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If you’re like most online store owners, you’re probably wondering how to increase the number of sales. While an attractive storefront and optimized website can go a long way towards improving your conversion rates, there is another way to consider and implement.
We’re talking about product reviews and in this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of displaying product reviews and how you can increase the chances of customers leaving a review after making a purchase in your online store.
Benefits of Product Reviews
According to several statistics, product reviews have become extremely valuable for buyers:
- 70% of customers consult reviews or ratings before making a final purchase (PeopleClaim)
- 63% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a site if it has product ratings and reviews (PeopleClaim)
- 79% of consumers trust product reviews as much as a personal recommendation (MarketingProfs)
Aside from benefiting your customers, product reviews are valuable for store owners as well.
Increase Trust
The most obvious benefit that comes from product reviews is the fact they help you increase customer trust and position you as a trusted retailer who is willing to go a step further towards ensuring the best possible user experience.
When you consider that reviews carry as much value as personal recommendations, it’s easy to see that they are one of the best ways to build trust as both new and established online store owner.
Provide Unbiased Insight
Product reviews will also provide your customers with unbiased insight which they are more likely to trust that a product description you might come up with. After all, customers are the ones using the product in the end and if a particular product meets their expectations, you can expect an increase in the number of sales.
Furthermore, product reviews have the potential to show you your product in a new light. An unbiased third-party review can pinpoint problems with your product, suggest improvements, and even spark marketing ideas.
Consider the example above from Amazon. Their product pages list the most positive and the top critical product review first. You also have the chance to mark a review as helpful or not helpful which is another indicator of how valuable reviews are for both consumers and sellers.
Improve Your SEO
It’s worth mentioning that product reviews can also help you increase the SEO rank of your online store. Each product page will have reviews which may have keywords and other terms related to your item. Those reviews can help your store get found in search engines through unique and long tail keywords.
Additionally, if customers share their reviews on social media to show off the items they purchased, your store is getting more exposure and traffic which can lead to new customers.
Help You Sell More Products
Finally, all three benefits above can help you sell more products which leads to better conversion rates and more revenue. When customers trust you, know that your products are high quality, and are able to find your store and products when they search for related terms, you’re bound to see more traffic to your store.
Now that we’ve covered why product reviews are beneficial for your store and how they can help you boost sales, let’s talk about how to increase the chances of your customers submitting a review on your site.
Four Ways to Get More Product Reviews
Even though your store has the ability for customers to leave a review of a product, in most cases that is not enough. After all, no one wants to leave a review before the product is actually in their hands. But, it’s also easy to forget to come back and leave a review once the item was delivered. Here are four ways to solve those problems and get more reviews.
Ask Customers Directly
The easiest way to get more reviews is to ask your customers directly. Reach out to them with a personalized message after a week or two and invite them to leave a review on your site.
A week or two after the purchase is enough time for them to have the chance to learn how to use the product and actually use it in their everyday life.
You can facilitate the review process by setting up an automated email sequence to send the review emails. On top of that, make sure to include the link directly to the product page so they don’t have to click through multiple pages.
Make Reviewing Process Easy
It goes without saying that your review process should be as easy as possible. Simplify your form and ask only for the necessary information such as their name, an email for verification purposes, their review message, and a star rating.
When it comes to reviews, you don’t need their mailing address nor their shipping and billing information so there is no need to request it again. The easier you make the review process, the more customers will be inclined to actually leave a review for each subsequent purchase.
Offer an Incentive
Another great way to encourage product reviews is to offer customers an incentive for taking a few minutes out of their time to leave a review.
Incentives can include coupons or discount codes which can be redeemed with their next purchase.
You can also incorporate a rewards program and award customers a certain number of points for leaving a review. They can then use those points to get a discount on the future purchase or to exchange them for lower-priced items.
This gamifies the entire process and makes it more fun for customers to engage with your store and come back to review their purchase.
Use a Plugin like Post Delivery Product Reviews Addon
You can simplify and automate the entire process of asking customers for reviews by using a plugin like Post Delivery Product Reviews Addon.
This plugin is an addon for Order Delivery Date plugin for WooCommerce and it allows you to send product review emails to the customers on next day of the Delivery Date & Time.
Like we suggested above, an email sent by Post Delivery Product Reviews Addon will contain the purchased products and link to post the reviews on the product page, which makes the entire process automates and easy for your customers and you.
Final Thoughts
Product reviews are the best way to build credibility and brand loyalty and show customers that your store carries quality products. On top of that, they help you get more sales and boost your revenue so there is no excuse for not displaying them on your product pages.
With the tips outlined above, you’ll be on the right path to get more product reviews. Don’t forget to check out our Post Delivery Product Reviews Addon if you want to automate this process.
