The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted a problem many businesses don’t realize they have: asking customers directly for five-star reviews can backfire. In its article, “The Hidden Risk When Retailers Ask for a Five-Star Review,” the WSJ cites research showing that even satisfied customers feel manipulated when a company pushes for a positive rating.
The takeaway is clear—and correct: soliciting a specific outcome (a 5-star review) erodes trust.
But the article’s recommended fix—asking all customers to leave a review, whether positive or negative—misses a critical commercial reality.
Yes, consumers value transparency. Yes, businesses should avoid manipulation.
But your online rating isn’t just a feedback tool. It’s a public asset that influences thousands of purchasing decisions long after a sale is complete.
A “just ask everyone” policy can quietly destroy it.
The research behind the article offers valuable insight into how customers perceive review requests. Here’s what the data shows:
| Solicitation Method | Loyalty Score (100-pt scale) | Trust Score (7-pt scale) |
|---|---|---|
| Unconditional Review (positive or negative) | 87 | 5.84 |
| Request for a Positive Review | 64 | 3.68 |
This evidence is unambiguous: asking specifically for a positive review is harmful.
Customers can tell when you’re trying to engineer the outcome—so they trust you less.
On this point, the WSJ is absolutely right.
The article suggests businesses should simply ask verified customers to post a review regardless of how the experience went. That sounds fair, balanced, and transparent.
Unfortunately, it’s also dangerous for your bottom line.
Here’s the overlooked truth:
If you ask every customer—happy or unhappy—to leave a public review:
That small perceived gain in trust (from not filtering your review requests) is dwarfed by the long-term damage of accumulating public negative feedback.
Businesses don’t lose sleep over a “slight reduction in trust.”
They lose sleep over a very public decline in reputation.
If asking for 5-star reviews is manipulative—and asking everyone indiscriminately is risky—what should businesses do?
The answer is a simple, ethical refinement:
This is not review-gating as most platforms define it (you’re not telling anyone what to write or preventing them from posting). It’s a service-focused way to direct feedback appropriately.
Before sending a public review link, ask a private question via email or survey:
This gives customers a chance to share honest feedback without being thrust into the public arena.
⭐ Happy Customers (e.g., 9–10 out of 10):
Send them to the public review platform—without asking for a specific rating.
They already expressed satisfaction, so their review is almost certainly positive.
⚠️ Unhappy or Neutral Customers (1–7 out of 10):
Send them to a private support channel or feedback form.
This allows you to:
When you help unhappy customers privately, many later become your strongest advocates.
This approach:
You’re not “filtering reviews”—you’re sending the right question to the right person at the right time, based on what they have already told you.
This is what modern review strategy looks like.
Your review strategy doesn’t need to be aggressive—or naive.
The WSJ is right to warn about the dangers of pushing for positive reviews. But inviting feedback from every customer, regardless of experience, ignores how online ratings actually work in practice.
The winning approach is smarter and more nuanced:
Ask wisely.
Respect customers.
Protect your reputation.
When you do, your best customers will build the public image your business truly deserves.
About AIMS Digital