eCommerce Product Reviews: Importance and How to Get Them
Implementing incentives like discounts, loyalty points, or free gifts can effectively encourage customers to leave reviews, fostering long-term customer retention.
Published October 15, 2024.
Product reviews are crucial in building trust and boosting sales by serving as social proof. They influence customer purchasing decisions and significantly impact businesses' sales performance. Statistically, product reviews generate an average uplift in sales of 18%, and businesses with more than nine recent reviews within the past 90 days earn 52% more than average.
Meet the Expert
Jameela Ghann is an eCommerce and marketing expert with over 10 years of experience. Apart from running her own successful online store, Alora Boutique, she's the marketing manager of Fera.ai.
4 Benefits of Product Reviews for eCommerce
Product reviews are crucial for customers since 98% of shoppers rely on reviews before making a purchase decision, while 45% of customers refuse to buy products without any reviews. They not only guide shoppers in making informed decisions but also instill confidence in their purchases.
1. Build Social Proof
Product reviews act as social proof, providing tangible evidence of other customers' experiences, opinions, and satisfaction levels. Positive reviews can significantly boost a product's appeal and influence customer decisions, making it more likely for undecided shoppers to commit to a purchase. Moreover, social proof extends beyond individual products to influence the brand's overall perception, enhancing its image, appeal, credibility, and trust.
2. Improve Sales and Revenue
Product reviews directly address buyers' concerns or questions through the firsthand experiences of others. This reduces the perceived risk associated with online purchases, hence increasing the likelihood of customers making a purchase.
Positive reviews contribute to a product's visibility and search ranking, leading to higher average order values and sales volume overall. Additionally, reviews guide sellers in optimizing their product offerings and marketing strategies, leading to sustained sales growth.
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3. Improve SEO
Using review apps displays star ratings in Google search results, improving visibility and click-through rates. While it's possible to independently implement schema markup for star ratings, leveraging a product review app simplifies the process and ensures adherence to industry standards.
These star ratings in search results can dramatically increase click-through rates, especially on competitive platforms like Google Shopping.
Google will only display the products with the highest star ratings in the search results to give users the best possible experience, making positive reviews a great way to build traffic.
4. Viable Marketing Assets
Product reviews are more than just sales and SEO boosters; they are valuable marketing tools. Businesses can use the power of personalization through user-generated content by repurposing text and video reviews on platforms like:
This strategy offers an authentic, relatable perspective, leveraging social proof to drive genuine engagement.
» Find out what the continuing rise of social commerce means for your business
The Power of Reviews
Incorporating reviews on my store, Alora Boutique, led to a dramatic increase in sales and a decrease in ad spend.
Video reviews, in particular, significantly boosted sales performance and customer engagement by encouraging more customer feedback and creating a positive engagement cycle. Utilizing user-generated content (UGC) like photos and videos in marketing saves resources and adds authenticity to promotional efforts.
» Learn how UGC creates conversions and increases brand loyalty
5 Strategies for Encouraging Product Reviews
1. Implement a Review Platform
The foundation of an effective product review strategy lies in implementing a robust review platform. Using reputable third-party review platforms such as REVIEWS.io, Power Reviews, and Bazaarvoice will help you leverage their benefits without too much effort. Such platforms facilitate the easy collection and display of reviews, ensuring they are seamlessly integrated into the shopping experience.
2. Incentivize Customer Reviews
Offering discounts, loyalty points, or gifts can be effective motivators, with loyalty points fostering long-term customer retention.
Pro tip: Choosing incentives that align with your profit margins is essential. For instance, if margins are thin, offering discounts may not be feasible, so loyalty points could be a more sustainable option instead.
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3. Respond to Positive and Negative Reviews
Promptly responding to customer reviews is critical to an effective review strategy. By engaging with feedback, businesses demonstrate to customers that their opinions are valued and that concerns or comments are taken seriously. This proactive approach to review management builds trust and loyalty, potentially nurturing long-term relationships.
Pro tip: Respond to all reviews, even negative ones. This demonstrates accountability and commitment to customer satisfaction, while also helping you identify areas for improvement. Don't hurt your credibility by suppressing negative reviews.
4. Promote Reviews Across Channels
Leveraging product reviews across various channels can amplify their impact and encourage greater customer engagement. Showcasing reviews on social media platforms taps into existing followings and incentivizes customers to leave feedback, as individuals often enjoy being featured.
Displaying reviews on eCommerce pages, such as product and collection pages, enhances visibility and influence. Adding average ratings on collection pages increases click-through rates, and sorting products by rating in site search results highlights top-rated items.
Apps like Review.io, Yotpo, Stamped.io, and Judge.me simplify the integration of these features.
5. Monitor and Analyze Reviews
Finally, regularly monitoring and analyzing product reviews is crucial for gaining insights into customer preferences and identifying areas for improvement. By leveraging customer feedback, businesses can:
- Optimize product performance
- Enhance customer satisfaction
- Drive continuous improvement
» Looking for tips to promote products? Learn to leverage eCommerce merchandising
Review the Timeline of Your Product Reviews
Requesting reviews at the right time is essential for gathering authentic feedback and maximizing response rates. Setting up a review request two weeks after fulfillment allows customers adequate time to evaluate the product or service.
You can automate email or SMS marketing campaigns to thank customers for their purchases and ask for reviews. Even better, integrate automated strategies in your review tools to ensure consistency.
This is crucial for both perishable goods and visually-driven items such as makeup or clothing. For the latter, emphasizing photo and video testimonials is particularly valuable, offering insights on appearance and fit across different body types and settings.
» Find out why we recommend REVIEWS.io to grow your online reputation