Online Reviews: Make or break?
Over £20bn of online shopping in the UK is influenced by reviews, let’s dive deeper into some ugly truths.
One negative review online can cost up to 30 new customers. It will then take 12 positive reviews to cancel out the nasty side effects of that negative review.
Generating reviews
Awesome experience
Seems pretty self-explanatory, right? But, creating the best experience possible for your customer will make them want to review your product.
Follow up emails
Amazon has its own system in place for following up with shoppers who purchase products. These automatic emails encourage customers to leave a review and report any issues they had with a product.
Product inserts
Many sellers insert a card into their packaging, asking shoppers to leave a review. Make sure people have ways of contacting you if an issue comes up.
Loyal customers leave reviews
A customer loyalty program or rewards program is a marketing strategy that rewards loyal customers that frequently engage with a brand.
By rewarding recurring engagement, you can increase customer loyalty and ensure continuous growth for your business
If they are bought into the brand, they are likely to leave a review.
Damage control
It’s all about how you handle feedback.
Gratitude
At the end of the day, they took the time to provide you with information, even if it can be distasteful. Thank them.
Response
53% of online shoppers expect businesses to reply to negative comments within a week. Be prompt. Act fast.
The issue
Identify the issue and fix it. Be committed to the cause and use your data to contact them directly. Liaise with the customer to help repair the problem.
Professionalism
As simple as it sounds, be professional in response. No errors. Grammarly will help.
Fake reviews
Third-party studies found that up to 61% of reviews in certain categories are fake. Do your research and look for things that suggest fakeness – report it.
5 Clues to spot a fake review
- An unhappy customer writes more than one review for the same product.
- One-word or one-sentence reviews.
- Advertisement or other promotional materials.
- Too many grammar, spelling, and other errors.
- Irrelevant and obscene content.
You can buy bulk packages starting at £620 for 50 fake reviews and going up to £8,000 for 1,000.
“The sad thing is that you could have 50 positive reviews, like five-star reviews – but if you’ve got one or two one-star reviews, then it’s going to be very difficult to compete,”
A third-party Amazon seller told the BBC
Are you an avid product reviewer?
