You can do everything to promote your online store and products, but there’s one important aspect many retail business owners often overlook and that’s product reviews.
According to studies a whopping 70% of online shoppers look at customer reviews before making a purchase. This means that fair prices isn’t enough. Customers want to be able to see that other people are buying your products and engaging with them through reviews, both good and bad.
Why product reviews are important
In today’s times, online shoppers are cautious of online scams. One of the most important things merchants need to convey is trust. Reading product reviews eases customer uncertainties in more ways than one.
If you’ve launched a new store, or run a relatively unknown store, one of the biggest challenges is to prove your products are great and are something people need.
They said word of mouth is the best form of marketing and real product reviews give uncertain customers an unbiased look into the quality of your products and overall experience of buying from your store. Product reviews also offer an outsider’s point of view that first-time shoppers don’t have, they describe your product in ways that you, as a store owner, never thought of. When it comes to negative reviews, don’t stress – as long as the majority of your reviews are positive, negative activity will only add more insight.
According to Marketing Profs, almost 70% of customers want to read at least 6 reviews before they feel that a website is trustworthy. People want to know that there is a bustling community of online shoppers around them before giving your store their cash.
If your product reviews are mostly positive, negative reviews can actually have a tendency to build more trust. Customers like seeing clear evidence that you don’t hide the bad feedback or you don’t fill your site with fake reviews. As long as the cause of the negative review isn’t too alarming, it should actually be helpful in the long run.
How do I get more product reviews?
Make it easy to leave product reviews
Adding product reviews should be a streamlined and easy to understand process. Ensure your product reviews are clear and easy to identify on your product page.
Majority of online stores generally display the product reviews at the bottom of the page, however it’s becoming more popular to add a condensed version (ie product review rating / star rating) at the top of the page near the product pricing.
It’s best restrict the ability to add reviews to registered customers. Opening the product reviews publicly to website guests will open yourself to spam bots.
Most content management systems will let you configure your review and comment settings for approval before becoming publicly visible.
Value every opinion
Highlighting certain reviews as testimonials or even responding to customers feedback will leave customers more willing to leave reviews, as they can see that your store genuinely hears them out.
It’s important to show that you value every opinion and in return; your audience will be more enticed to share theirs.
Best time to ask for product reviews
It’s important to remind your customers to leave a product review at a time that is relevant to their order.
Don’t your customers to review your product before their order has been delivered and forget about requesting a review months after their purchase.
Aim to ask for a review 1-2 weeks after the order has been delivered. This will allow ample time for the customer to properly try out the product and form an opinion about the purchase they made.
Send personalised product review requests
Sending personalised requests can significantly improve the chances of a customer taking the time to post feedback of their purchase. All it takes is an email with their name and a short reminder that their feedback would help not only your store but other shoppers who are like them.
Need to speak to an website developer about integration product reviews with your online store? We specialise in WooCommerce, Shopify and Bigcartel eCommerce platfors – contact us today!
