet to prepare a table with sentences that fit each situation.
3. Fix the problem and update your reply
You can filter the reviews using keywords commonly shared among users who complained about the error. This way, once the problem is fixed, you can update your users and try to re-engage them.
How Users View App Review Replies on the App Store?
Understanding how users interact with app review replies is key to optimizing response strategies.
Users are notified of replies through iOS push alerts, email (less reliable), or Mac notifications. Upon clicking, they land on the app's App Store page but must manually navigate to the "All Reviews" section and sort by "Most Recent" to find the developer's reply, labeled "Developer Response" and displayed below the original comment, distinct from other reviews. Users can then update their comment or rating based on their satisfaction with the response.
Replies are publicly visible, influencing other users' perceptions, so they should be professional, consistent with brand voice, and effectively address concerns.
While the general principles of replying to reviews apply to both App Store and Google Play, key differences require attention:
App Store:
- Replies cannot be edited once published, so accuracy is critical.
- Users need extra steps to view replies, potentially reducing visibility; keep responses concise and clear.
Google Play:
- Replies can be edited or deleted, offering greater flexibility.
- Replies are more prominent, impacting install intent; focus on technical details and clear solutions.
To optimize, adapt to each platform: maintain a consistent brand tone on the App Store and focus on technical details for Google Play.
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