Recent years have seen a dramatic shift in consumer shopping patterns as more people choose to buy online rather than in-store. This has made e-commerce platforms, and in particular Amazon, critical for many small business owners who now increasingly rely on digital sales. However, in order to succeed on Amazon and stand out from the crowd of third-party retailers on the site, it is critical that you have plenty of five-star reviews, as product and seller reviews play a key role in influencing customer decisions. In fact, it is estimated
that 95% of customers read reviews before making a purchase, and as many as 72% of customers won’t take any buying actions until they have read reviews. Additionally, customers deciding between two products with the same rating will often choose the product that has more reviews. This means that if you have products with few, or no, reviews, you are likely missing out on sales and should make obtaining reviews a priority in the coming year. To help get you started as you try to earn more high-quality reviews on your Amazon listings, here is a look at 5 tips to help you get more Amazon reviews.
Make Sure to Provide Excellent Customer Service
One of the easiest ways to help ensure customers leave good reviews is to provide excellent customer service. Any time that you interact with customers is an opportunity to show what sets you apart from other retailers, and whether a customer asks a question about a product, they want a shipping update, or they are looking to return a product, your goal should be to go above and beyond their expectations by providing fast, friendly, and helpful responses. One of the biggest frustrations for customers is Amazon sellers who are slow to respond to questions or do not respond at all. By being attentive you can set yourself apart from the competition, creating happy loyal customers who are more likely to leave positive reviews. Remember, even if a customer returns a product, they can still leave a review based on your customer service, so it is important that you try to be quick and friendly when dealing with all customer queries.
Invest in Product Inserts
For the most part, shoppers are most likely to leave a review soon after purchasing a product, as they are likely to forget as time passes. A great way to remind customers that you would appreciate it if they left a review on Amazon would be to include an insert in their package asking if they would leave a review. This is one of the most popular ways to encourage shoppers to leave product reviews on Amazon, as an eye-catching insert instructing buyers how to leave a review can be an extremely effective tactic to increase the number of reviews you receive. However, in order to ensure that you remain in compliance with Amazon’s guidelines, it is critical that you do not try to solicit positive reviews or offer incentives for customers to leave you a review. Amazon strictly prohibits inserts that ask customers specifically for positive reviews and/or that try to discourage negative reviews by telling customers to contact them instead. You must remain neutral and simply encourage customers to leave reviews of any kind.
Send Personalized Review Request Emails
Another easy way to increase the number of reviews you receive is to simply ask customers to leave you a review. In fact, as many as 77% of
shoppers surveyed said that they are happy to leave a product review if a business asks them to. Of course, by default, Amazon sends a generic, automated email asking customers to leave a review after they have received a product. However, these emails lack personality, and shoppers often ignore them. Instead of relying on these automatic emails or Amazon’s “request a review” button, you are much more likely to solicit reviews if you send out your own personalized follow-up emails to customers. Sending a unique email that includes the customer’s name in the subject line and email copy is more likely to be successful than Amazon’s generic email template, as shoppers are more likely to be influenced to leave a review if an email feels personal. You may find it helpful to let the customer know in the email that you appreciate their business and why it would be helpful if they left a review.
Enroll in Amazon Vine
As you are likely aware, Amazon now prohibits exchanging free products for reviews. However, there is one exception to this rule, and that is their Amazon Vine programme. This programme is only available to sellers who have fewer than 30 reviews, and it is meant to help newly registered sellers receive reviews faster. With Amazon Vine, a seller submits 30 units of inventory for review, which are then shipped to specially selected Vine reviewers for free. Vine reviewers do not have to pay for the product or shipping and will leave a review shortly after receiving a product. Vine reviewers, known officially as “Vine Voices” are chosen by Amazon based on the helpfulness of their previous reviews. The benefit of Amazon Vine is clear, as you are almost guaranteed to receive 30 detailed, high-quality reviews through this program.
Request Reviews on Social Media
Another great resource for reviews is your current social media following. For the most part, it is likely that your social media followers include a lot of your loyal customers who are well-informed about your brand and love your products. You may then find it beneficial to periodically remind your followers to leave reviews for recent items purchased through Amazon. Remind your followers that you are trying to build a brand, and it would help you if they left honest feedback on your products.
In addition to having reviews, it is also critical that your Amazon listings are optimized for SEO, as this will enhance your chances of acquiring new customers. Feel free to contact us to learn about our product listing optimization and translation services.