Customers in different markets look for reviews in different places: general map and search listings, specialist sites for a sector, marketplaces, social platforms and word of mouth in private groups. The mix varies by country, language and category, and it changes over time. Rather than assuming that the review sites you know travel with you, research where your target customers actually look, then learn each platform’s rules before you ask for a single review.
Why the review landscape differs
Several factors shape where people look:
- Dominant search and map products. Where a map or search listing dominates, its star rating often becomes the default public reputation. Where regional search engines matter, listings on those engines matter too. Our piece on Google versus regional search engines explains why that varies.
- Sector specialists. Travel, hospitality, software, health and trades each tend to have dedicated sites, and those differ by country.
- Marketplaces. On large marketplaces, product reviews sit on the seller’s listing, not on your website.
- Social proof in social platforms. Video reviews, creator opinions and community groups carry weight in many markets, and are harder to monitor than star ratings.
- Language and trust norms. Some audiences value detailed written reviews, others favour short ratings or personal recommendation. This is a concept to test, not a fixed rule for any country.
This article stays at the concept level on purpose. Specific platform popularity changes, and a claim about what “customers in country X use” needs current local data. Treat any generalisation, including ours, as a hypothesis until you have checked it.
How to find where your customers look
- Search as they would. Use the local language and local search engine for your product and “reviews” or “best”, with a clean browser profile. Note which sites appear repeatedly.
- Check your competitors’ listings. Which platforms do the leading local competitors maintain and respond on?
- Ask people. A handful of interviews with local customers, distributors or staff will reveal habits no tool shows. The methods in market research for international expansion apply.
- Look at your own enquiries. Ask new customers how they researched you.
- Review local professional groups and forums. For B2B, reviews often live in industry communities rather than public star ratings.
Know each platform’s rules before you ask
Platforms differ sharply in what they allow, and breaking the rules can damage your standing.
| Platform approach | What it says |
|---|---|
| Google Maps contributed content policy | Reviews must reflect a real visit or experience. Paid reviews are banned, merchants cannot ask for non-genuine reviews or offer rewards for positive reviews or for removing negative ones, and reviews from people with a conflict of interest are barred. |
| Yelp | Yelp advises businesses not to ask customers for reviews. Its software does not recommend solicited reviews, and not-recommended reviews do not count toward the star rating or review count. |
Those two examples already disagree. In one case, a polite request to real customers is normal practice, and in the other it is discouraged and can backfire. Each market and platform can differ again. Read the current policy of every platform you plan to use, in the language you will operate in, and keep a short internal guide for each.
Legal rules also travel with you
In Australia, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it is against the law for a business to create fake or misleading reviews, or to arrange for others to do so. It also says suppressing, editing or removing genuine negative reviews can mislead consumers, and that incentives for reviews must be offered whether the review is positive or negative and must be disclosed. Other countries have their own consumer protection and advertising rules, and platforms enforce their own on top. Take advice from a local professional before you run a review programme in a new market. This is general information only.
A practical plan for a new market
- Shortlist two or three review sources that local research suggests matter.
- Claim or create your listing where the platform allows, with accurate, consistent business details.
- Translate or localise your profile carefully. Poor machine translation on a profile can quickly harm trust, so use a native reviewer. Localisation vs translation explains the difference.
- Respond to reviews in the reviewer’s language, promptly and courteously. Google notes that business replies appear publicly under the review and that the reviewer is notified.
- Monitor weekly at first. Set up alerts for your business name in each language and script.
- Record what each platform allows so staff do not guess.
Limits and trade-offs
- You cannot control reviews, only service quality, response and legitimate ways of inviting feedback.
- Small markets and new entrants have few reviews at first. Do not fill the gap with unverifiable testimonials.
- Responding in a language you do not speak well is risky. Use fluent staff or a reliable partner.
- Reputation moves between platforms and private channels. Public ratings are only part of the picture.
Next step
Radiance Impact’s Global team works on localisation, market entry and content adaptation across English and Chinese. For a view of reputation and channels in a market you are entering, see our global services or contact us.
Sources
- Prohibited and restricted content: fake engagement and conflicts of interest, Google Maps Contributed Content Policy
- Recommendation software, Yelp Trust and Safety
- Online reviews, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
- Reply to reviews, Google Business Profile Help
