Among the shops someone searching in Batavia, IL is shown, Special Occasions on the Avenue and House of 423 each answered all 10 of their 10 most recent Google reviews. Neither holds the largest shop listing. That belongs to The Pynk Byrd, which carries 669 reviews, the most among the 20 shops we read. The Pynk Byrd answered 5 of its 10 most recent reviews, so replies are happening on the biggest shop listing too, alongside two smaller shops answering every one.
The median shop listing is modest. The median shop we read carries 28 Google reviews, and the median rating among them is 4.85. The three most-reviewed shops carry 669, 112 and 57. Special Occasions on the Avenue is the second of those, at 112 reviews; House of 423 carries 56. A median is a midpoint, not a picture of every shop, but both of those listings sit above it in review count.
Tattoo studios sit higher at the median. The median tattoo studio we read holds 100.5 reviews against 28 for shops, with a median rating of 4.9, and the three most-reviewed studios carry 518, 444 and 398. Among the tattoo studios we read, Ink Bar Tattoo answered 10 of its 10 most recent reviews, on a listing of 312. Sink or Swim Tattoo, on a listing of 359, answered 3 of its last 10. Those are the two tattoo studios we can name as answering; we can't see how the other studios we read handled their recent reviews.
For scale, the benchmark measured here, across 55 businesses in this catchment, puts a typical measured business at 73 percent of its recent reviews answered. That figure is measured across all trades together around Batavia, not shops and tattoo studios alone, so read it as a yardstick rather than a score for either trade.
What to do about it
Open your Google listing and count how many of your 10 most recent reviews carry a reply from you. Then set that number beside the ones above: among shops, Special Occasions on the Avenue and House of 423 at 10 of 10; among tattoo studios, Ink Bar Tattoo at 10 of 10. The benchmark measured here is 73 percent.
If your count is lower, the fix is plain work rather than a project. Answer each new review, the five-star ones with nothing to fix included. Keep it short, mention something the customer actually said, and write it in your own voice rather than a template. You do not write the review, but you do write the reply. Never offer a discount, gift or anything else in exchange for a review, and answer a critical one calmly and without arguing the details in public.
Shops
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Special Occasions on the Avenue | 10 of 10 | 112 | 3.8 |
| 2 | House of 423 | 10 of 10 | 56 | 5 |
| 3 | The Pynk Byrd | 5 of 10 | 669 | 5 |
Tattoo studios
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ink Bar Tattoo | 10 of 10 | 312 | 4.8 |
| 2 | Sink or Swim Tattoo | 3 of 10 | 359 | 4.7 |