eCommerce Website Product Reviews
Many eCommerce companies forget the importance of eCommerce product reviews. With the increasing size of the competition customers are often asked to make decisions based on very small differences in the product. So having customer reviews on your products can become a factor in deciding whether another new customer will purchase that product. It has been reported by administrators that there is a 42% increase in sales when there are product reviews.
But Why?
Amazon and eBay have been using customer product reviews on their own products since 1997. Customers usually appreciate the ability to evaluate products and many say they wouldn’t even consider purchasing a product without reading a review. Customers also tend to choose a product based on ratings out of five stars, which helps them ignore products automatically that don’t have good ratings. After choosing a product most likely the customer will compare the products in terms of ratings or what the customers said about the product.
Loyalty
According to SteamFeed, asking your customers to review the products that they purchase makes them feel like they are part of a community. Furthermore, it has been shown that they in turn become more loyal to the company because they feel they are part of a brand and their purchase matters. Fostering a community with customers is positive for your branding, reviews, social media, and building an overall positive experience for future customers.
Negative Reviews
All though negative reviews are not the most favorable thing to receive they may not cause as much damage in the long run. According to statistics, isolated bad reviews will stop about 1 in 9 people from purchasing the product. A quick solution to avoid any unwanted comments is to step up your blog to allow comments, but only pending review. That way you can avoid some of the comments that aren’t truly reflective of your business and the customer experience.
Remember that you should approve all reviews that don’t have libelous or obscene language. Also, it also allows you to make sure that your comment section isn’t filled with spam or advertising from another company.
Respond
Always respond to a customer’s complaints or praises on your reviews. Being polite and thanking them for their business and also building a relationship with them is crucial to return business. When receiving a new comment, you don’t want to attack the customer but always respond in a polite manner and professionally let them know what’s happening with their product/purchase. When responding to something that has already happened and is too late to change, make sure to let the customer know that you appreciate their comment and that this will be a learning experience for the company.
Remembering that some customers place a high value on comments, as much as a personal recommendation, and so it becomes a vital part of the success of your brand and company.
