A whopping 90% of consumer purchases are influenced by online product reviews.
No doubt, online reviews can play an important role in your eCommerce business.
And one negative review can sometimes ruin a brand's reputation.
In the same way, one positive review can help your brand tremendously.
Hence, the power of product reviews cannot be underestimated.
Because in this day and age of information... online sharing of opinions and experiences has become commonplace.
Now let me start with...
Places To Find Product Reviews
Social Media
You may have satisfied customers who post on social media.
They want to share what they think about your product or online store.
If you find positive reviews, it's an opportunity for you to reach out. And make a follow-up.
You can ask your customers if they won't mind using their positive feedback for promotional purposes.
They may agree with you, and what does that mean?
An instant recommendation!
It's also wise to encourage customers to share pictures of themselves using your product.
As visuals are always influential when showcasing what your eCommerce store can offer.
Try embedding your Facebook, Twitter, or Messenger onto your website.
So that everyone can see it when you are tagged in a tweet or if somebody posts about your business.
You will also be notified in your Messenger about their post. And you can respond promptly.
Next...
Pop-Ups
You can create a pop-up on your website where people can write their thoughts about your product.
It is another smart way to collect customer feedback and reviews.
Here are a few prompts/questions you may want to use in your pop-up:
- Tell us 3 things you like about our product/ store.
- Were you satisfied with the product you purchased from us?
- Would you say the product is worth the price?
Or you can simply ask them to leave feedback.
There are so many customers who are willing to leave feedback.
Especially after a great customer experience,
Third...
Follow-Up Emails
If they love your product/service, they may send you a review or testimonial via email.
Thank them and ask if you can use their comments as testimonials.
And voila!
Another satisfied customer. ?
Then you can follow up with an email asking how they found your product or eCommerce store.
Keeping track of what customers buy from you will allow you to send them targeted emails.
Create a form they can fill out to tell you what they think about their recent purchase.
This can be a start good start for your email marketing campaign!
Fortunately, you can incorporate Debutify theme in all these 3 methods.
It's the smartest way to optimize your eCommerce store.
I'll get to that later but first... let me get right to my main point...
Why Product Reviews Are Important?
- Product reviews can help maximize your conversion rate.
- It fosters customer trust and loyalty.
- Product reviews provide more information about your product.
- It improves your understanding about customers.
- Product reviews allow you to correct any issues.
- It can help promote your product.
- Reviews lessen the possibility of returns.
- It can assist you with your SEO efforts.
- Product reviews are excellent marketing tool.
- It shows your personality.
- Reviews serve as social proof.
Now, let's take a look at each benefit...
1. Product reviews can help maximize your conversion rate.
A study conducted by Spigel Research Center has found that... online reviews can boost a business's conversion rates by up to 270%.
And consumers trust reviews 12 times more than other marketing materials.
That's why an online review plays a vital role in your conversion rate.
And good customer feedback from people who have made similar purchases gives them confidence.
Somehow, it gives them the feeling that they are making a good choice of buying your product.
And people seek proof from other consumers that the product they want to buy is worth it.
In a way, it enhances their sense of security... that it's not just some sort of biased advertising.
This makes your customers your best marketing weapon.
And even one positive review can boost your conversion rate.
I’m sure you’re with me on this next point…
2. It fosters customer trust and loyalty.
According to Statista, global sales of retail eCommerce topped $4.9 trillion in 2021.
So many brands are out there.
Yet, it's hard to know who to trust without being able to verify the quality of product and service.
That is why reviewing a product is the best way to determine quality.
Online reviews can help you find potential customers.
When they see that you have an amazing product and 5-star reviews, you will earn their trust.
Plus, they will keep returning...
And in no time, you can turn them into loyal customers and advocates.
Take a look at this...
In a study by Bain & Company, increasing customer retention by just 5% can increase profits by 25 to 95%.
That's a huge help for your customer retention efforts.
I can almost hear you thinking…
3. Product reviews provide more information about your product.
Hearing about people's reviews of your products helps your prospects know your product.
It will help determine whether or not your product matches consumers' expectations.
Consumers usually look at things like:
- product quality
- the accuracy of the images
- how fast or slow the shipping is
- after-sales service
These details give customers a better idea of the product you're selling... and your service.
And in a way, you help them feel more confident about making a purchase.
Here’s the interesting part…
4. It improves your understanding of customers.
Product reviews aren't just helpful to buyers.
But they also help you learn more about your customers and identify weak points in your strategies.
