Success on Amazon requires sellers to be extremely vigilant about their reputation as a seller, particularly in the age of social proof.
Building and maintaining a strong reputation on Amazon is, in fact, attainable. It takes hard work and can be complicated without the proper expertise and technology, but it is within reach.
Amazon product reviews are vital to sellers’ reputation. If reputation is ruined, sellers risk being alienated by customers, losing the sales to the competition.
Sellers need to give buyers a reason to leave a positive review; whether influenced by seamless customer experience or post-purchase service. Here, are five strategies sellers can implement to get customers to leave legitimate 5-star reviews on their product pages.
1. Providing a stellar customer experience from start to finish
Sellers should be upfront and honest with customers from the start. They need to use unique standard identifiers (such as UPC, EAN, or ISBN codes) when creating or matching to product detail pages and make sure their product descriptions and condition notes are clear and easy to understand.
This will help avoid any confusion, false expectations, or incorrect shipments.
2. Sending customisable follow-up emails to request feedback and reviews
By taking the time to request reviews, sellers increase their chances of receiving them, which in turn can help generate demand and sales. They need to send the emails shortly after the customer has received their product, so it is still front of mind and be sure to personalise the message based on the product they ordered.
Merchants can also email customers who have left positive seller feedback but did not leave a review. They can also include step-by-step instructions on how to leave a review to make it easy for them.
There are automated tools available to send customised feedback request emails at the ideal time — not too early when the customer has not experienced the product and not too late when leaving a review is no longer on the buyer’s radar.
3. Using social media to advantage
There is a high likelihood that sellers’ followers on social media have purchased a product from them in the last 90 days. Sellers need to utilise this audience to encourage authentic product reviews.
4. Joining Amazon’s Early Reviewer program
To help sellers generate the first few reviews on new products, Amazon created the Early Reviewer program.
With the program, Amazon contacts a random buyer of one of the sellers’ products to request a review. The buyer receives a $1-$3 Amazon voucher for the review, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. The review will then appear on Amazon with an orange badge that reads “Early Reviewer Rewards.”
Sellers are eligible to participate in the Early Reviewer Program if their product has less than five reviews and costs at least $15.
Amazon charges $60 per SKU to enrol in the program, which lasts for one year or until five reviews are generated. Merchants will only be charged the $60 after they have received at least one review for the enrolled SKU.
5. Saying thank you for each review
Following up with each customer and thanking them for leaving a review — will foster customer loyalty and make them want to leave another one with a future purchase.
