How to obtain product reviews in an online store?

Opinions are a very important element of the strategy of every online store. Over 90% of consumers check them before making a purchase or using a company's service. Why? Opinions provide valuable information about your products, such as whether the goods are consistent with the description, whether they arrived damaged, whether their price is adequate to the quality of workmanship, how long the delivery time is, etc.

Moreover, customer reviews are also an endless source of information for the company itself. Thanks to reviews, you know what customers appreciate about your company and what made them dissatisfied with their purchase. This knowledge helps to improve the company and eliminate obstacles in the customer's path. Therefore, to obtain more valuable opinions, it is worth simply asking for them through customer contact. Below, we present 5 best ways to get product reviews.

1. Request for reviews on Google My Business

Google My Business listing is the most commonly chosen by consumers to check reviews about a particular store. Very often, this is where the verification of the company ends and potential customers start checking how the situation looks with competing brands. How to prevent this? You should take advantage of the potential of reviews. To do this, invite customers to leave reviews about your business. Remember to indicate a reason, you can write, for example, that you are interested in learning about your customers' experiences because you constantly strive to increase satisfaction and the quality of your offer.

In your invitation, you can suggest to the customer what they can pay attention to when evaluating your store. You can send such an invitation to leave a review via email or through SMS. If you have a store app, you can send the customer an invitation in the form of a notification. It is definitely worth testing different options and checking which one gives the best results.

2. Request for reviews on specific products

A business listing is rather associated with general opinions about the business, such as delivery time, customer service, ease of contact. If you want to find out how customers rate individual products in your store, create a separate template invitation with a list of purchased products. To make it easier for the buyer, you can introduce tags that they can simply click to add to their review. This will be especially useful if the customer has ordered several products.

However, collecting product reviews is not everything. In order for them to bring value to potential buyers, you should display them on the product page. Research shows that the first 5 product reviews have the greatest impact on conversion, so it is worth ensuring a constant flow of positive reviews. This is particularly important for more expensive brand products.

3. NPS Survey

You can also measure customer loyalty by using the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The survey involves asking about the likelihood of recommending the company, brand, or product to friends or family. The user responds by selecting the appropriate value on a scale from 0 to 10. It is worth asking an additional question in which the respondent can explain why they chose a particular number.

The next step is to analyze the collected responses. The results divide customers into promoters, neutrals, and critics. It is assumed that a result above 70 indicates high-quality services and very high customer satisfaction, which translates into company revenue.

4. Rating form for each product in the store

Another good idea for collecting product reviews is to have a form on the product page. Of course, it is best to display it along with already collected reviews. What will you gain from this? The reviews will show how many consumers have already trusted the product you offer, and the form will additionally emphasize that customer satisfaction is important to you and that you are not afraid of criticism because you want to know the opinions of customers.

5. Pop-up requesting product reviews

This is not the most popular form of collecting reviews, but our observations show that displaying a pop-up on the order summary page triples the number of obtained reviews. Just ask a simple question whether the user is satisfied with the shopping process and optionally ask for the reasons for such an answer. Even if you don't direct the customer from the pop-up to, for example, a Google My Business listing, you will gain a lot of knowledge about the purchasing process itself, which will allow you to make more accurate decisions regarding process improvements.

Don't forget to respond to reviews

Most customers start by checking reviews, starting with negative comments. That's why it's so important to respond, and preferably as quickly as possible. A quick but thoughtful response can prevent a reputation crisis. Why do consumers read negative reviews? Because they want to know what problems your customers have encountered and how you handle such situations. How should you react? Thank them for the feedback and apologize for the situation. Show that you are interested in resolving the issue, you can invite them to a phone or email conversation, for example. Once the situation is resolved, both you and the customer can edit your comments, which will further demonstrate to potential buyers that you really care about customers and the development of your business.