How to Manage Your App Reviews

The phrase ‘the customer is always right’ has never been more relevant. Love them, or loathe them, customer reviews are here to stay, and it’s how millions of people make their decision to buy. Whether it’s a product on Amazon, a hotel on TripAdvisor, or a restaurant on Yelp, customers are poised to let you (and others) know exactly what they think about your business.

It’s no different on the Wix App Market – we let users review your app out of 5 stars, and give them the opportunity to leave a comment. When handled well, user reviews are a powerful marketing tool that can lead to more installs of your app.

So, you’ve spent months crafting the perfect app, then bang – one of your first reviews is a one-star critique from a disgruntled user that never even started using the app. But don’t fear, we’re here to give you a few solid tips on how to manage user reviews correctly, and help you to improve your app in the process.

"Love them, or loathe them, customer reviews are here to stay."

– Ella Fitzgerald

Collect reviews

The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure users can leave a review about your app. We allow any user to leave feedback once they’ve installed your app, but you can also add a modal into your app flow that prompts users to let you know what they think. It’s a great way to gather feedback, and by placing the modal in a relevant location in your app flow, you’ll proactively encourage users to let you know what they think.

Respond quickly

We recommend responding to negative feedback within 24 hours. Keep the response focused, thank them for the feedback, and outline the action you plan to take. Better yet, if you’re able to resolve the issue before responding, you can let them know that you’ve already sorted it. Other users will see how you manage negative reviews, and it’s your chance to give a good impression. If you’ve received positive feedback, you can also reply, but be short and sweet – a quick ‘Thank you’ should do the trick. Keep in mind that a user can't reply directly, so you'll need to leave contact info in your message, such as a support email address.

Take feedback onboard

Make sure that you collate user feedback and discuss it with your team. It’s a free way of learning what users want, what’s bothering them, and where best to invest time and money in improving your app. You could also take the time to look at similar apps to yours, and see what feedback they’ve received and how they’ve responded. Once you’ve implemented the feedback, make sure to let the user know!

Keep the tone upbeat

A bad review can hurt, and sometimes users don’t hold back when it comes to feedback. Before replying, take a moment – is there anything you can take away from the review? Stay positive in your response and reassure the user that you’re looking into their concerns, even if you don’t necessarily agree. Always remember that other users will see how you interact with reviews, so maintaining an upbeat tone can go a long way in building a positive perception of your brand and app.

Report inappropriate content

In some circumstances, we’re able to remove reviews. If someone has used threatening or abusive language in their post, let us know and we’ll take it down. Beyond that, we keep reviews live and relevant, so users have an honest and transparent view of your app.

Don’t incentivize reviews

While it might be tempting to offer users something in return for a positive review, it’s against our policy and the Wix Partner Agreement to do so. We want to keep things fair on our platform, and will have to take action against anyone that we think is manipulating their reviews.

Want to know more about managing user reviews? Check out this article.