Product reviews determine the reputation, credibility, and overall success of an ecommerce store.
In a world where ecommerce is booming and the users are faced with a lot of choices, consumer reviews play an important role in helping buyers decide what to buy. Quite naturally, nobody wants to spend their money or time on a product that’s going to give them a terrible experience. That’s why 5.57% of customers often read reviews before an online purchase. But, how can you get product reviews for each sale you make?
All this means that online business owners should not underestimate the power of quality customer product reviews, as they can make or break relationships between an ecommerce store and the potential customers.
The Importance of Product Reviews
A good compilation of ecommerce product reviews encourage potential customers to complete their purchase because of social proof. Besides increasing conversions, quality product reviews help ecommerce stores with:
- Better insights into product popularity
- Increasing buyer confidence
- Enhancing customer trust and loyalty
- Integration of social proof
- Reducing the possibility of product returns
- Increasing the store’s online presence
Now that we’ve gone through the importance of product reviews and why they’re a must-have for every ecommerce store, it’s time for six tips that can help you get more reviews for your store. All these are simple and effective ways you can use to encourage the customers to leave more product reviews from the products in your store. So, if you have been wondering how to get product reviews, read on!
1. Simplify the Process
The key to increasing online reviews for different products on your ecommerce store is making the review process as simple as possible.
It is unlikely that customers will want to go through much effort to search for the product they purchased to leave a review. You need to make the review process quite easy for them. The most effective way to do that is to place a ‘leave a review’ call-to-action button on the product pages.
When designing the review form, avoid unnecessary fields to make sure it does not put off the customers. A few fields for the name, email address for verification or contact purposes, a rating, and the review itself are enough.
If necessary, you can ask them to share their location (not recommended though) or include images in the review. The bottom line here is that simplifying the reviewing process gives the buyer a better experience and allows you to collect more reviews.
Sephora
2. Send a Post-purchase Email
Reaching out to individual customers through post-purchase emails is another sure-fire way to get product reviews. Every time a customer buys a product, send a follow-up email within a week. If they had a great shopping experience, they’re more likely to leave positive feedback for the purchase.
Follow-up emails can be easily automated to be triggered after a set number of days after the purchase. To get the best results from the follow-up emails, consider the following:
- Use a corporate email address(for instance, [email protected])
- The email should come as a personal request
- The email should have a simple and clear call-to-action
Here’s a good example by Target, asking the customer to leave a review.
3. Get the Timing Right
The vast majority of customers are generally willing to leave a review after purchasing a product. However, despite this willingness, they might not always be proactive in sharing their experience.
Sellers should, therefore, capitalize on every opportunity to ask for feedback at the appropriate time. For instance, when a customer purchases an item from your store, you can wait for a couple of days before asking them to share their thoughts about the purchase.
Ideally, the follow-up email should already be scheduled BEFORE the customer has interacted with the product and should be triggered not long after the purchase. By getting the timing right, there’s a decent chance that customers will enjoy sharing their experience.
4. Incentivize Customers for the Reviews
Providing incentives is another effective way of encouraging buyers to leave online product reviews. You can offer small rewards in the form of coupons, discounts, gift certificates, or even contest entries in exchange for a review.
Such incentives get buyers excited about sharing information, and they are more likely to leave reviews and share them on social media.
You can merge incentives for reviews into an existing loyalty program or even create new incentive tiers for users who review a product. A good example is Yotpo’s loyalty program where they reward customers with 30 points for every review. These strategies not only boost user engagement but also enhance your brand’s reputation, as highlighted in various hosting reviews.
Offering incentives is a great way of encouraging more reviews as well as repeat sales. However, do not be biased to reward only the positive ones. Always consider rewarding genuine negative reviews and respond appropriately.
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5. Showcase Reviews on Social Media
The secret of the success of any ecommerce store is giving customers the attention and recognition they desire. Far too many buyers are willing to leave reviews for products they purchase if their feedback is noticed and appreciated.
An easy way to show customers that you recognize and value their feedback is by sharing reviews on social media. You can quote them directly or repost their experience, making sure you give credit to the customer.
The vast majority of users on the web love mentions, so giving a shout-out to customers who review a product will also encourage others to submit reviews. So, make a place for it on your editorial calendar.
Here’s an example where L’Oreal shares customer product reviews on Twitter:
Loreal
6. Engage with Reviews (and Reviewers)
Responding to customer reviews breeds more reviews. This is because buyers feel acknowledged and valued. So, whenever a customer leaves a review, thank them for taking the time to share their feedback. By appreciating them, other buyers will feel encouraged to write a review.
As you respond to reviews, do not ignore the negative ones. It might damage your brand image because prospective buyers often read through reviews. Instead, thank them for their feedback and apologize for any mistakes or clarify order information. In situations where a negative review can not be addressed positively, make sure you publish a response indicating that the support team is in contact with the buyer via phone or email. This way, shoppers will see that your store cares about customer experiences.
Conclusion
Requesting and publishing product reviews is essential for both sellers and buyers. It allows buyers to share their thoughts about a product with potential customers, thereby informing their purchase decisions.
To businesses, they’re a pretty big deal in that they serve as a reliable source of feedback and a powerful marketing tool. As you get more product reviews, the easier it will be to improve experiences on your ecommerce store, and ultimately, drive more sales. So, use the tips above to collect more reviews and increase customer satisfaction.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post contributed by Adela Belin, she is a content marketer and blogger at Writers Per Hour. She is passionate about sharing stories with the hope to make a difference in people’s lives and contribute to their personal and professional growth. Find her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Jamil Ali Ahmed
Jamil is an Organic Search Manager at Cloudways - A SEO friendly hosting Platform. He has 14 years experience in SEO, and is passionate about Digital Marketing and Growth Optimization. Jamil is a Minimalist, Observer, Loves Nature, Animals, Food, Cricket & Mimicking :)