For example...
How do they perceive your brand?
How can you improve your products?
So take advantage of product reviews to better understand and serve your customers.
Now, this is important…
5. Product reviews allow you to correct any issues.
In cases where a majority of customers are pointing out the same issues in your product... be proactive in correcting the issue.
For example, when the product delivered is defective.
Make sure to reach out and fix the problem.
And if that happens frequently, you might want to change your delivery carrier.
You don’t want to miss this next part…
6. It can help promote your product.
According to G2 Crowd study, 92% of buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review.
And take note... when people are happy with your brand or product, most likely, they will share their reviews online.
It's an effortless way of promoting your products because other people are doing it for you.
So take advantage!
And I’m not stopping there…
7. Reviews lessen the possibility of returns.
Without reviews, online shoppers won't have any idea about your product.
They won't know whether or not your product is of high quality.
For example, If your product has no customer reviews.... they wouldn't feel confident in their decision to buy.
Your customers can just wish that the product will not end up defective or of low quality.
And if they are not satisfied, then most probably, they will return it.
That is why product reviews minimize returns.
Check this out...
8. It can assist you with your SEO efforts.
Being on Google's front page is very important to any business.
Because Google captures the majority of traffic on the first page.
Businesses invest time and resources to get on the first page of search results and gain a high ranking there.
It goes like this...
If you make it to the first page, your place in the top 10 also affects your click-through rate.
For example, a spot in position one has an average clickthrough rate of 50.30%.
Then the percentage drops to 40.30% at the second position.
And then, it continues decreasing until it reaches 10.00% at the tenth position.
This is why businesses strive to rank high in SERPs (search engine results pages).
But creating an SEO-friendly web presence takes a lot more than you might think.
It requires effort and time.
The good news is product reviews can help your SEO efforts without trying too much.
How does this work?
In their online reviews, customers use keywords like the name of the product.
This adds more content associated with your brand.
When this happens...
- Your brand and product will most likely to appear in positive review sections.
- When people search for keywords related to your business... your brand will be more likely to appear in search engines.
In a similar fashion...
9. Product reviews are a great marketing tool.
Even if you spend hours using your product, you won't notice things that customers do.
You can improve your business by reading online reviews.
Plus, you can even get brilliant marketing ideas from your customers
For instance, you might find out that people might be paying two times as much as your competitors.
This is a great time to increase your prices while still being below what your competitors are charging.
Meanwhile, if you see negative reviews, it's an opportunity to improve.
For instance, 50% of your customers always complain about the price.
You may want to reduce it or perhaps, you can run a promo.
Or upgrade your unboxing experience.
This way, you can use negative reviews to your advantage.
And you may be able to gradually decrease those negative reviews.
Stick with me here...
10. It enables you to serve customers better.
When you respond to online reviews, you give a hint of your personality.
And that's good for your customers.
Your customers deserve to know how much you care for them!
So do your best to present yourself as a professional.
It doesn't matter if you receive positive reviews or not.
Pay attention to them and respond promptly. And resolve issues quickly.
For instance, if you find out your customers have concerns about shipping and delivery, act on it ASAP!
Maybe it is time to change your shipping provider. OR you may offer more shipping options.
That way, they will perceive you as customer-oriented.
Plus, this increases customer retention.
Final point…
11. Reviews serve as social proof.
It is human nature to be sociable. We all love to follow the crowd.
And we love what other customers have... especially those products with good reviews.
Online reviews are a powerful form of social proof. They are as good as a personal referral.
And so, putting your positive reviews on display can be powerful.
You don't need to do the talking. Let your reviews speak for your product and brand.
I also suggest putting a picture of the customer in your product reviews.
This makes a review even more credible. Plus, it adds a more personal branding and customer connection.
You can also include it in your content marketing via your blog or social media.
Or, if your budget allows it, you can incorporate it in ads that are promoted by influencers.
This can help spread the word about your good name and online reputation.
Every eCommerce shop needs social proof, regardless of size.
There you go... you have 11 reasons to try incorporating online reviews in your business.
These Are The Reasons Why Product Reviews Are So Important For eCommerce Stores!
So make sure you gather as many reviews as possible!
Did you know that with Debutify Reviews you can collect more reviews with less effort?
And more reviews mean more testimonials from people using your product which can help you gain more potential clients and make more sales.
So, what are you waiting for...
Explore Debutify Reviews and start your free trial today!
Trisha Ballesteros
Llouela Asim
