Are you considering making an online purchase, but are unsure about the product’s quality or the seller’s credibility? Well, you are not alone. In fact, over 80% of online shoppers rely on customer reviews before making a purchase. Thus, the success of eCommerce businesses is based on customer reviews as a key factor. I’ll explain why it is important to read customer reviews, how they can help your business grow, in this blog post.
Why Customer Reviews Matter?
In relation to online shopping, consumers can not physically interact with and view the products so that they can’t evaluate their quality. Customer reviews bridge this gap by providing an insight into the product’s quality and the seller’s reliability. Reviews are the word of mouth advice which, in essence, provides informed customers with information on what to do.
Moreover, customer reviews can also impact your search engine rankings. Google’s algorithm considers the number of reviews and the average rating of your business. Your business’s ranking in search results will be increased by the more favorable reviews you have.
How to Use Customer Reviews Effectively?
Let’s see how to make the most of these customer reviews, now we know what an important role they play.
1. Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews
The first step to using customer reviews effectively is to encourage your customers to leave a review. You can do this using an email sent after the purchase and asking for feedback. To those customers who leave the review, you can offer them incentives such as discounts or free shipping.
2. Respond to Reviews
Responding to customer reviews shows that you value their feedback and are committed to improving your business. Always respond professionally and respectfully to a review, regardless of whether it is favorable or unfavorable. That’s a sign of your commitment to customer service, which is also about building up trust with prospective customers.
3. Display Reviews on Your Website
Displaying customer reviews on your website provides social proof and helps build trust with potential customers. You can display reviews on your homepage, product pages, or even create a dedicated page for reviews.
4. Use Reviews to Improve Your Business
You can use customer reviews as a great feedback source, helping you to foresee areas of improvement in your business. You can use this feedbacks for improvements of your products and customer service, as well as general user experience.
5. Sort Reviews by Relevant Criteria
Sorting customer reviews by relevant criteria can help potential customers find the information they are looking for quickly. For example, if you sell clothes, you can sort reviews by size or fit, which can be important factors for customers when deciding whether to buy.
6. Use Visuals to Highlight Reviews
Visuals can make your customer reviews more engaging and eye-catching. Consider using images or videos alongside the review text to highlight positive comments or showcase the product in use.
7. Monitor Reviews Across Multiple Platforms
You can leave customer comments on different channels, such as on your website, Social Media or third-party review sites like Yelp and Google. Make sure you monitor reviews across all platforms and respond to them promptly, regardless of where they were left.
8. Share Positive Reviews on Social Media
Promoting your business and building trust with potential customers can be helped by the posting of good reviews on Facebook. Consider creating social media posts that highlight positive customer feedback, and don’t forget to include a link to your website.
9. Address Negative Reviews Constructively
The negative appraisal may prove difficult to handle, but they can give valuable input on areas where your company is still looking for improvement. When responding to negative reviews, make sure to address the customer’s concerns constructively and offer a solution if possible. This demonstrates you’re concerned with the satisfaction of your customers and are willing to work to solve problems.
10. Use Reviews for Marketing Campaigns
Customer reviews can be a powerful tool for marketing campaigns. Consider using quotes from positive reviews in your email newsletters or advertisements to highlight the benefits of your products or services. In addition, in promoting the interests of your business, you may use customer reviews in retargeting advertisement to attract prospective customers.
How Customer Reviews Help Your Business Growth?
Apart from building trust with potential customers, customer reviews can also help your business grow in the following ways:
1. Increase Conversions
As mentioned earlier, over 80% of online shoppers rely on customer reviews before making a purchase. Positive reviews can increase conversions by providing social proof and reassurance to potential customers.
2. Improve Search Engine Rankings
As mentioned earlier, customer reviews can impact your search engine rankings. If you have positive reviews, your traffic, and sales will be more likely to rise in search results.
3. Build Brand Reputation
Positive reviews can help build your brand reputation and increase brand loyalty. Provided that customers have a positive experience, they are inclined to refer your business to others.
Conclusion
To make e-commerce businesses successful, customer reviews are a key factor. They will help increase your business by providing useful feedback, building confidence with potential customers and contributing to its growth. You can effectively leverage customer reviews to your advantage when you encourage customers to write a review, respond to them, display their comments on your Web pages and apply feedback to improve your business.