Why Online Reviews Matter for eCommerce
In a world increasingly influenced by eCommerce, people are usually unable to experience products before they purchase them online. Because potential customers want to know what they’re buying before they buy it, many shoppers turn to online product reviews to answer their questions and resolve any uncertainty.
Online reviews are critically important to win business and maintain your brand’s reputation
Online product reviews, however, are not only highly beneficial for the products but also for the online stores themselves.
Today, people can find a review or an opinion on just about anything. With the rise of companies like Yelp! and Facebook, or even Trustpilot, Feedaty, and eKomi, people can fall in love with or reject a product in a moment’s time. The proliferation of this review culture has gone so far as to shape how businesses are perceived and valued online, and their resulting success.
Below, we’ll discuss the power of product reviews for companies working within the digital space. There are five main reasons why reviews are one of the most important things for online stores:
1. Customer reviews create and sustain trust
88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. People trust customers when it comes to their purchasing opinions because they will believe that the product is a good choice if other people do. Your brand looks better when people choose to promote it on their own accord, as opposed to paid advertisements and can make or break the success of your brand within the digital space. Unlike paid advertisements, product reviews enable people to gain insight into the product and prove that it will be worthwhile.
2. Reviews drive sales
72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review. If your business has multiple, shining reviews, then you’re more likely to win customers from your competitors and increase sales. On the other hand, 86% of consumers will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative reviews; demonstrating that social proof is a powerful driving force behind these figures. In fact, reviews are trusted 12 times more than other marketing materials.
3. Reviews bolster SEO
When ranking your eCommerce page, customer reviews can help Google see the relevancy of the page in regards to the keywords used to search for it, as well as the product name itself. This means that the more reviews your customers leave, the more they’re contributing to your SEO efforts and boosting your SERP ranking. Your customers, by generating more content associated with your brand online, can increase your brand visibility and sales simultaneously, without you lifting a finger.
4. Reviews are voluntarily generated
With reviews, customers can voice their unfiltered opinions. In fact, one negative review can cost you up to 30 customers. That’s why customer reviews hold so much power; if customers leave poor reviews, your brand has to problem-solve or re-think that product entirely. Customer reviews hold businesses accountable in front of the whole world to see. So, if you’re getting great reviews, customers will trust that it’s because you have an excellent product or service offering.
5. Reviews aid customer decision-making
Due to the volume of products that are offered online, and the subsequent difficulty in determining which products are right for you, it can take a lot more time to evaluate, research, and compare options online. Reviews are key to the customer decision-making process and help customers reach their purchasing decisions faster. Reviews often include information about the product’s size, weight, shape, etc. and give customers a clear picture of what they’re looking to buy, and whether the purchase is ultimately worth it.
The takeaway
Don’t be shy when it comes to asking your customers for reviews. You should make it easy and painless for customers to leave a review of your products. You can include links to your Facebook, Yelp!, etc. pages in marketing emails and on your webpage, or even offer the button option to leave a review on your website. Another way you can encourage reviews is to engage in customer feedback. Make responding to your customers’ reviews a part of your brand and marketing strategy to incentivise shoppers and boost your brand’s credibility. You can also automate follow-up emails that ask the customer to review their new product a few days after buying/experiencing it.
