If you are struggling to get customers to engage with your brand, you are going to want to figure out ways to get some positive reviews on whatever e-commerce platforms you primarily operate in. How to encourage customers to leave reviews? Keep reading to find out.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The first step you should take to encourage customers to leave reviews is to simply ask via email.
- You can also offer free merch or swag once the review has been written and authenticated.
- Be sure to remind consumers if they have not written a review a week or so after the initial purchase.
Why Do You Need Positive Customer Reviews?
This is fairly self-evident, but high-quality reviews written by actual customers can be an extreme enticement to potential customers. Consumers are smart and can easily sniff out fake and fraudulent reviews. Real reviews, however, are a powerful tool to be used in your marketing arsenal. Another one is getting the right bloggers to review your products.
Insider Tip
High-quality reviews written by actual customers can be an extreme enticement to potential customers.
How to Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews
If you want to encourage new customers to leave reviews, preferably positive reviews, there are a few steps you can take.
Just Ask
The easiest way to gather up real reviews from real customers is to simply ask. These are your customers and they should respond well to actual human contact that asks them to leave a review. Send out bulk emails but try to personalize them as much as possible, within reason. You can also create multiple CTAs (calls to action) on their receipt emails, shipping notifications, and any other time you contact customers. And if you come across malicious or fraudulent customers, here are tips on how to remove a fake review on Facebook.
Insider Tip
The easiest way to gather up real reviews from real customers is to simply ask.
Offer Free Swag
Another tried-and-true method for garnering reviews is to offer free merch or swag of some kind. If a customer buys a food processor, for instance, offer them a free potato peeler if they write a review. Be sure to really play up the positive elements of the free merch or swag so as to pique their interests. Everyone and we mean everyone, loves free stuff. Do not request that the review be positive, just let the consumers do their thing. As an aside, be sure to send out the swag or merch as promptly as possible once the review has been written, so as to avoid any changes in review status.
Send Reminder Emails
If you are still having trouble getting those all-important user reviews, it is time to rinse and repeat. Develop a system that will automatically send reminder emails at definitive chronological intervals. Let’s say, once every week or so. You don’t want to flood their inbox, but you also want to make sure that your request gets heard.
Warning
Do not request that the review be positive, just let the consumers do their thing.
F.A.Q.
Why are customer reviews essential for retail?
Customer reviews let potential customers or those new to your site or marketplace that you create high-quality products and that you can be trusted. In other words, they are essential for building a stable brand.
When should you ask for product reviews?
You should ask immediately upon purchase and send out reminders once a week or so. If they have not posted a review within one month of purchase, you should probably stop bothering them. They may leave one of their own accords down the line.
How can a bad review impact your SEO?
Google’s algorithm tracks any number of statistics when it comes to your e-commerce platform. Customer enthusiasm is just one, and negative reviews can lower this all-important metric.
STAT: 53.5% of those surveyed said they always respond to requests for customer reviews, and another 30.7% said they respond most of the time. (source)
