With the increasing amount of options available to online shoppers, having a vast catalog and discounts are no longer enough to entice consumers.
The new-age consumer is driven by information and the assurance of a good customer experience. This is where social proof comes in!
Product reviews and ratings received on your website, Google, social media, or popular marketplaces like Amazon, Lazada, etc, give the consumers the very assurance they’re looking for - from people like them.
This article shows you strategies to get more authentic product reviews and ratings and how to use them to fuel your growth.
Strategies to get more product reviews and ratings
Here are eight techniques you can implement to collect positive product reviews and ratings that attract more sales:
1. Follow up with customers
When a customer places an order on your store, you can follow them up on the contact details provided - email address and phone number.
Once an order is marked delivered, follow up with them using a personalized, automated message that requests a product review.
2. Make review submission frictionless and easy
Reduce any potential friction between your review requests and a customer’s ability to submit a review or a rating. Ensure customers don’t need more than two minutes to submit a review.
To do this, make the review request form mobile-optimized with a user-friendly UI so that non-tech-savvy customers easily understand it.
Let customers leave reviews on their preferred channels, such as websites, Google, social media, or Amazon (if applicable). You could add these review sites to customer follow-up emails for easier review capturing and submission.
3. Ask the right questions
Asking your customers the right questions will help you churn out a meaningful, publish-ready review.
You can string together short questions, such as - What issue did our product solve? Did our product match up to your expectations? How many stars would you rate us? Etc.
4. Follow up with buyers who’ve referred people
When buyers recommend your brand or products, it clearly indicates their satisfaction with your products.
One way to track this is by monitoring customers who’ve redeemed referral incentives and setting up an automated system to follow up for reviews.
5. Gamify the review process
Turn review requests into an opportunity to engage customers. By gamifying the rewards they can receive, you can encourage customers to submit ratings, reviews, testimonials or even share purchase pictures on social media.
6. Contact customers who leave you high ratings
Suppose a customer has rated your product or business highly on sites like Google Reviews, Amazon, etc. Reach out to them by sending a personalized follow-up text/email asking them to submit a review on your website as well.
7. Run product giveaways in exchange for reviews
Giveaways are a great way to promote your products through word-of-mouth. It’s a win-win situation, as your new customers can try products for free, and you receive several glowing reviews in return.
Tips on managing negative reviews and ratings
There’s no way to escape negative reviews. Every business receives them from time to time. But most businesses fail to use them to their benefit and instead shrug them off.
Here are some tips that can help you handle negative reviews so that customers try to give your business another chance:
1. Personalize your responses
While responding swiftly, don’t forget to understand customers’ perspectives and respond thoughtfully.
However bad the review, take a step back and offer personalized reply instead of a generic response.
2. Resolve complex issues privately
Customers may leave a bad review if they face issues during a transaction. Such concerns are better handled privately due to security concerns.
Ensure your customer support team stays in touch with the customer and gets the issue resolved via call or email. Once resolved, the customer may likely change their review.
3. Respond to all customers
Whether it’s a negative review or a positive one, remember to respond to all your customers.
Thank the ones that have submitted a positive review, and reassure the ones who felt negatively by offering further support or resolution. This is also a great way to show how proactive your brand is at offering great customer experiences.
4. Offer compensation
Offer compensation, such as coupon codes or money-back, to customers who’ve received damaged products or had an unpleasant experience while shopping.
It’s a necessary step to let customers feel heard and understood. In return, customers might give your business another chance by shopping or changing the review.
5. Report fake reviews
Brands often have to deal with troublemakers or sometimes competitors who write fake reviews.
If you encounter a bad review from someone who’s never interacted with your business, report the fake review to the review site. Also, make sure you still politely respond to the review by writing how you have no record of their transaction.
How to use product reviews and ratings for marketing?
Here are a few simple yet effective recommendations to infuse your marketing campaigns with product reviews and customer ratings:
1. Use product reviews on key website pages
Did you know 70% of online shoppers read at least six reviews before purchasing?
Engage your website visitors by showcasing product reviews across pages. This reassures them as they browse through your site to find products of their interest.
Here’s how PepperFry does it:
2. Include reviews in marketing emails
Customer reviews serve as personal recommendations. So use them in your marketing emails to turn potential leads into purchasing customers.
For example, every time a customer abandons a shopping cart, add a product review to your cart recovery email. This gives them the nudge they need to come back for the purchase.
3. Add customer reviews and ratings to paid ads
Using real-time customer reviews in ad copy increases your brand’s credibility. Reviews as paid ads are also good for SEO and increasing site traffic as they are high-intent, as per Google.
You can start by using a customer’s quote as your paid ad’s headline or add a recent star rating along with the product’s image in your ad copy.
4. Leverage social media through customer voices
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are the most used social media sites to research products and brands. Use your product reviews and ratings to tap into this behavior!
For example, you could use a customer testimonial, product rating, or a customer quote to promote a product or product line through posts, stories, or social ads. Here’s an example:
5. Use reviews in your retargeting campaigns
Retargeting campaigns let you re-engage potential customers.
You could use reviews or ratings in custom retargeting email campaigns, such as social media ads, push notifications, etc. This helps fasten a confused buyer’s decision-making and boost your retention rates.
Conclusion
By implementing effective strategies to gather authentic reviews and ratings, and leveraging them in your marketing efforts, you can fuel the growth of your eCommerce business. Embrace the potential of product reviews and ratings to build trust, engage customers, and drive sales,
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