Whether they admit it or not, your visitors are influenced by other shoppers’ reviews. Even if they are staunchly independent, if they see a handful of terrible reviews on a product they will think twice before hitting the “Buy” button. On the other hand, if they’re on the fence whether or not to buy an item, a bunch of 5 star reviews will at least pique their interest.
At Logicblock, we know just how important these reviews are, which is why we allow for customer reviews on every item you post. However, letting people review items doesn’t mean they will review them. How do you encourage reviews without being pushy? Here are some tips.
Ask
One of the simplest things you can do to get people to talk about your products is to simply ask! Seems like a simple and obvious point, but so many businesses think that just posting a small link will do the trick. It often won’t, but a simple “Post a review and tell us what you think!” can make a world of difference in collecting opinions. Your visitors need a call to action like this or they’ll just pass the opportunity by.
Offer Incentives
Bribery never hurt anyone, right? While you may not want to do this forever, asking your customers to leave a review for a coupon or perhaps a chance to win a contest always inspires people to click some stars. They may not be exactly thought-provoking reviews, but you may or may not care about that.
One great idea is to either create a page or send an email after the customer has purchased an item that informs them of the deal. Their next order could get 20% shaved off if they leave a review, for example. This will at least make them click and think about it.
Highlight a Review
Want others to feel like they would be appreciated if they left a review? Then take some time to highlight a review someone else has left. You could make it a Facebook update, maybe, or even email the customer and follow up about the review and write a blog post about it. Others will read this review and see that you appreciate what they say, inspiring them to write their own reviews.
Update Your Store Accordingly
While it’s nice to get positive, glowing feedback, it doesn’t necessarily help your store at all when it’s all good news. There’s bound to be at least a little “bad” in there, which you should see as an opportunity to update your business.
For example, an otherwise great review for a product could mention how they were surprised at how much the total was. Taking an objective look at your checkout system could reveal you’re a little too secretive about taxes and shipping information. If you use this to update your system and thank them for the suggestion, you’re bound to get other reviews by customers who want to say what’s on their mind
What are some other ways you can think of to inspire customer reviews?