Reviews are very important in every business, especially for online businesses. It goes a long way to influence a potential customer's opinion about your business and informs them about the kind of services you render. Not only are they important to increase customer retention and patronage, but they also help business owners improve the services they render. It is a form of social proof and credibility and can go a long way to improve the rankings of your business as customers also tend to market your products and services to other potential customers through their reviews. Additionally, customers are less likely to purchase products from sellers without any reviews.
Online customer reviews are a way to grab the attention of customers and also improve buyers' search rankings. Getting these reviews from online marketplaces like Amazon can be a difficult nut to crack. However, it is not impossible. Amazon permits sellers to ask for reviews but there are certain rules guiding the request for a review. These include the ban on incentivizing reviews and asking for a special kind of review, among other rules.
To discover how Amazon reviews work. Amazon encourages sellers to request reviews from customers (both positive and negative reviews). Viewing of open rates as well as the customization of messages is prohibited. However, feedback can only be requested from a buyer once either through the Buyer-Seller Messaging or the Amazon Request a Review feature. Ensure to regularly review the terms of services to stay updated and avoid diverting sales to an external site. While giving reviews, buyers can use product inserts while sellers cannot ask for specific kinds of reviews nor isolate negative reviews.
Amazon has a very strict policy toward customer review violations. These are the following violations on customer reviews on Amazon
- Posting a review of a competitors product or that of the seller by the employee or family member of that seller
- Changing a customers review or writing a review about their products or services or writing a review about a competitor's product using a customers account
- Posting reviews by the seller of a product or that of a competitor
- Offering a refund to a buyer after a review has been made
- Making offers of any kind in exchange for reviews on a seller's product or a competitor's product
- Asking customers to remove or change their reviews
- Requesting positive reviews or incentives in exchange for positive reviews.
- Diverting negative reviews to another feedback platform
- Intentions to manipulate reviews to boost product star rating by creating a variation relationship between products
- Violation of these policies can lead to the withdrawal of selling privileges, removal of reviews, withholding of funds, permanent delisting of the product from Amazon
How to Get Amazon Reviews Without Breaking the Rules
Accurate Listing on Amazon
Listing your products accurately is one of the best ways to get reviews on Amazon. Use proper descriptions of the product, state the clear functions, and any other viral information the user would need. This helps the user to make an informed purchase which would aid a good review.
Using the " Request a Review" Button
The "Request a Review Button" can be manually accessed from the "Manage Orders" page on Seller Central. This feature helps customers to leave a review easily. It has about a 10-20% chance of increasing the review rate of sellers. This feature sends a rate and review email to the customer and works by triggering an email by Amazon. However, only orders within 4-30 days of being delivered can be reviewed. Also, messages cannot be customized and seller feedback requests and product rating requests would be sent to the same email.
Automated Review Solicitation Tools
Another easy and time-saving way to solicit reviews on Amazon product reviews is automating the process of requesting Amazon product reviews. These tools help businesses to build their reputation. This process works by sending out automatic emails requesting reviews. These emails would also include rating requests which automatically redirect them to the review platform
Amazon Vine Program
The Amazon Vine Program is one of the safest and easiest ways to get a review from customers. It is a platform to connect reviewers and sellers where top reviewers would test these products for free and send a review. This is the way to offer free products for Amazon fresh review within the terms of service on Amazon. However, only products with less than thirty reviews are eligible for this offer.
Rating
Use clear communicative words that are easy to understand. Choose neutral or middle options to prompt responses from guests. Amazon allows buyers to leave only a one-tap rating. This would generally improve the feedback of customers. With this, buyers would not need to write reviews to accompany the rating. This feature came to prevent Amazon from fake reviews which tend to grab more media attention. Users only need to select any star to rate a product.
Trade Shows and Giveaways
One effective way of marketing your product is during trade shows and giving our freebies. The freebies can be given on the vine program or during the tradeshow. Giveaways should be made to potential customers to build their excitement about the product. This would increase the chances of leaving a review. Trade shows are suitable places to get potential customers.
Common Pitfalls
Being very descriptive when selling and including the weaknesses of a product is a very huge marketing strategy when looking for reviews on Amazon. Telling customers about the pitfalls advertises honesty and removes the urge for vengeance from the customer in their reviews. Preinforming the buyers of the weaknesses is a great tool to avoid bad critics in reviews.
Use Constructive Feedback
Constructive use of the customer's review helps to ensure a healthy relationship with customers. Ensure you use the reviews to make your business and product better. The sellers can add tips, suggestions, or comments on how to use the product.
Conclusion
Legitimate reviews on Amazon are one way to prevent the violation of Amazon rules. These laid-out tips not only help to increase the review rate of a seller but also boost their sales and their credibility. Amazon sellers should consistently check out Amazon's review policy to avoid a violation.
