Life in the diaspora: The Nigerian experience in the UK – before you choose, check the reviews
By Mary Opii
Before buying certain products in the UK, you may find yourself doing something that gradually becomes a habit: checking what other people have said about them. Whether it is a kitchen appliance, a mobile phone, a vacuum cleaner, a skincare product or even something as ordinary as a kettle, there is often a temptation to read the reviews before making a decision. The product may look attractive, the price may be reasonable, but what have people who have actually bought it got to say?
Online shopping has made this habit particularly important. You can compare products from different retailers without leaving your home, examine photographs, read customer experiences and find out whether an item appears to offer value for money. Sometimes, two products may look almost identical, yet the reviews reveal differences in quality, durability, ease of use or performance that are not immediately obvious from the product description.
For someone settling into life in the UK, this can be a useful way to navigate an unfamiliar market. You may not know which brands are reliable or which products are worth paying more for. When buying household appliances, for example, you might want to know whether a washing machine is noisy, whether a vacuum cleaner performs well on carpets or whether a particular air fryer is easy to clean. Reviews can provide practical information that a photograph and a list of specifications cannot fully communicate.
In Nigeria, consumers also rely increasingly on online reviews, particularly when shopping through e-commerce platforms and social media. However, personal recommendations, market experience and advice from family and friends remain important ways of deciding what to buy. Many people want to hear from someone who has used a product, especially when spending a significant amount of money. The difference is not that Nigerians do not read reviews, but that the sources people trust and the way they combine information can vary.
In the UK, customer ratings are often displayed prominently on shopping websites, sometimes alongside the price and product specifications. You can find comments from people who have used an item for a few days, while others may describe their experience after several months. Some reviews include photographs showing how the product looks in an actual home rather than in the carefully prepared images used for advertising. This can help a prospective buyer develop a more realistic expectation of what to expect.
Yet, reviews require a little judgement. A product with thousands of positive ratings may still be unsuitable for your particular needs, while a lower rating may reflect a problem that would not matter to you. It helps to look beyond the overall score and read the actual comments. If several customers independently mention the same problem, that may be more useful than a single glowing review. It is also worth remembering that online reviews are not always genuine, so an impressive rating should not automatically settle the matter.
There is another interesting side to this culture. Reviews do not only influence what we buy; they can also affect how much we are willing to pay. A cheaper product may appear attractive until customers repeatedly complain about its durability. Another item may cost more but receive favourable feedback about its performance over time. For some buyers, spending a little more becomes worthwhile if the reviews suggest that the product will last longer.
As consumers, we are also part of this system. When we take the time to leave an honest review after buying something, we contribute information that may help the next person make a better decision. A useful review explains what worked, what did not and whether the product met expectations. Simply writing that something is good or bad may not help another buyer as much as describing the actual experience.
Living in the diaspora introduces you to many small changes in shopping habits, and this is one worth noticing. Buying a product is no longer always a matter of seeing it on a shelf, asking someone nearby or relying on the seller’s explanation. Increasingly, the decision begins with a search and a few minutes spent reading what other buyers have experienced.
