n the world we live in today, consumers are faced with endless choices of products they can buy. Therefore, any factors that will make a product stand out from the crowd such as great customer reviews are important in giving customers the reassurance that the product they are buying is the best one around.
At the end of the day, if your products have zero reviews, customers are less likely to trust your brand. Therefore, you will simply lose clients without them.
How Important Are Product Reviews?
Product reviews are extremely important because they allow customers access to information about a product before they buy it and they ultimately have the power to influence a consumer’s decisions.
According to BrightLocal, 68% of online shoppers are more likely to engage with businesses that have positive reviews and 93% decide whether a business has a good or bad status depending upon reviews in the US. Equally, the Speigel Research Centre found that products with reviews are 270% more likely to be bought than those without.
- Building Trust: Product reviews are so important because they build a foundational trust between yourself and your potential clients. As shown in the statistics above, there is a clear positive correlation between positive reviews and customer purchases. Customers want to be reassured that they are making the right choice before buying, especially given the economic circumstances of the world today where money is tight for many. So, seeing positive reviews from other customers makes new customers feel more secure in their purchases.
- Extra Information: Reviews are also extremely useful for customers because they can showcase a product in more detail and provide it with more context. For instance, reviews can highlight how certain products can be used in multiple ways or show images from previous customers to understand more about the sizing of a product. Equally, if there are any recurring faults highlighted, it allows customers to be aware of them before committing to a purchase.
- Enhancing Brand Visibility: Generally, shoppers will filter products based on their ratings. Many buyers only go for products with a majority of 5-star ratings and so if your product has 0 ratings, it’s less likely to be seen on retail sites such as Amazon or Etsy. Reviews also give your website or selling page more content which will enhance your SEO, thus improving the traffic to your site.
- Improvements for Next Time: While not all reviews may be positive, they are definitely helpful in allowing you to understand what needs to be improved for next time. As Matt Moog, CEO of PowerReviews states:
Negative reviews are essential to building consumer trust…We have found the majority of consumers seek out negative reviews confirming credibility and determining that the things in the negative reviews seem relevant.
So, take all reviews seriously and act on any constructive suggestions! This will help you as a seller to keep your customers happy moving forward and avoid repetitive issues.
How Do I Get Product Reviews?
Now that the importance of customer reviews is clear, the question is “how do I get product reviews in the first place?” Fortunately, there are several ways that you can encourage customers to give you a review with relatively low effort and cost on your end.
- Ask Customers for Reviews: At first, you can simply ask your customers to leave you a review. Most customers are happy to do this, especially if your brand is small and not very well established. In doing so, you are forming a great customer relationship and your clients will most likely appreciate you personally reaching out to check on how they are enjoying their product. Do this a week or so after your customer receives their item so that they’ve had enough time to use the product, formulate an opinion on it and therefore leave an honest review. Reaching out via a follow-up email is the simplest way to do this and causes very low exertion on the customer’s part too.
- Offer Incentives in Exchange for Reviews: Next, offering motivations for reviews is a popular method. While this seems like it may lose your business money, such rewards only are a small gesture. For instance, they can be as minor as a 10 percent discount on a customer’s next order or building points in a loyalty app or scheme. This will make customers feel that their opinion is valued, AND it makes them more likely to purchase another product from you in the future. A win-win situation!
- Keep The Process Short and Sweet: One of the best ways to get customers to review your product is to make the reviewing process as easy as possible. Overcomplicate it by asking for a customer’s personal details and they may easily be dissuaded. Customers don’t technically owe you a review and they want it to be as snappy a procedure as possible. Refrain from asking lengthy interview-style questions. Instead, suggest a sentence or two with the option to add more if the customer chooses to.
Summary
Now you know how important product reviews are, be sure to gain as many as you possibly can from your customers to verify your business as one that is reputable and trustworthy. Doing so will make customers more likely to want to buy from you and give you a competitive edge over other similar companies with fewer reviews.
While reviews are a very simple concept, they offer far-reaching benefits to both businesses and customers alike.
