Reviews are critical to a product listing's success on Amazon. But in recent years it's become increasingly difficult to ask for feedback. To combat fake reviews Amazon introduced some strict rules for sellers - and they're frequently being updated too. First the marketplace banned incentivised reviews. Then it retired its Early Reviewer Program. Now sellers can no longer publicly respond to negative Amazon feedback.
If you're struggling to navigate all these changes but want to increase Amazon reviews for your products here's everything you need to know.
Just about everybody reads reviews. In fact a recent report suggests that a massive 90% of shoppers read them before making a purchase. An academic study by Northwestern University even suggests that five quality reviews can increase conversion rates by 270%.
On Amazon reviews are also important because they can influence which products appear at the top of search results. Amazon itself describes reviews as 'an integral part of the customer shopping experience'.
It says they help consumers learn more about products while also empowering sellers to understand how they can improve their listings. Simply put feedbackdrives brand trustandincreases Amazon sales.
With all this in mind you may be wondering how to get more Amazon reviews without breaching the site's strict rules. Below we run through five safe and practical ways to get more Amazon product reviews:
Most shoppers say they'll leave an online review when a business asks for one. Although Amazon automatically emails your customers to ask for a review following up with a more personalized request is more likely to attract responses.
The 'Request a Review' button allows sellers to send each customer an extra review request. Within 4-30 days of delivery you can manually send a follow-up from your Seller Central account. Alternatively you can use a tool like eDeskFeedback or Jungle Scout's Chrome extension to automate the process and customize your message.
If you do this include the shopper's name a direct link to your product page and explain why reviews are so important to your business. But beware - you can't offer anything in exchange for a review and you can't specifically ask for a positive feedback. Amazon no longer allows this.
If you fulfil your own Amazon orders you can add inserts to your packages politely asking customers to leave a review.
Use bright colors and eye-catching design to grab people's attention but keep your message simple. You could even include a custom short link or QR code to make it easier for customers to go online and leave a review. This will also allow you to track the impact of your inserts.
Remember just ask for a review. Inserts that specifically request positive Amazon feedback or discourage negative reviews aren't allowed.
It may also be wise to invest in product packaging that will wow your customers. Think colorful boxes thank-you notes discount code inserts and useful product tips. Going the extra mile may motivate your customers to leave a positive review.
As part of your eCommerce marketing you probably have an email newsletter and some social media profiles. So add a section to your email template or some posts to your social schedule requesting Amazon product reviews.
While you shouldn't expect an influx of feedback you'll find that positive reviews trickle in over time. This is because your most passionate and loyal customers are likely to be present on these channels.
If you provide great service your customers are more likely to make the extra effort to write a review. So every time a customer reaches out with a question an issue or a request respond promptly politely and do your best to wow them.
When your customer service team resolves a ticket they can also request a review. Wish each customer a pleasant day and ask them to consider leaving some feedback. Alternatively you could wait a week and use the Request a Review feature to send a follow-up message.
It's also worth noting that not all customers know the difference between seller feedback and product reviews. So if someone leaves you positive Amazon seller feedback be sure to ask them to review the products they purchased too.
The Early Reviewer Program may have shut down but there's a new way to increase Amazon reviews for brand new product and Amazon Sellers can now use Amazon Vine. As part of this program, Amazon has recruited a team of shoppers with a history of writing insightful product reviews. When you enroll a product they will receive it for free so they can share their thoughts.
This program isn't open to all sellers though. To sign up you need to be a brand owner and a member of the Amazon Brand Registry. The product in question also needs to have less than 30 reviews and be available through Fulfillment by Amazon.
It will cost you $200 toenrolan ASIN but you won't be charged until your first Vine review goes live. However if you don't receive any feedback within 90 days you won't be charged at all.
You can sign up under the Advertising section of your Seller Central account. Simply choose the ASIN you'd like toenroland the number of units you'd like to provide to reviewers. If your product comes in a variety ofcoloursor designs be sure to make them all available to reviewers. If they can choose theirfavourite this could improve your feedback. However Vine reviewers can leave negative ratings if they want.
In your Amazon Seller Central account you can head to the 'Feedback Manager' to monitor your ratings and reviews for the past year. You can view detailed Amazon feedback as well as metrics for the past 30 days 90 days 365 days or for the entire lifetime of your seller account. You can also use the 'Recent Feedback' table to keep an eye on new reviews.
However if you sell products through multiple channels it's a good idea to enlist the help of a third-party tool. ChannelSight's Ratings and Reviews solution for example allows you to monitor and analyze reviews across your entire retailer network. You can also set up alerts that will enable you to deal with negative Amazon feedback without delay.
We've already mentioned the fact that sellers can'tincentiviseshoppers to leave reviews. They can't ask for positive feedback or discourage negative comments either. But what other policies should sellers be aware of as they look to increase Amazon reviews for their listings?
Here's an overview of other things to avoid:
Amazon wants its reviews to be objective and trustworthy. So instead of trying to cheat the system you need to focus on providing great products andservice. Otherwise you risk having your product listings suspended.
More reviews mean more sales. So it makes sense for brands to seek out Amazon product reviews - especially when they launch a new listing. Sales are unlikely to take off until you receive reviews but reviews are hard to come by while sales are low. Luckily these five tactics can help.
