Hours of browsing and weighing options might have helped you choose something you like; yet; you’re only going to make a final commitment once you check out the product’s Customer Reviews. Isn’t that a familiar scenario when you want to shop online?
If you haven’t yet touched the product you want to buy yourself, you’d most certainly appreciate hearing from someone who has. Customer Reviews/ testimonials therefore are as good as a recommendation/ endorsement from friends or family.
What makes Customer Reviews Important?
- Simply put, you’d like to get input from someone who has bought a product before you; does the product you’re considering live up to the claims made by the seller? Is it really worth the price? What about pre/post-sale service? A quick read through the Customer Review/ testimonials section of the website can provide answers to all such queries.
- Studies also show that not only do most potential customers read the online reviews, they are also mostly able to discern the made-up reviews from the honest ones and believe what the genuine reviews say.
- The potential buyer benefits from the reviews in terms of social endorsement of the product they are considering. Such social proof is of great value in today’s online world where hesitant shoppers are persuaded to convert.
- The online seller to enjoys publicity and marketing benefits as these Customer Reviews can be used as an important part of the store’s digital marketing strategy. eCommerce online stores on platforms like Shopmatic can be linked.
- Online reviews can also have implications on your SEO rankings that can improve your store’s visibility and hopefully help in enhancing sales.
How Testimonials are Persuasive and Powerful
In the crowded and competitive world of online stores, a few good words from a happy and satisfied customer can go a long way in resting doubts that hesitant potential customers might have.
A good idea would be to place a couple of reviews on your homepage or have a testimonial section in your website. Just to cite a few examples –
Bon Heart 365 is a health food online store set up on Shopmatic – eCommerce website builder. The company uses natural ingredients to produce a health-boosting superfood that helps to kill bacteria, supplying vitamins and combat undesirable diseases. The product heals and cures and the customer reviews speak of that.
Also, check out Bake-ooh and notice how the addition of testimonials from customers adds to the validation of the baked goodies sold.
Another store on the Shopmatic platform is Wen’s; in the fishery business and imports the best White Bait to Singapore weekly. They are building a testimonials page on facebook and have been linking customer comments to their website at
How to Get Those Customer Reviews?
- Strike it while it’s hot! Every time a sale is completed, it is the best time to request your customer for a product review /testimonial. A follow-up email with the right questions will help get you the kind of reviews that you are looking for. Feedback from the customers will help you know the target audience better and understand their pain points and concerns while making this purchase.
- Incentivize them! Show appreciation by rewarding those who review with a loyalty voucher or perhaps a 10% discount coupon on the next purchase.
- Sharing some of the good reviews on social media can help generate more reviews! Often, customers are more inclined to leave good reviews when they see others do the same.
- Make your social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram easily accessible from your store so that customers can reach out with comments and questions.
- Reply to all online comments (even the not so good ones). This way you show future customers that you are active in your online communications and help promote further communication. Thanking customers who have left good comments and asking their permission to share their reviews online is always appreciated.
- And you might just have a couple of not so favorable reviews too! A bad review is not something one looks forward to but is a reflection of what the customer dislikes or finds unacceptable. It gives you an opportunity to offer great customer service. The best way to handle such a situation would be to accept, acknowledge and take this as a learning opportunity to improve your business.
In Conclusion
Customer Reviews and testimonials are real, user-generated content/ feedback that can help grow traffic to your website. The social endorsements they provide can often persuade the customer to take that final step and hit the “buy” button.
So encourage your customers to keep those reviews coming and make the most of this invaluable resource that is interactive, genuine and actually relied upon!
If you enjoyed the examples linked above, you might also like to look at –
