How to Get More Reviews on Amazon
You have an amazing product on Amazon, but your sales are stagnating despite its demand. Market research reveals the reason: while you get one or two reviews a week, your competition gets three times that, driving more traffic and sales. So, now you have to find out how to get more reviews on Amazon.
Online reviews are crucial for success on Amazon, which is why this article outlines immediate actions to boost your reviews quickly. But first, let’s explore why reviews matter so much.
Why Are Amazon Reviews So Important?
Online reviews are crucial for purchasing decisions. Studies show a direct link between good reviews and higher revenue, with 93% of consumers reading online reviews before buying. Reviews have become the digital equivalent of word of mouth, with 91% of consumers (aged 18-34) trusting them as much as personal recommendations.
For your business, this means the number and quality of reviews can significantly impact your ability to attract online customers. For shoppers on Amazon, seller reviews act as a digital signboard, showcasing your product’s quality and your business’s trustworthiness. A quick look at your review ratings often determines whether a customer will purchase from you or choose another seller.
Given this, it’s no surprise that all sellers, whether commercial or private, are focused on boosting their Amazon reviews. Questions like “Can I buy reviews?”, “Do more five-star reviews lead to higher conversions?”, and “What is Amazon Vine?” are common. This article will address these questions and more, helping you increase your reviews effectively.
How to Get More Customer Reviews on Amazon – Step by Step
Play by the Rules
When you’re asking yourself how to get more reviews on Amazon, make sure your solutions are always aligned with Amazon’s regulations. Amazon has created a set of rules to ensure that all sellers play fair and the e-commerce giant has no issue enforcing them, e.g. by suspending your account. To avoid this, follow these key principles from Seller Central:
Amazon is especially strict about attempts to bypass their sales process, so don’t risk it. Follow the rules, and you’ll keep your account safe while growing your review count!
Ask Your Customers to Leave a Review
In many cases, customers are open to leaving a review but need a gentle nudge or a bit of incentive. You can achieve this by including a note with your delivery. Express your appreciation and explain how much an honest review would mean to you. Be sure to include your contact information for any questions or direct feedback.
Another effective strategy is to add a free gift to your delivery. A freebie that complements your product can enhance this approach, such as including dog treats with leashes or chopsticks with Japanese soup bowls.
For a more digital solution, use Amazon’s “Request a Review” button. You can find it at the top right corner of your order details page on Seller Central. Clicking this button sends a message to your customer, asking them to leave a review for your product.
Whether this method is more effective for your business than other options is something you’ll need to determine for yourself. What’s certain is that it doesn’t take much time and is definitely worth a try.
Once you receive a review from a customer, show your appreciation by responding personally. For negative reviews, apologize and offer solutions; for positive reviews, express your gratitude and ask if you can share them on your social media.
Build a Story
The best reviews come from customers who are genuinely impressed with your product. The product itself needs to be top-notch, but don’t underestimate the power of a compelling story, effective marketing, and good preparation.
How can this get you more Amazon reviews? If your company sources from an extraordinary location or has a unique story, make sure to highlight this in your pictures or product description. Amazon A+ content is a fantastic way to elevate your marketing efforts and can also help control which recommendations Amazon displays on your product page. This allows you to showcase a secondary product alongside your bestseller.
Be Helpful
Amazon is well-known for putting the customer first at all times. Naturally, you as a seller have to keep up and do the same if you want to sell successfully on their online platform. While extraordinary customer service is the fast lane for every seller to winning the Buy Box, there is another positive side effect: the better the service, the higher your rating. The higher also the chances of you getting a positive customer review. After all, customers take the whole experience into account when writing a review, not just the product itself.
Get with the (Amazon Vine) Program
What is Amazon Vine and do you really need it? Here’s all you need to know in a nutshell: Amazon Vine is a reviewer program that enables Amazon sellers and Vendors to receive high quality feedback from trusted customer reviewers. These reviewers are handpicked by Amazon and are labelled as “Vine Voice” when they post a review.
