Why Online Reviews Matter & How They May Help Your Business
Did you know that 92% of customers hesitate to buy a product with no review from the buyers? 97% of them get influenced by online reviews given on ecommerce websites. 84% of consumers accept reviews as recommendations from their friends and family. Most importantly, 94% of people avoid patronizing an ecommerce website with significant bad reviews. These numbers are speaking of the extreme importance of online reviews in the ecommerce industry.
Since people can’t touch or feel the products they intend to buy, they want to judge these products' quality, relying on online reviews given by fellow buyers. That’s why ecommerce product reviews matter a lot, especially for business owners. Positive reviews can help them see a great spike in sales; on the contrary, poor reviews can cause a downturn. Keep reading to learn more about ecommerce reviews.
Why Do Online Reviews Matter?
With the skyrocketing growth of ecommerce marketplaces, the number of fraudulent sales is also increasing each day. Ecommerce customers are also aware of this fact, and they try their best to scrutinize the authenticity of online stores before making a purchase. Who reads ecommerce reviews? Almost everyone. According to statistics, 91% of customers read online reviews to find the ideal products for them. An average consumer is ready to spend up to 31% more money for products with excellent reviews. A study shows that only five positive reviews of a particular product can increase its selling chances up to 270%.
Ecommerce reviews are more trustworthy than television advertisements. 68% of millennials believe in online reviews, whereas 34% prefer TV ads. Customer reviews are almost 12 times more trustworthy than the descriptions provided by the manufacturers. Yes, there are fake reviews on almost every website; still, people get influenced by online reviews to a great extent. And all these above-mentioned facts and figures prove that online reviews matter a lot for ecommerce businesses.
How Can Ecommerce Reviews Help Your Business?
Word of mouth and user-generated content plays a big role in converting ecommerce website visitors into customers. Online reviews contribute to increasing conversions and affect a few other aspects of the ecommerce business. Keep reading to know how ecommerce reviews can help your business grow and generate more revenue.
Reviews Enhance the Credibility of Your Online Store
Most online buyers conduct online research before finally buying a product. Customers are more likely to buy from a website that has a review section filled with user-generated content. Product descriptions are claims made by the manufacturers, but reviews are social proof endorsed by mass people. That’s why reviews enhance the credibility and authenticity of your business.
Online Reviews Influence Customers’ Buying Decision
According to a study, 67% of consumers trust ecommerce reviews given by strangers. What if these reviews come from your acquaintances? That shows the influence of online reviews on prospective customers’ minds. Any review influences the buying decision of consumers. Reading positive reviews from fellow buyers helps new buyers grow the confidence to buy the same product.
They Improve Your Site’s Search Engine Presence
Reaching the first page of search engine results is one of the prime goals of each ecommerce website. Customer reviews can help you greatly in this regard. Most reviews contain relevant keywords, product names, brand names, and key features to some extent. Besides, getting reviews means that you have fresh content uploaded to your website. These keywords and review content may get indexed and ranked by different search engines. When they search using similar keywords as inserted in your review section by your buyers, people may find you.
They Facilitate Product Development Process
You’ll not receive only good reviews for sure. Sometimes, you might be criticized for the shipping and product quality of your products. You’ll get a resourceful insight into these products that can help you think from a new perspective. Analyze what customers expect from your business and consider their suggestions to improve your services. Try to avoid making the same mistake again. Constructive feedback will allow you to offer better products for your customers.
They Help Build Customer Loyalty
Loyal and repeat customers are a valuable asset for your business. You can increase their loyalty through online reviews. How? Ask them to write reviews for your business and feature those reviews on your website’s review section, testimonial section, and blogs. Thus, they’ll feel rewarded and more connected to your business. This will provide you with twofold benefits. Your loyal fans will become more loyal to your business, and other regular customers will be impressed with their loyalty.
Even Negative Reviews May Lead to a Purchase
Negative reviews can harm your ecommerce business significantly. But a few negative reviews prove that you didn't get all these reviews via paid means. That adds to the authenticity of your business. Besides, a bad review may be centered around a topic that doesn't bother most prospective customers. When both merits and demerits are shown throughout the reviews, people get to know both your products' best and worst sides. That helps them make purchases after analyzing the pros and cons of the products in question.
How to Get Online Reviews for Your Ecommerce Site
Customer reviews will come automatically if you can provide excellent products and services. Still, you can make extra efforts to speed up the process by using some proven tactics. Follow the below instructions to encourage your customers to put online reviews.
Ask for reviews: You can ask your customers to leave reviews. The best practices to ask for them are through the final checkout page or pop-up notifications. Or you can ask for reviews via shipment delivery emails. It’s better to send automated emails to a customer one week after he/she made a purchase. This time period will allow them to use your products for a few days and give reviews while their experiences are still fresh.
Introduce a user-friendly review section: Customers are likely to avoid anything that takes time and involves hassles. Keep the review submission form as simple as possible so that users don't face any complexity while filling out the input fields.
Offer incentives for your customers: Every customer loves to receive discounts and offers. You can offer special discounts, promo codes, and exclusive offers to your customers for their next purchases. This is not like getting positive reviews in exchange for incentives. Ask for honest reviews. If you deliver high-quality products, you will naturally receive positive reviews. Another great way of incentivizing the customers is to offer free shipping to your customers in exchange for online reviews.
Conduct customer surveys: Surveys are a great way to overview each aspect of your ecommerce business. Send emails to your customers asking about all the factors related to online shopping. For example, you can ask them about the simplicity of website navigation, user-friendliness of the checkout process, product quality, and shipping speed. This feedback can be displayed on your website if you want. Moreover, such feedback will help you improve the standard of your online business.
Respond to the feedback: Everyone wants to get heard. You can respond to the reviews on your ecommerce website to value the efforts made by your customers. A sincere response will inspire them to buy more from you and build a stronger relationship with your brand. Even an ordinary ‘Thanks’ works well in acknowledging the contribution of your customers. New customers are likely to have a positive impression on you if they see you’re responsible enough to read and respond to the reviews given by their fellow buyers.
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