As some of you will know, there is now the facility to reply to reviews on the iOS and Mac App Stores, and I know other stores have had this for some time. I noticed that some developers are using this to reply to positive reviews, not just bug reports and complaints. Pixelmator is a good example of this on the MAS.
So I was wondering what people thought of this practice because I’m really not sure what I think of it. It seems a little cheesy to me. But it’s also cutesy and touch-feely and a way to interact with customers so maybe it’s not such a bad thing? Any opinions?
It is indeed overly cheesy and obsequious. I happen to have spent a bit of time today on Aliexpress.com and there, every single feedback is replied to. Not cute.
The only time I would reply to positive reviews is when they contain suggestions. Thanking the author and letting him know that is appreciated and taken into account for possible future version would seem a good use of reply.
I can’t say that I agree. I think developers responding to both positive and negative reviews is a good thing. It lets me know that the developer is actively working on (and cares about) their product. Just be careful not to attack people who don’t understand how to use your app, as others will see it and it becomes a reflection on you.
I don’t have this experience with the MAS but I do like it when a biz replies to a positive review of mine on Yelp. I think the recognition that I made an effort to post a positive review makes me more likely to post positive reviews elsewhere.
I think this is probably exactly what I’ll do.
Roger has a good point, though. It can be kind of gratifying to thank for positive reviews. But I fear to see the same kind of cheese as on AliExpress. If will be extremely difficult to find a different writing for every thank you note. Otherwise it really looks so servile…