One of the most under-utilized tools for many ecommerce sites is Product Reviews. Go to any major ecommerce site like Ebay or Amazon, and you’ll be able to wade through numerous reviews from previous customers. Many online shoppers read these reviews, and make buying decisions based on them. In fact, etailing.com reports that 84% of consumers that make more than $150,000 per year visit sites with customer reviews. That is a number too large to ignore – and it’s the kind of customers that tend to care about quality more than price. You need to get in on that business!
But if you’re a small shop, it can be hard to get people to start putting reviews on your site. So here are some tips to get this wonderful, viral tool working for you! [Read more]
Friends and Family
They’ve probably used your products, and they’re easy for you to reach out to. Don’t discount their opinions just because of your relationship! Instead, use your relationship to extract those opinions! And if that doesn’t work, offer to clean their car or make cookies. (The power of bribery should never be underestimated.)
Email Existing Customers
Let your customers know about your Product Reviews. People love to give their opinion. Even if they didn’t purchase online, they can still review the products. You can even put together a raffle or free gift for submitting reviews.
The Avalanche Effect
Customers are significantly more likely to write a review if they see other people doing it. It creates a sort of community on your site. People will even reference other reviews, creating a feeling of discussion between reviewers.
Follow-through
Once you’ve got your reviews off to a healthy start, don’t forget to monitor them. You’ve just created your own suggestion box! The reviews are a fantastic way for you to know what people like, or don’t like. Particularly nasty reviews don’t need to be retained, but don’t go around removing all the negative reviews. Consumers expect to see some negative reviews, and will be suspicious if they don’t find any. Also, something that is a negative to one person is often a big positive to another, and this happens frequently with reviews. For instance, one reviewer might dislike a product because it has a childproof packaging, but to a shopper with children this is a big plus.
So don’t let this very useful tool go to waste any longer. Use your Product Reviews to draw more – and BETTER – customers right now!
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