Importance of Product Reviews (and How to Get Them)

Online shoppers have a virtual plethora of choices for the products they are searching for; so how can your business stand out from the competition? The power lies with your happy customer’s positive reviews and star ratings. The influence of others, through product reviews, is highly valued by your potential customers. In fact, buying decisions are influenced by product reviews for 97% of online shoppers.

Consumers are searching for your products online look to customer reviews as a shortcut to determine the trustworthiness, value, and quality of your business and products. At a glance, online shoppers subconsciously evaluate their buying options by taking into consideration the number of reviews, star rating and the quality of the top testimonials. Product reviews describing your products, and your interaction (customer service, shipping, etc.) with the reviewer is an essential online tool.

The Impact of Product Reviews on Sales

The success of your e-com business is diametrically related to the credibility of your online reputation through customer feedback. Ultimately, product review volume correlates with sales. A staggering 90% of online buyers claim to read reviews before making a purchase and 80% give the same value to online reviews that they would give a personal recommendation. Online merchants need to realize the tremendous capacity that customer reviews will deliver by turning a passive digital window shopper into a lifelong, devoted customer.

Genuine Reviews Equal Trust

While consumers are less inclined to believe claims directly from online merchants, trust is the backbone of customer reviews. The ‘human touch’ within online reviews provides a potential customer with the peace of mind of receiving personal advice from others who have been there and done that. Genuine reviews offering both positive and negative feedback is a vital part of a potential buyer’s research for online and offline purchasing. The golden ticket, when it comes to customer reviews, is the opportunity to address an unsatisfied customer, resolve their problem and pivot a bad situation into a positive customer experience.

The SEO Value of Reviews

The value of consumer feedback has a far reach. Reviews not only prove the trustworthiness of your business and products but they also greatly improve your search engine optimization. Google and other search engines view customer reviews as proof that your business has value and real credibility. In turn, your site’s search engine ranking is elevated. It is safe to say that product reviews, both directly and indirectly, cause a digital chain reaction that is advantageous to online users, your online reputation and sales, and search engines by providing the user with superlative search results.

How to Ask Your Customers for Reviews

Since customer reviews are, by proxy, the most practical way online shoppers can receive instant personal advice and recommendations, vs. word of mouth, it is vital to ask every satisfied customer for a review. Here are some quick tips for asking your customers for online feedback:

Keep it simple and let your customers know that it will only take a few minutes of their time and be sure to thank them (in advance) for taking time out of their schedule to post their feedback.
Contact your new customer immediately after they receive their merchandise. Email is the most common post-sale communication, but a text message may be more effective if your target audience is mobile proficient.
Ask specific questions about their experience to structure the review in the most helpful way. Your request can include prompts like:
- How has our product solved your problem?
- What doubts did you have before making your purchase?
- What has the product done to make your life better?
- What were the highlights of purchasing our product?
Contact your new customer immediately after they receive their merchandise. Email is the most common post-sale communication, but a text message may be more effective if your target audience is mobile proficient.
Acknowledge each review by thanking the reviewer for sharing their experience. Always address negative issues quickly to resolve the problem and turn your unhappy customer into a lifelong, happy customer.
Re-share positive reviews to your e-com site and on your social media profiles for added impact as powerful social proof of your product’s value.

YouReview offers an easy to use, automated review gathering and publishing process to help you easily generate positive product reviews from your satisfied customers and filter out negative or fake reviews. Our easy to master and affordable methods give you a straightforward way to ask your customers for feedback without leaving them feeling pestered.

Leverage Product Reviews with YouReview

Within the highly competitive online markets, e-com merchants understand that to survive online, you must utilize consumer feedback to polish your reputation and bolster new and repeat sales.

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Chevelle Garnett

I am insatiably curious, fueling my learning about all things business, tech, and marketing. I'm a dog lover, tree hugger & fitness enthusiast. Yes, I was named after a car. No siblings named Mustang.