E-commerce has paved the way for the next generation of retail business. Gone are the days when you needed a physical store to sell retail-priced products. All an e-commerce business really needs is a reputable online presence and customers will feel more comfortable buying your products.
The hard part is getting a new online store established as a trusted seller of quality merchandise. Sellers that have many good reviews are able to gain the trust of online shoppers. That is what online shoppers are looking for, a seller they can trust.
They will buy your product and if they are satisfied, may write a good review. That good review would then attract more customers which would generate a stream of satisfied customers.
Some will be willing to write good reviews about the product and that will be of immense help to e-commerce startups. Around 90% of online businesses fail and capitalising on good reviews is the best method to ensure that an e-commerce business is among the 10% that succeeds.
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Why Good Reviews are Important
An e-commerce business needs to learn and master how to consistently generate good reviews. Good reviews pump life and increase the vitality and reputation of online sellers.
Veteran online shoppers love reading good reviews because it allows the consumer to relate to a previous customer that was satisfied with the product. Online shoppers value the feedback of their fellow shoppers.
They will want to do business with sellers that have proven themselves to other consumers. Good reviews help establish trust between the seller and the customer.
The Main Reasons You Don’t Get Good Reviews
Online shoppers at one point or another have bought something through Amazon. The majority of online shoppers do their shopping on Amazon because of one simple thing, Amazon has spoiled online shoppers with their undying commitment to customer satisfaction. E-commerce businesses that want to be competitive and win more customers need to keep that in mind.
#1: Product Quality
Not all products are created equal. Sure, a large profit margin is attractive and may prove profitable at the beginning of an e-commerce business.
Carefully think about the business model and consider if it will be enough to carry the business into the future. How long can a seller get away with passing off their products for quality merchandise when they source the cheapest, lowest quality products?
Needless to say, sellers that are short-sighted will not last long. The customers that were conned into buying will vent their frustrations on the product page, or worse, social media.
Bad reviews stick to sellers like glue.
For sellers on Amazon, too much negative feedback can get them banned from the platform. If the negative review is invalid, you can contact Amazon customer service and ask them to remove the negative feedback.
The first thing a seller needs to do to get good reviews is to sell only premium quality products. Contact product manufacturers and obtain sample products, choose at least three manufacturers that make the best quality products.
Out of the three manufacturers, select the one that makes the best, highest quality product and make them the primary source for your products. The other two can act as back up channels.
Customers will not mind paying a bit more if they receive a product made of the highest quality materials. Set a modest profit margin and make customers happy that they made the purchase.
#2: No Follow Up
The first time buying a product from a new online store can cause some anxiety. Send customers a simple email letting them know that their order is being processed. Make them aware that their business is valued and how excited the company is for them to receive their product.
Be proactive and offer to fix any concerns they may have about their order. Let them know that they can contact you directly to fix any concern and that the company will always strive for their satisfaction.
Customers that receive this type of email and do encounter a problem with the product, are more likely to contact the seller first before writing a bad review. It is a pre-emptive strike towards customer satisfaction.
Send the customer another email at least three days after they received their order and ask if they like the product. Ask them directly to write an honest review and thank them in advance for their valued feedback.
You can also include a discount code to be used for their next purchase. Automate this business process by using email autoresponders to initiate drip campaigns once an order is processed.
#3: Did Not Provide Value
Consumers enjoy getting a great deal. Online customers buy a product based on the content of the product listing. They read the product description, look at the images, read the specifications and reviews, and finally, process their purchase.
Imagine how surprised a customer will be when they receive their order and it includes a complimentary item. Giving the customer a free gift (that will enhance the experience of using the product they ordered) is a fantastic way to provide value.
Online shoppers appreciate getting something extra. Instead of sending customers a free item, you can even send customers an ebook or product insert on the best methods to use the product they ordered. Make the customers’ transaction feel unique instead of generic.
The customer will remember the great deal they got when they receive the email asking for their review. They would be more inclined to write a positive review if they received more value for their business.
#4: Lousy Customer Service
Ignoring the concerns of customers is the worst thing a business can do. Providing customers with less than excellent customer service is the same as saying you don’t care about them.
On the other hand, taking care of each customer by always providing them with stellar customer service is a brilliant way to get more business and earn more good reviews as well.
When a customer receives an email asking for their valuable review, they will be more inclined to write a spectacular review only if they have experienced excellent customer service. Anything less than excellent customer service will result in no review or worse.
Amazon has set the benchmark for excellent customer service, it is the job of the seller to emulate that or lose customers.
#5: Ignored Review Groups
There are many different methods you can try to generate good reviews. Facebook has a significant number of product review groups and you can find them by searching “product review groups” in the Facebook search bar. Filter the ones you want to join by typing in the marketplace or country of your online store.
No other method is easier than joining review groups and asking for them. Sellers can also join review groups that dwell on popular forums like Reddit or Quora.
Asking for product reviews through review groups only has one drawback. The seller is expected to offer their products at a substantial discount in exchange for a good review.
Some sellers ignore this method and have missed out on one of the most natural and effective ways to launch a new product. Joining review groups will allow the seller to rank the product in terms of sales and accumulate good reviews much faster than other conventional methods.
Conclusion
Invest in business processes to generate good reviews. Nothing attracts customers more than positive product reviews. Customers will always appreciate good quality products, make them realize they got a great deal by providing value on every transaction.
Touch base with the customer and assure them that you are there to fix any problem they may have. Always provide stellar customer service on every point of contact with the customer. Customer satisfaction should be paramount in all aspects of an e-commerce business. Do that, and there will always be a customer willing to write good reviews.
