Everywhere studied and proven industry stats online reviews do wonders to an eCommerce business bringing in a flood of sales. That’s right!

But out of business, as a customer, when you look for products to purchase online, what’s the first thing you do? Don’t cheat/Be honest, you look for customers’ reviews/feedback on the product before purchasing.

So, likewise, there are millions of people who don’t trust the product or brand unless they themselves hear from their peers or read the reviews.

Let customers recommend your products

For your retail business that exists in the digital space, online reviews are critically essential to winning a positive market response and reputation.

84% of people trust these online reviews as much as a personal recommendation and hence the effects are also measurable – customers are willing to spend 31% more on a retailer that has excellent online reviews.

Similar is the case with negative reviews, people not only read them but tend to spend more time when a retailer is interacting with customers and solving their problems, giving an increase of 85% in the conversion rate.

How it is said, that few reviews are better than no reviews – because as per stats, on average, products are 270% more likely to sell with as few as five reviews.

With all the stats given above one thing is crystal clear, everyone is considering your products, no matter what is your target demographic, industry, or market. Everyone is reading online reviews before making a purchase which becomes easy with the exhibition of review sites and the level of trust customers have in them.

An array of Reviews – Build a long-lasting relationship

Definitely, online reviews tell a lot about your brand and products. As Chris Anderson had put it – “Your brand isn’t what you say it is – it’s what Google says it.”

Also discussed above, a wealthy set of positive words is leaving a measurable impact on your sales and drives the overall purchases. Also, it is creating a customer base that stands loyal to your brand. 

What do online reviews bring to your online store?

Following are the key points that will perfectly outline the richness that online reviews bring to your online store.

Expanded sales

Exhibiting reviews creates a psychological impression on your customers that drives confidence in their minds to make a well-informed purchase decision. 

Reading positive reviews from random people who purchased and used similar products helps them make a good choice.

Therefore, reviews are significant in generating an increased number of sales, as reviews are trusted 12X more than any other marketing material.

Improved Ranking 

Building a high-ranking, SEO-friendly web presence is perplexing but thanks to user-generated reviews, your mission is done without even lifting a finger. 

Online reviews help in creating a steady supply of keyword content that pitches in your eCommerce business to have a more prominent online presence. It helps improve your website ranking by making your brand name more likely to appear on the web search, and by positive reviews that build their trust for your products.  Additionally, you need an attractive business name for attention, consider getting one with a business name generator.

Develop More Customer Loyalty and Trust

Online reviews act as a virtual voice that recommends products providing valuable feedback for your brand.  

Your customers, who are actively writing reviews about your products are directly developing loyalty to your eCommerce business. Thereby, dozens of reviews create a positive online reputation for your brand, gaining the lifetime trust of your customers.

According to a survey, 72% of people feel that positive customer reviews help them trust a brand more.

Builds active social communities

Online reviews are an effective medium to create social communities where customers can share their experiences about your products and brand services.

The active social engagement in these communities allows customers to develop a bond with your eCommerce. The online reviews help customers with a better decision-making process, accurately evaluating the products before making a purchase.

Tactics to attract online reviews and user-generated content

User-generated content is social proof that comes naturally over time for your brand but you can definitely speed up the process. 

Online reviews in this segment help to reassure your hesitant shoppers by providing additional content supporting your products, thereby reducing the chances of returns with ensured buying.

Employ the following tactics to receive maximum user-generated content and increase the number of online reviews.

1. Make it easy for customers to leave a review.

Make it as easy as possible for your customers to write a review for you. Start including links to your Facebook, Instagram, Google My Business, and Yelp! pages in your marketing emails and on your web pages. 

You can also consider adding a review submission form on your product pages where your customers can leave notes staying at your site.

2. Directly ask customers for review on follow-up emails

Bring in effect the follow-up emails after customer purchases from your online store. You can send follow-up notifications 1-day after the product is delivered, as there are more chances to get a review when the purchase is still on the top of the customer’s mind.

3. Offer incentives to motivate customers to leave a review

We all love to receive everything that comes ‘FREE of cost’! Use this powerful emotional trigger and attract customers to leave a review for your brand and products. 1-day or 2-day later when you send out an email asking for feedback, offer that in exchange for a small incentive.

 It can be in any form a discount on the next purchase, a promo code for free shipping, or even participation in a rewards program.

4. Increase your accessibility to customers

Expanding social networks and increasing social accessibility is one of the best ways to get some honest feedback/reviews. Make sure your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account are clearly visible on your online store as well as on the follow-ups you send for easy access. So that your customers can reach out to you with comments, questions, queries, etc.

5. Contact influencers for what they do the best (ask them for a shout out)

You can utilize influencer marketing in a little different way, instead of paid promotions send them your products for their personal use and ask them to shout out on social media platforms telling their experience with the product.

Ask them to give their honest review of your product, for the same they can tag you, comment on your social community or you can repost the same.

6. Respond to those who leave a negative review

Negative reviews are equally important as positive ones. Don’t ignore them! Try and respond to all the negative reviews or comments you receive. These are some honest feedback, take the opportunity to improve your product and elevate your brand reputation, and improve your eCommerce.

7. Run a contest

Any type of contest organized in D2C business receives a good response as per industry data. Then why not make it of full use – run hashtags.

Sharing your product reviews/images/videos, tagging your brand, and recommending the products to friends & family on social platforms can deeply impact your bottom line.

Bring more power to your eCommerce with user-generated content

With the immense popularity of user-generated content, especially when you are a D2C business model – why not take its full advantage?

The value of user-generated content is quite clear, they are natural, run organically, and bring more sales to your business. Therefore, it’s worth exploring, how can you get online reviews like user-generated content to your maximum use.

Here is how you can bring more power to your eCommerce business with online reviews:

• Strengthen your brand visibility

• Identify and implement keywords that your customers use

• Highlight the positive reviews you receive through PR and influencer campaigns