Reviews are easily one of the most important parts of any ecommerce marketing strategy. For many online stores, good reviews are the ultimate milestone in making sales. Reviews are not just a way to drive new sales, either. They are also a way to generate loyalty and drive repeat sales. In today’s era of social proof, reviews reveal far more about your products than your descriptions. These are what almost every single customer will look at before they even start to think about making a purchase. A few negative reviews are not the end of the world (especially if you deal with them proactively) but what you want are positive reviews that make potential customers want to follow through with that purchase.
In this guide, we share some ideas on how you can encourage better reviews as part of your ecommerce marketing strategy.
Ecommerce Marketing Ideas for Better Reviews
The first thing to know is that good reviews should never be forced or faked. Giving influencers products to review is a great idea. Telling them they cannot be honest and have to only give positive reviews is not. Likewise, faking reviews to increase your product ratings is never the way to go, either. This can turn into an epic brand failure if customers are not happy with their product. They will either leave negative, angry reviews on your product pages or, more likely, take to social media to voice their opinion in a very visible way.
Some ecommerce marketing suggestions that will encourage real, honest reviews include the following:
Underpromise and overdeliver
This applies not only to your customer service but also to the entire customer experience, across every single channel you are using. Customers remember and appreciate anything unexpected, provided they are pleasantly surprised. Personalised campaigns, rewards to thank customers for their purchases, constant engagement across multiple channels, active engagement, and anything else that makes customers feel special will all help you grow a loyal following.
Focus on the details
It’s the small things that customers remember the most. They may love that new kitchen gadget range you are selling, however, they will be even more impressed if they receive a free sample or a gift such as a small potted rosemary plant or a packet of basil seeds. Small things like birthday messages, handwritten thank you notes or cards included in deliveries, product previews, social media shoutouts (make sure you get customer Twitter, Insta or Facebook handles when they sign up for their account), authentic replies and conversations with customers who mention you online, random discounts, gifts or free shipping days, VIP sales for existing/long-time customers, video email responses, product hashtag campaigns to encourage customers to send photos of their purchases, and any other little extras that have a big impact.
Growing Loyalty Through Ecommerce Marketing
Having an open-door approach and making customers feel like they can be honest about their experiences is essential. With proactive, engaging ecommerce marketing campaigns, and the tips we’ve shared above, you should start seeing an increase in your reviews.
