Positive reviews mentioning ‘Vegan’ drive up Facebook’s average social review score
New statistics from Feed It Back’s monthly social review tracker have revealed that positive reviews mentioning the word ‘vegan’ have helped drive up the average social review score on Facebook over April.
The statistics, which were taken from thousands of social reviews across the restaurant, quick service and pub industries, reveal that the average social rating for Facebook rose from 4.5 in March to 4.6 in April, driven, in part, by positive reviews including the phrase ‘vegan’.
Over the same period, the average review score for Google and Facebook remained flat at 4.2 and 4.0, respectively. Google still remains the most popular platform, commanding a 61% share of all social reviews; while TripAdvisor’s share decreased slightly to 29% (down from 30% in March); and Facebook’s increased to 10% (up from 9% in March).
TripAdvisor remains the platform driving the majority of negative reviews, with 16% of all reviews being negative (receiving a score of 1-2 out of 5). This is twice as high as Google, where only 8% of reviews were negative; and more than Facebook, where 10% of reviews were negative.
Splitting by sector, restaurants continued to experience a spike in positive social review ratings, which have steadily climbed from 4.0 in January to 4.2 in April. Facebook has been the main platform behind this leap with its average review score rising from 4.1 in January to 4.6 in April. Over the same period, Google and TripAdvisor reviews remained flat sitting at 4.2 and 4.1, respectively.
Conversely, despite the early onset of warm weather over the Easter Bank Holiday, the average social review rating for pubs and bars fell to 4.2 in April, down from 4.3 in March. This was driven by a dip in Google ratings, which fell from 4.3 to 4.2; while reviews across TripAdvisor and Facebook remained flat at 4.1 and 4.6, respectively.
Commenting on the figures, Carlo Platia, CEO of Feed It Back, said: “It’s fascinating to see a distinctive spike in positive reviews mentioning ‘vegan’ across Facebook over April, clearly indicating that operators are answering the increasing consumer demand for healthier and more ethical choices. Using insight to truly understand what customers are demanding and staying ahead of fast-evolving consumer trends has become an absolute must in today’s highly competitive environment.
“Despite the unexpected warm weather over the Easter holiday, which historically has translated into a spike in ratings across the pub and bar sector, it is in fact restaurants that received an influx of positive reviews. It will be interesting to see if venues continue on this trajectory throughout May and overtake the average social review scores of pubs and bars for the first time this year.”
For press enquiries:
Geoff Campion
020 3567 5804 / 07957 251475
geoff@fsc.uk.com
Kate Goodbrand-Dillon
020 3567 5811 / 07878 481646
kateg@fsc.uk.com