Bad online product reviews are good for business, according to data from social commerce company Reevoo.

Sixty-eight per cent of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores, while 30% suspect censorship or faked reviews when they don’t see bad scores, Reevoo found.

Shoppers who go out of their way to read bad reviews convert 67% more highly than the average consumer, said Reevo.

According to the company, three times as many consumers actively seek out and read negative user generated content as look for positive content: negative reviews are even more popular than “most recent reviews”, or “reviews from people like me”, it said.

Shoppers who seek out bad reviews are highly engaged with their pre-purchase research, viewing almost four times as many products as the average visitor to a site, and staying considerably longer, Reevo reports.

Richard Anson, founder and CEO of Reevoo, said: “Consumers who seek out negative reviews outperform the average visitor to a website: we see a 67% bump in conversion rates for these shoppers. Counter-intuitive as it may seem, negative user-generated content is actually one of the most effective conversion tools,” he added.

The balance between positive and negative comments a brand or retailer attracts varies according to whether a proactive or passive reviews strategy is employed.

Retail Times’ readers can download Reevoo’s ebook for more information on proactive/passive strategies and why bad reviews are good for business.