As an online retailer, you probably are well aware of the importance and value of product reviews. They can make or break a product and directly impact your sales success. But getting reviews as a business owner can be tricky. Reviews are often given freely by customers, which causes many online stores to shy away from directly asking for them. Instead, they take indirect routes like offering a discount with the purchase of a review or an incentive program where users get points towards another purchase if they leave a review.
However, these are not ideal strategies for getting great product reviews as an e-commerce store owner because it puts you at risk of receiving fake reviews and people may feel obligated to leave one just to receive the incentive you’ve provided. Fortunately, there are other ways to get product reviews that won’t put your business at risk but will help increase sales and conversions instead!
Impact of Online Product Reviews on a Business
Reviews are extremely important for your business because they show customers that other people have tried your products and liked them enough to leave a review. This will help you establish your reputation as a trustworthy business and encourage future customers to purchase from you even if they have never heard of you before.
While most customers will likely trust your brand and purchase from you without reviews, those that do not trust your brand will often look for reviews to make their final purchasing decision. Without a few positive reviews to back up your business, you are leaving money on the table every day.
Helps To Establish The Identity Of The Brand
When consumers visit your online store and see that you have a robust and healthy review section on all of your products, they will get an idea of who you are as a brand. When they find that the majority of reviews are positive, they will have a much better idea of what your products are like as well as your brand’s standards and quality.
Builds Trust With First-Time Shoppers
Online product reviews allow customers to see what other shoppers have experienced with your products before. They are often the first place that customers will go to when they are trying to decide whether or not to purchase your product. If you have a few reviews on your products, you will help to build trust with your potential customers even if they don’t leave a review.
Online product reviewers often comment on their reason behind leaving a review. If they state that they bought your product because of another reviewer’s comments, then they are essentially recommending your product to future customers without even realizing it.
Increased Sales
Product reviews are an essential part of online sales. 84% of customers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from family and friends. If you don’t have any reviews on your product or only a few, you’re leaving money on the table.
You don’t have any proof that your product is worth the money or that it will perform as you say it will. On the other hand, if you have a few or even several positive reviews on your product, you will see an increase in sales. Customers will see that you are trustworthy and reputable and that other customers are happy with your product.
How to Get Real Online Product Reviews From Your Customers
When you encourage your customers to leave product reviews, make them feel like they are contributing to their fellow shoppers. They might be more inclined to leave a review if they know they are helping to make a decision easier for someone else while gaining something in return.
Offer Incentives
One way you can offer incentives to your customers to leave reviews is to create a product review contest in which you offer a prize to whoever leaves the review first. This can be done through a variety of channels like Facebook or a social media site, a forum where you’re an active member, or even through your e-commerce website or store app. This is a great strategy for getting reviews because it’s easier to track who leaves a review first and you can give the prize to the person who deserves it.
Premiums
Another way you can get real reviews is to offer a premium for each review a customer leaves for a product in your store. You can offer a wide range of premiums for each review.
You can offer anything from a coupon for another product in your store to a discount on their next purchase or something completely different. The best thing about offering premiums for reviews is that it doesn’t have to be a big expense and you can easily adjust what you’re offering based on your needs.
Discounts
Another way to get real reviews is to offer a discount for each review a customer leaves for a product in your store. You can offer a discount on any product in your store or even a discount on their next purchase.
The great thing about offering discounts for reviews is that it’s easier to implement and track than offering a premium. You can also offer a larger discount than you would for a premium which is a great incentive for your customers to leave reviews for your products.
Chance To Win Something
Another way to get real reviews from your customers is to offer a chance to win something for each review they leave for a product in your store. You can offer a chance to win a prize for every review or something larger. You can use a variety of different channels to offer a chance to win something for reviews. You can use social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, forums where you’re an active member, or even your e-commerce website or store app.
This way, you are not forcing them to do anything but they know that their opinion would be greatly appreciated.
Make It More Feasible
If you would like to get a review but the product is outside of your budget, you can make an exchange. You can ask an influencer to review your product in exchange for a free one of your choice. Alternatively, you can ask your friends and family members to review your products. While your friends and family members may be less likely to leave a review, they can also be more honest in their feedback.
Authentic reviews are just as valuable as reviews from professional bloggers. You can also work to get your existing customers to leave reviews for your products. You can do this by sending them an email or contacting them via social media. You might also consider making it easier for your existing customers to leave reviews. You can do this by adding a review widget to your website or sending out reminder emails about reviews.
Bottom Line
Getting online product reviews is an important way to help establish yourself as a trusted brand and increase conversions. The value that these reviews provide to your business is hard to overstate. They can help you establish your brand, advance your reputation, and increase conversions.
If you are not getting online product reviews from customers, it’s time to start. Even if you don’t have the budget to incentivize reviews, there are other ways that you can encourage customers to leave them.
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