Naver will again disclose average star ratings for Place reviews starting next month. Naver said on the 1st that it will display average star rating information on Naver Place starting on Aug. 9.
The new average star rating will be calculated by combining cumulative data from before Oct. 25, 2021, when star rating collection was halted, with ratings newly collected this year. Naver said in April that, in addition to qualitative reviews such as text and keywords when registering Place reviews, it would add a five-point scale-based star rating metric. For the following three months, it did not disclose ratings to general users to review data stability and fairness.
However, whether to display the average star rating can be chosen by the business. For businesses that opened after Oct. 2021 and have no cumulative rating information, the default is not to display it. Businesses that want it public can change the setting on the SmartPlace business management page.
Naver will also tighten its policy to prevent review abuse. Users can edit the content and star rating only within three months after writing a review. Giving a rating below 3 without reasonable explanation or engaging in behavior that undermines the fairness or reliability of reviews can be deemed a prohibited act.
Naver suspended the star rating system in 2021 and has operated a qualitative review framework centered on keywords, photos and text. The intent was to reduce controversy over "star rating terror" and show location-specific features more concretely. This resumption of rating disclosure is seen as a move to let users grasp location satisfaction at a glance while maintaining a structure centered on qualitative reviews.
Naver will also revamp the Place review tab within the year. It plans to refine keyword reviews into a more intuitive form so that a location's characteristics and visit experiences are conveyed comprehensively.