While there are many advantages to the digital age for both customers and retailers, there are also new challenges for the latter. Customers have a plethora of options, considerably busier schedules, and significantly shorter attention spans. Reviews are especially important to this tech-savvy consumer since they provide the instant, sincere comfort that can seal the deal. Many shops will, however, attest to the challenge of obtaining any evaluations at all. For that reason, we’ve put together a useful list of seven strategies for increasing the number of client reviews for your eCommerce site.
Increasing the Number of Customer Reviews in Your Online Store
Sales can be influenced by positive reviews; this much should be clear. More customers are encouraged to follow suit by happy customers who vouch for the quality of a product. Negative evaluations, on the other hand, can be quite harmful; if you don’t respond to them quickly, clients may become discouraged. Nevertheless, it appears that obtaining evaluations in the first place is the largest obstacle facing many eCommerce sites.
There could be a number of reasons for this, but the most frequent ones are not asking, not making it simple, and not offering incentives for ratings. However, obtaining more feedback from customers for your online store can go far beyond taking care of those typical issues. Think about the seven steps that follow.
#1 Just ask
Requesting reviews is the easiest way to start. Although it would seem like a no-brainer to begin the list with this advice, a lot of stores overlook it. There are numerous methods to go about it, such interacting on social media and following up with emails after a purchase. Indeed, those particular methods will have their own sections just below. However, the basic idea behind this initial step is straightforward: ask to be given. Although they don’t like to write evaluations on their own, customers do frequently reply to inquiries. This is proven by chatbot automation alone.
#2 Simplify it
Most of the time, leaving reviews isn’t that tough. Nevertheless, simplifying the process can aid in increasing the number of client testimonials for your online store.Think about the following strategies to simplify your clients’ lives in this regard.Make it responsive for mobile devices; the number of mobile users and shoppers is growing.
To save time, keep things basic and make use of CTAs and visible links to cut down on navigation.Make text boxes optional and allow users to choose the breadth, depth, and specifics of their reviews.
Naturally, you should still try to find the perfect balance. For instance, although confirmed purchases are crucial, you could want to avoid requiring customers to log in in order to make things easier. Consider these things, but always try to make things as simple as possible. Like UX improvements, it remains a crucial element.
#3 Send a follow-up email after the transaction.
Asking is a tried-and-true method of getting reviews, as was already mentioned. However, you also want to make sure that the reviews you have are from real clients. Therefore, a follow-up email can be quite effective.
But keep in mind that there is a proper moment for doing so. There is a best moment for this kind of outreach, depending on the product, your target market, and even geographical considerations. Determine it using your data and insights, and then think about automating it with a suitable delay following delivery or checkout.
#4 Pay attention to reviews of high-end goods
After completing the preceding procedures, you ought to concentrate on particular products. For a few odd reasons, it’s important to note this differential; reviews for high-end goods may be the most important.
Reviews are a glimpse into how customers regard your product by definition. More expensive products tend to receive more reviews, maybe as a result of their cost and perceived worth. Therefore, it might be quite profitable to prioritise obtaining more customer reviews for those products on your eCommerce store.
First off, since customers are already more likely to post reviews for certain products, you’re probably not beginning from scratch. It is so imperative that you concentrate on obtaining even more reviews rather than attempting to obtain any in the first place. These concentrated efforts are typically more economical. In a similar vein, consumers tend to trust these ratings more than those for less expensive or disposable goods. Therefore, gaining their trust is even more crucial and even more beneficial.
#5 Make use of social media
Aside from your product emphasis, clients want to interact with your brand on social media more and more. As a result, this offers a fantastic chance to interact and request reviews there. The causes for the transition in eCommerce to social media platforms in recent years are too numerous to discuss here. Customers’ desire to interact is what matters, and reviews are an excellent way for them to do so. Take into account, for instance, how posting reviews on social media might increase trust and confidence. It goes without saying that you should obtain consent before including an opt-in form, but it’s a very useful tool.
#6 Address reviews
There are many advantages to replying to reviews when it comes to engagement. It sparks interaction, gives the partnership an authentic vibe, and, in this case, promotes more reviews.
Naturally, not every review form provides a direct response option, and not every review is always able to get a response. Removing negative reviews after issues are rectified allows customers to do so, which is a noteworthy benefit of doing so whenever possible. Positive reviews that are acknowledged might increase trust. To be honest, it is more engaging when it is visible. If customers feel appreciated and seen, they are considerably more inclined to write evaluations.
#7 Encourage testimonials
Finally, you could want to think about actively encouraging reviews if everything else fails. Despite being a last resort, this tip’s effectiveness accounts for its low ranking on the list.
Reviews can be encouraged via raffles, discounts, coupons, points, or any other kind of monetary reward. Nonetheless, certain customers might view it as an inexpensive ploy, which would undermine their trust. Since October 2020, the Seller Rating criteria established by Google have further complicated this strategy. It is therefore still an option, but it might be wiser to attempt encouraging feedback in other ways before attempting this.
Concluding remarks
Keeping everything mentioned above in mind, let’s reiterate a crucial point to wrap up. Increasing the number of client reviews for your online store is important, and it will probably become more important over time. Simply ask, interact, be responsive, and keep reviews simple. Although there might not be instant results, there will be significant long-term benefits.