For starters, the cost of integrating a user review system (whether developed internally or via one of the companies I shared in the presentation) could very well be prohibitive.

Beyond that, which small biz retailers have enough ‘mass’ to make it worthwhile?

I think a lot of small biz retailers would be better served with customer testimonials — but those should also include some less-than-5-star comments, too.

And thanks for the kind words about the interview.

And..yes…I get what you mean now about bad reviews creating trust!

You can see this, and I can see this, but my guess is getting the business owner to see this may be a real uphill battle. I would also say it would be harder to convince a small business than a big one of this.

In my mind, I’m thinking of a company like Microsoft vs. Joe’s Diner. Even if thousands of people say MS has produced a faulty product and are loud and verbal in their complaints, MS stays in business.

But if Joe’s Diner gets even one review saying “my whole family got food poisoning there”, this is seriously going to harm their reputation in the community (at least, the portion of the community that reads user reviews).

But, then again, we’re talking about different kinds of flaws here. Buying a glitchy piece of software is not nearly as bad as winding up in the hospital.

In the end, my hope is that user reviews would generate better products and services because of this new level of public accountability, but it still strikes me as a bigger risk for the little guy than the big one.

I’m really, really glad you posted this, Matt. You did a great job in that interview!
Miriam