Several studies have shown that customers are more likely to trust products with reviews than those without, and give them the same weight as a personal recommendation or criticism when making a purchase decision. Without a doubt, reviews can help online stores boost their revenues.
Most consumers believe the reviews they read are objective and unbiased. This is because most review platforms like Google disclose when a post is sponsored content, as well as the growing body of case law requiring disclosure of such partnerships on social media platforms.
However, this might be challenging when trying to amass a large number of high-quality evaluations for a product or service. This article will go into specific strategies for acquiring these all-important reviews.
Gathering customer feedback is difficult, yet…
Compared to setting up a Google ad, getting real customer reviews requires a lot more time and effort. Reviews should be genuine and paying for them won’t get you anywhere. It may even backfire on your business in the long run. If you’re willing to be a little bit creative, you’ll find that you can get the feedback that you need.
Additionally, reviews might be difficult to collect because there are 21% more chances for negative ones as compared to positive ones. You have to take an aggressive approach toward collecting reviews if you want to use them to enhance your credibility as a brand.
It’s important to realize that your business will inevitably receive some negative feedback from customers posted online. The good news is that a more significant number of positive comments can act as a counterbalance.
This post will show you how to gain reviews for your online shop, improve your brand’s trustworthiness, and ultimately increase sales despite these difficulties.
Why are reviews essential for a business?
Reviews are crucial to the buyer’s research and decision-making process. According to Bright Local, 85% of customers trust internet reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Insightful reviews of a product can significantly sway a shopper’s choice to buy. Just over 67% of consumers have found online reviews to be helpful when making a purchase.
Product reviews can contribute to brand trust, research enhancement, purchase decision influence, and search engine ranking improvement.
5 Techniques To Get More Reviews
Now that you know why product reviews are important, let’s discuss how to get more of them. These are ways that smart brands have increased the number of reviews on their sites:
1. Review collection should be automated
It can be difficult for an eCommerce marketer to act as a “jack of all trades,” coordinating a large number of marketing responsibilities and overseeing a marketing budget that spans many platforms. This is why it’s not a good idea to manually reach out to customers in an attempt to seek reviews.
As your business expands, your goals for customer reviews may rise sharply, making it nearly difficult for a person to manage review gathering. The only way to survive is to automate the procedure.
It would be best if you thought about using a plugin or a custom application to expedite the review process for your consumers and reach out to them at the most convenient moments on your eCommerce store.
2. Use images to add credibility to your reviews
Client-created product photos have the potential to outperform professional product images on your online store in terms of driving new sales. Let’s look at some real-world cases of how User Generated Content (UGC) is being utilized by e-commerce sites.
Comparing user-generated content versus non-user-generated content, Photoslurp asserts that user-generated photographs have a five-fold higher chance of converting visitors into paying customers.
For instance, buyers can include photographs while posting written evaluations on the handmade goods site Etsy. A more enlightened purchase decision can be reached when viewing a product photo in its natural state, without any filters or Photoshop enhancements.
By trying to sway the customer’s choice to buy, sellers attempt to showcase their goods in the best possible light. This approach deceives the consumer, who then develops false expectations about the goods they are about to purchase. A consumer who receives a product that falls short of their expectations returns it to the seller as a result.
Typically, your customers will take images of their products without any editing or alterations using a smartphone camera. This increases their trustworthiness and gives buyers a better idea of what the item will look like in use.
Plus, you can use the images and testimonials to your advantage by including them in your Facebook marketing plan or turning them into Instagram Stories videos highlighting your satisfied clients.
3. In a post-purchase email, request feedback
Utilize automated marketing and email surveys to gather client feedback on products. This will allow you to contact customers after they have already experienced using the item.
You can send emails to your customers a week or two after they make a purchase, or you can adjust the duration depending on how long it takes for your buyers to enjoy the full benefits of their purchases.
To give one specific example, if you were selling mattresses, you might wait a few weeks after the sale or as long as it takes to assess a “sleeping experience” to send out your follow-up emails.
4. Introduce a referral scheme to reward loyal clients
While it’s true that paying for fake reviews would only harm your online presence, there are ways to encourage loyal customers to leave reviews without resorting to dishonest means.
Some businesses offer discounts to customers who write reviews. A client who is trying to win your favor by writing a favorable review in exchange for a discount might sound odd when doing so, and your prospective consumers may view such evaluations with suspicion.
However, this should not stop you from sending genuine “thank you”s in the form of discount codes, which is one way to thank people for their business. Just wait until the customer has provided feedback on your brand before acting. Doing this can encourage brand advocates to express their opinions while providing a positive review.
Give a promotional code when a buyer reviews your product to make a big impression. Make them your brand advocates, but don’t pay for or purchase reviews!
You can either ask for a review and mention your referral program to encourage customers to participate, or you can advertise your referral program separately.
5. Request for a review at the right moment
Finally, even if you succeed in getting more favorable evaluations, one aspect shouldn’t slip your attention: timing.
If you ask for feedback too soon after purchase, before the buyer has had a chance to use the product, they may be hesitant to provide one.
Setting your advertising for a later time means missing the window of opportunity when the customer can most vividly describe their experience. Reviews are most useful gathered while buyers still remember the item.
When is the ideal moment to request a review?
There is no single characteristic that defines it. You should, however, take into account the time it takes for a buyer to receive your goods, try them on or use them, and recognize the item’s usefulness or purpose.
Let’s wrap this up!
Learning when and how to connect with your customers for their feedback on your product or service is crucial. Waiting an adequate amount of time before reaching out to them ensures that they have already enjoyed and assessed what they purchased, hence, they’d already had something to say. Additionally, knowing which platform to use in communicating with them ensures that your customers will receive your request, resulting in a higher chance of receiving feedback.
Moreover, customer feedback helps you improve your business. Acting on the suggestions or assessments you received will result in better products or services, in turn, happier and more satisfied customers. Satisfied customers are more likely to be repeat customers, which in turn, makes you satisfied with your business, too.
Consequently, automating your feedback generation efforts will give you more time to focus on other aspects of your business, such as the improvement of your products or services.
Now, you know why feedback generation is getting all the attention.
