Reviews are a great way for your existing customers to share their thoughts on your shop. We know you might not be used to asking people to rate their experience with your services.

But if you believe in your brand, these reviews will work in your favor. Customer reviews on your e-commerce site will also help you learn more about how your business is perceived.

Why Do You Need Customer Reviews?

Customer reviews have more impact on e-commerce sales than anything else. When a new visitor lands on your website, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will check the comments section first for the product they want to buy.

In fact, a study shows that 9 out of 10 customers like to read customer reviews about a page or brand before making their decision.

In the rare case that they don't check that section, it’s likely because someone else has already told them good or bad things about the product. Either way, the goal is the same: your visitors will only become customers if they read and hear good things about you.

From positive reviews, you can identify what your business is doing well and keep that momentum going. From negative ones, you can find areas for improvement.

Furthermore, having regularly updated reviews on your site—whether good or bad—plays a major role in search engine optimization. Reviews on your page often contain the keywords used to find a service online.

What Kind of Information Should Reviews Contain?

Okay, so reviews are important; the message is clear. But what kind of information should be in your reviews? Should they all be positive, or should there be a balance between the two?

Reviews Should Be Detailed

Reviews left by customers on your page should be detailed enough to convey their exact experience. When collecting reviews, you should ask customers to specify their experience with your customer service.

You should also ask them for areas of improvement (if they think you can improve, of course), and which areas are already perfect as they are.

Also, try to avoid publishing one-word reviews. They aren't helpful at all, and visitors usually ignore them.

Your BeautyLove package has been delivered. Help us improve by leaving a product review and get 5% off your next purchase. https://opu.sh/review

They Must Be Subjective

To get useful reviews and help potential customers make a decision, ask your existing customers to post reviews based on their personal experience.

Reviews should ideally be written in the first person and be a few words long. You should also encourage them to use a warm tone.

If a customer leaves a negative review on your website, it will only work in your favor if you handle the situation tactfully. Having only positive feedback can make your website look like a scam.

To ensure your site is seen as honest and reliable, you must allow both positive and negative reviews to be published on your page.

Make sure to respond to all types of comments to show readers that you provide quality customer service.

If someone mentions an issue with one of your products, offer them various solutions or ask if they would like a refund.

Provide Visual Cues for Ratings

Simply asking your customers to leave a review on your e-commerce site won't be as effective. Your goal is to make the process as simple as possible so they don't spend too much time figuring out how to leave a review.

To do this, there is a foolproof method: add a visual cue to your site that will grab their attention and show them where to go to leave a rating.

This could be the number of ratings your site has already received, or an icon they will easily recognize.

More Reviews or Fewer Quality Reviews – Which Should You Choose?

When it comes to customer reviews on your site, you should NOT prioritize quality over quantity. A large number of reviews will boost your site's reputation and make it more credible.

As mentioned earlier, a higher number of reviews on your page will have a greater impact on SEO. The best way to achieve this is to always keep the most recent reviews at the top of the comments section.

If you keep old reviews on your page for too long, potential customers will think your site is inactive. Consequently, they won't look into your services much and will quickly move on to another website.

However, a large number of reviews can also impact your business negatively, especially if they are negative. Of course, some customers will inevitably have a bad experience, but they have the right to talk about it.

On the other hand, some customers may post dishonest negative reviews on your page in the hope of ruining your reputation. Similarly, dishonest positive reviews will also impact your brand image.

The key is to find the right balance between quality and quantity.

How to Get More Customer Reviews for Your E-commerce Site

1. Via SMS

When a customer makes a purchase on your site, you can ask if they would like to receive promotional SMS in the future. If they agree, you can then ask them to enter their phone number to be notified of seasonal offers and discounts.

Using the information provided, you can send them an SMS asking them to rate your service after the product has been delivered.

Or, if you don't want to wait too long, you can do it right after the checkout process.

Thank you for your recent purchase! Let us know how we did by answering a short survey by clicking the link below: https://8pu.sh/survey

How do you implement this strategy?

Octopush services include sending bulk SMS and voice messages. With SMS 2.0, you can create a simple, mobile-friendly landing page and send it to your customers via SMS.

For example, you can include a link in your SMS to a landing page that contains your review section. This also makes it easier for them, as they don't have to go back to your site to find where to leave their feedback. You can also personalize your SMS before sending them.

This can encourage your customers to engage with your business and leave a review.

However, be mindful of when you send your SMS. Asking for a review in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn will only annoy your customers. So, when is the best time?

With automation and digitization, you can track almost everything. Once the customer has received your product, you can politely ask for their feedback on your service.

Send a follow-up message a week or two later.

Hi Laura, your sneakers were delivered on August 30, 2021. Was the size right? Let us know by answering a few questions. https://8pu.sh/womenshoes

By then, your customers will likely have used your product at least once. This is the perfect time to ask if they are satisfied with the quality, and if so, whether they would like to leave a positive review.

2. By email

If your customers prefer not to share their phone number, you can ask for their email address instead. Once a purchase is made on your e-commerce site, send them an email to gather their feedback. However, this also depends on the type of product you sell. If it is a digital service, you can send the email almost immediately.

On the other hand, if you sell a physical product, such as clothing, you will need to wait until the delivery service has dropped off the package. Once you know the delivery has been completed, you can send an automated email asking the customer to rate their experience.

The advantage of email is that you can include a link to the reviews section of your website without worrying about message length. You can also send the same email to all your customers or personalize it for each one.

The latter option is more effective because it makes the customer feel valued. Furthermore, your email has 50% higher chances of being opened and read by the recipient if it is personalized.

If the workload becomes too heavy, you can always adopt one of the many email personalization techniques available online.

3. During Order Confirmation

When a customer's purchase is still at the confirmation stage, many companies might think it is too early to ask for a positive review; but that is not the case.

In fact, at this stage, you can get feedback on your customer service and the accessibility of your page. Customers can also describe their experience during the checkout process.

Positive feedback on these three elements is very important, as it is the first thing customers look at when they want to buy a product.

Yes, they could post their review later as well, but we believe it is better to ask them while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

4. Via Chatbot or Thank-You Card

Having a chatbot integrated into your website is a great way to improve your customer service. But that is not its only benefit: you can program the chatbot to ask the customer to leave a review every time a purchase is made on the site.

If your site does not have a chatbot, you can use a manual alternative. Instead of sending emails or text messages, you can include a small, handwritten thank-you card in the package.

After thanking them for their purchase, you can ask them to leave a review on your site or rate their experience. You can even add a scannable QR code that leads directly to your reviews section.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of the tone you adopt in your site's reviews, always remember to remain friendly and professional. If you are looking for a high-quality SMS messaging platform for your business, you can trust Octopush and create an account for free!