The benefits of the Vine Program are apparent: Positive reviews written by Vine Voices carry more weight than regular reviews and are more likely to convince a buyer on the fence. The disadvantage is of course that a negative review will have the same effect in the opposite direction. So be sure that your items are top notch before you send them in for review. You can find out more about the Vine Program here.
You Will Pay for Buying Amazon Reviews
There are many ways on how to get more 5 star reviews on Amazon, but buying them is not one of them. While this black hat tactic is often used by sellers who like to cut corners, we strongly advise you to save your money or spend it on something better than buying Amazon reviews. The main reason is simple: buying reviews goes against Amazon’s guidelines. Not only will purchased reviews be removed, but your account could also be suspended by Amazon, bringing us back to the importance of a solid plan of action.
Moreover, buying dishonest reviews diminishes the overall quality of genuine feedback provided by customers who take the time to offer valuable insights that help both sellers and buyers.
So, if you value your time and don’t want to spend it on dodgy forums trying to figure out why your five-star reviews were deleted, don’t buy or write reviews for money.
Nobody’s Perfect
Keep the customer’s perspective in mind when selling your goods. For Amazon sellers, good reviews are crucial, but from the customer’s standpoint, they don’t necessarily need to be perfect. Ever felt suspicious when something seems too good to be true? That’s how customers can feel when they only see excellent reviews. According to this study, having a perfect 5-star score might even be detrimental to your business. The study found that purchase likelihood tends to peak at ratings in the 4.0 – 4.7 range and decreases as ratings approach 5.0. In other words, your product might actually sell better with a 4.6 rating than with a perfect 5.0.
How to Handle Negative Reviews
Negative reviews affect everyone and it’s only a matter of time before some start rolling in for your products. When they do, address them directly and solution-oriented. Proactively offer a replacement, refund, or any other form of compensation. Be transparent about the issue that led to this negative feedback and follow up with the client to see if the issue was resolved.
Stay Realistic
Even if after 6 months the reviews aren’t rolling in, stay calm. It isn’t a bad sign. In fact, many buyers only leave reviews in two instances, if a product is amazing or absolutely horrible. If you are not receiving reviews at all, it means your product is neither, which is also fine. You can take some time to explore tools like Amazon’s Listing Quality Dashboard on Seller Central. This resource highlights crucial product information for customers and offers recommendations to improve product discoverability. By following these suggestions, you can enhance customer experiences, such as providing clear product overviews or tabular spec views, and reduce product returns. Additionally, review the page on product titles and optimize your listings using Amazon’s product style guides. These steps can significantly boost your product’s performance and attract more satisfied customers.
How to Get More Reviews on Amazon – In a Nutshell
One thing is for sure: you won’t achieve maximum profit or win the Buy Box without a solid customer review strategy. How you get those Amazon product reviews is up to you — whether through direct or indirect requests, excellent marketing and customer support, or by participating in the Amazon Vine Program.
When strategizing to increase Amazon reviews, adhere to Amazon’s guidelines. Avoid redirecting Amazon customers to your own website and refrain from purchasing reviews. Amazon is strict in these areas and will swiftly suspend your account if your 5-star reviews are found to be paid for.
Once your reviews start piling up and become too numerous to check manually, consider using an automated review checker. This will help you filter positive and negative reviews, derive insights, and enhance your overall strategy.
Lastly, remember that the Amazon review system relies on genuine participation. Always reply personally to your reviews, and don’t hesitate to write high-quality reviews for other sellers or their products.
FAQs
Most Amazon reviews show up within 72 hours after a customer submits them. If it’s taking a little longer, don’t worry – it could just be that Amazon is running additional checks to ensure the review meets their guidelines.
Yes. Amazon allows you to request reviews, but it’s important to follow their rules. Your requests should be neutral – no bribes, incentives, or asking for only positive feedback. A polite follow-up email or using Amazon’s “Request a Review” feature works perfectly for this.
The Amazon Vine Program is a great way to get reviews on new or slow-moving products. It connects trusted Amazon reviewers with sellers, giving them a chance to provide honest feedback in exchange for free products. It’s an invite-only program, but if you’re eligible, it can really help build up those reviews.
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