How to encourage Customer Reviews

Product reviews are the ultimate social proof for your e-commerce store. People trust other buyers more than descriptions or even pictures provided by the seller, so collecting reviews matters a lot in online business. Besides that, marketplaces tend to push better-reviewed products higher in the search results, and search engines can pick up on new keywords left by the customers.

They are equally valuable to the seller. Having plenty of feedback can reveal what is working well and what can be improved.

In this article, we will share tips and strategies to get more reviews.

Universal strategies

A lot of tips can be applied to any online platform, and can be useful even if your business is offline.

Pick the right time

When asking for reviews, you should consider how long it takes the customer to properly experience the value of your products. Ask the customer too early, and they might not have a very insightful take for you. Too late, and the response rate drops.

For most products, just a couple days can be fine. For example, people know within 3-7 days if their product looks and works as expected when its a clothing piece or a household item. You might want to extend your wait to a couple of weeks for more complex items, like expensive electronics, furniture, or skin care products (the kind of products that require high commitment or setup).

Make it effortless

Minimize the time it takes to interact with your request. Use a short and simple script to thank the customer and ask for feedback.

The less clicks it takes, the more likely you are to get the actual review. When possible, provide a direct link to the review form in your store. QR codes are especially effective if you include them on a physical insert within the package.

Work on the customer experience

A good product gets you halfway there. As a store, you can get more recognition by providing fast shipping and clear communication regarding the order. This is what reinforces positive feedback like “friendly service” and “arrived fast”.

A big factor for the customer experience is the packaging. It’s the first impression, a quality signal, and in some cases the deciding factor in whether the customer wants to leave a review at all.

• Add a thank-you card if you can. Handwriting gets bonus points!
• Include quick start tips for the product.
• You can ask for feedback on the physical insert (“tell us how it went”). It is an effective way to ask for reviews, but you should consider the timing tips above and decide based on your product.

Segmentation and automation

Email requests can be automated to save you some time. Set up your email marketing system to send review requests a few days after the order arrives. You can also send a follow-up if the customer didn’t leave a review after the first one.

However, make sure to filter out the customers that sent complaints or returned their item. Handle their cases separately and respond quickly. Many customers customers leave reviews or update their negative ones after good support.

Learn more: Best practices in email marketing for online sellers

Platform-specific tools

Different marketplaces have specific policies and techniques available to the sellers.

Amazon

Making the best out of the available tools really matters on Amazon, as the system is fairly limited.

Seller Central features a “Request a Review” button on each shipped order. Unfortunately, this button is not automated. Consider using one of the numerous automation apps from the Selling Partner Appstore to take full advantage of this feature and scale up.

Amazon Vine can be a great help in gaining trust for a new product or brand. You can send your products to independent reviewers approved by Amazon and get a headstart. Hover over the Advertisement menu and click Vine to access the program dashboard and enroll new items.
Currently, Amazon Vine is available only on FBA listings.

A paper insert in the package is the most direct way to reach the customer. However, there are some things to look out for because of the restrictive Amazon policies:

• Avoid review incentives
• Do not ask for only positive reviews
• No external links to review pages

And most importantly, do not send any extra messages to the personal email of your Amazon customers.

eBay

After your listing is sold, eBay will automatically remind the customer to leave feedback for you. Additionally, the platform automatically leaves posivive feedback on behalf of customers with no complaints. To encourage more organic comments from the buyers, send them a message through Seller Hub after the package arrived.

Remember that both parties have a reputation on eBay. Be the first to leave positive feedback for the customer. This increases the chances that they return the favor.

Etsy

The platform will automatically remind your customers to leave a review, similar to eBay.

Packaging matters more on Etsy than almost anywhere else. Buyers often expect something that feels personal or giftable, even for small purchases. A handwritten note and neat presentation can turn a simple order into something people mention in reviews.

Keep a friendly and personal tone if asking the buyers what they think about your product. Remember that a lot of Etsy users come to the platform because of the human touch that it usually offers.

Salestio appreciates your reviews too! Feel free to leave your thoughts about our app on the Shopify App Store: review link