In our digitally inter-connected era, platforms like Dianpin and Yelp have become integral to our decision-making process for choosing restaurants, hotels, and entertainment. These online rating platforms are revolutionizing the demand pattern hence revenue stream of service providers.
Basically, ratings platforms are to provision information. Service providers, from local bistros to boutique hotels, register themselves on these platforms. Consumers then rate these services, often accompanied by comments and photos. These ratings are the lifeblood of these platforms, determining how businesses are ranked and recommended to new users searching for, say, “nearby hotpot restaurants.” Despite the lack of transparency in these algorithms, their impact is undeniably profound, especially for those ranked highest in their categories.
Platforms like Dianpin, with their massive user base, essentially create and strengthen thier monopoly status due to the network aggregation effect. The top-ranked businesses enjoy unparalleled visibility, almost akin to free advertising, leading to significant market power. But what lurks behind these rankings remains a mystery to the public.
Lately, the credibility of these ratings has come under scrutiny. A high score doesn’t always equate to quality, and savvy consumers have started to ‘read between the lines.’ For instance, on Dianpin, a near-perfect rating for a new restaurant often signals inauthentic reviews. The real gems are frequently found in the 3.5 to 4-star range, with a solid history record.
This skepticism isn’t without consequences. The general public condemns dishonest rating practices like fake reviews or incentives for positive feedback. Meanwhile, service workers feel the pressure as these ratings increasingly dictate their performance metrics.
But under such strained ecosystem, blame is hard to place but is keenly felt by all parties involved. Instead of pointing fingers, like placing stricter (and would possibly be useless) regulations on service providers’ integrity, perhaps it’s time to revisit the underlying mechanisms of these platforms. Like, maybe we can redesign the interaction between consumers and service providers, coordinated by the platform as information provisioner, to foster a healthier, more honest environment. Especially, how the platform would manipulates (guide) and re-direct consumers’ attention throughout their search process.
Ironically, today as I was having hotpot with my mom, we started looking for hotels on a rating platforms and end up complaining about how the ratings are extensively flooded, that hardly any useful information can be derived out of them. Just then, a server of the hotpot restaurant came over, and begged if we can rate them positively on DianPin, in return they will offer free desserts.
And I was like, hell yeahhhhhhh🤩.