Feedback is an important part of online store content that can convert visitors to customers. It’s a great way to draw attention to the product you’re selling.
For many online stores with their own brands, the introduction of a system to collect feedback and reviews is a strategically important decision.
Here are some eCommerce analytics:
- Up to 90% of customers recognize that the decision to purchase depends on product reviews.
- Almost 70% of consumers read at least six reviews before making the final purchase decision.
- Products with 50 or more reviews have a conversion rate that is 5% higher than those with fewer reviews.
- Consumer reviews of products can significantly increase sales. Nearly 90% of buyers listen to other users’ feedback, just as they listen to recommendations from friends and family.
Users can, as before, put an overall rating of a product or a seller, as well as evaluate several other factors on a five-point scale: the speed of order processing, delivery quality, communication, compliance with the product description, and so on. Each product category has its own evaluation parameters.
The service has added a small questionnaire: blocks “Would you buy in the store again?” and “Would you recommend the product to your friends? All this suggests that the value of reviews is great and will only grow in the near future.
In fact, for an e-commerce shop, it’s part of the offer. There’s a great variety of products, the sites that offer to buy them, too. That’s why reviews are a good filter to help you make the right choice.
Of course, for this tool to be effective, the reviews must be true. Any doubt will hurt the reputation of the online store. Therefore, high scores, put at your request by friends and family, “for promotion”, can come out sideways. It is better, to be honest from beginning to end.
The key points in collecting eCommerce feedback
1. Encourage customers to leave them.
How do you do that? First of all, play on people’s desire to share information. Many customers want to complete a purchase, both successful and not successful, not with the usual receipt of goods, but with feedback. But for this to work, you need to show as easily and clearly as possible how you can leave feedback.
Send a letter after the purchase with a request to tell if you liked everything, what were the comments and whether there are suggestions – it should concern both the product itself and the work of the online store.
Enter a feedback form for customers who have recently placed an order and are back on the site: invite them to share their experiences with your online store.
But be prepared for the fact that you may not get feedback. In fact, customers do you a favor if they spend their time writing feedback (and therefore always thank them).
In this case, you can promise bonuses, gifts, and even money for a helpful review.
The most simple and common option – a discount (10-20%) on the next purchase for a review. Add urgency to this offer (for example the offer is valid for two weeks after purchase). And wait.
2. Do not limit yourself to the product and the work of the online store.
It is important for you to know everything: whether the package liked, whether the delivery was arranged – the company, terms, cost, whether it is easy to place an order, whether there was no desire to throw a basket, and so on.
Make a list of all the key questions that are important for the work of your online store, and formulate the right questions.
3. Remember, the feedback is subjective.
You have to be prepared for negative feedback as well. As they say, there are so many people, so many opinions. That’s why it’s important to learn how to handle negativity properly.
The main points:
- Experienced online sellers believe that a complaint is a gift for a businessman. Any negative feedback is an opportunity for the company to learn about mistakes, correct them and grow up. On top of that, it reinforces the trust of customers who read the reviews. If all of them are extremely positive, the trust is unlikely to be.
- Do not give up if there are a lot of negative reviews: you have to work with them. There is no ideal product and perfect company, everyone makes mistakes. It is important to correct them promptly, and not in the format of personal messages. If the audience sees it, loyalty will grow, even despite the negative.
- For some customers, the solution available on your website will become a “manual” if they face similar problems (particularly technical ones). And the best gift for you will be the rave reviews from a previously dissatisfied customer with whom you have resolved all issues.
- You should not hide negative reviews. But the reaction – prompt, competent, adequate – to them should be mandatory. The fact is that if the user sees contradictory reviews, it may distract him from the purchase. He is likely not to understand who is right and who is not, and will go to another online store.
- Do not reply with standard “replies”: this is annoying. The answer must be alive and personal. Be sure to apologize, show your empathy, demonstrate your willingness to quickly solve the problem. After that, be sure to draw conclusions: why it happened.
4. Use social networks
Social media is the easiest and fastest way to get product and service reviews. You can also use them in the eCommerce store itself.
In addition, the audience of social networks is more “mobile” and responsive to offers to share experiences. That’s why here you can get more complex video reviews, artistically beautiful pictures (especially in Instagram), and effective distribution of content through reposting.
5. Correctly sort the reviews
If your customers are active and send you feedback without problems, experiment. Don’t start with “five-star” responses alone. Try posting reviews in random order. This will make it easier to know what’s better for your conversion.
Since video reviews are more credible, put them in the top. A video is a magic tool: it replaces hundreds of words. Take advantage of it.
Be the first to comment