Product reviews are customer reviews or comments about a product or service. Reviews provide customers with detailed information about the product or service, in some cases, it may be difficult to provide through the description and specifications of the product or service.
Product reviews play a crucial role in your eCommerce business when it comes to credibility. Credibility will be one of the key elements that decide the long-term success of your brand.
The importance of product reviews is due to the fact that 90% of consumers read reviews of the product or service before making a purchase and 72% of consumers will buy after reading positive reviews about the product or service.
If you haven’t added a product review section on your eCommerce website for fear of negative reviews, you are losing potential customers. Reviews are crucial to your business. Bad reviews can help sell your product or service. This is because the presence of some bad or medium reviews helps indicate that the reviews are honest. Consumers are often suspicious of products that only have 5-star reviews. Even if you have control over the displayed reviews of the products, it is worth including a small number of critical reviews.
Consumers don’t trust ads, but they do trust reviews. Customer reviews are as effective as word of mouth. Customers recognize that different users may have different experiences of a different product or service which is why they will read multiple reviews before purchasing. They will trust the overall impression provided on the reviews.
Additionally, the ability to leave a positive review of a product can help consumers feel more engaged with your brand.
7 reasons why product reviews are important in your business:
1. Product reviews build trust
When a user comes to your online store with the intention of making a purchase, the first thing they look for is reviews. A product with good reviews could help the potential customer in their purchase decision.
Example: Amazon displays average product ratings based on customer reviews. Every time a potential customer visits your product page, it shows them the product’s ratings along with the number of people who rated that product.
2. Provide a better perspective of the product
Customers will give honest feedback on the product or service. Reading the experience of previous buyers helps potential customers to identify whether the product has matched the customer’s expectations or not. When a customer leaves a review, he is helping others understand what to expect from the product.
3. Allow you to correct product or service problems
Reviews help you find gaps in the product and give you the opportunity to improvise in those areas. If the majority of customers report the same problem with the product, you must take responsibility for correcting the defect so that the problem is resolved. If the problem is significant, you should investigate and fix it as soon as possible.
4. They function as social proof
There are brands that highlight what their customers have to say about their product or service. These are what we call testimonials and they have a significant impact on a potential customer’s purchase.
Show testimonials through your social networks and on the home page of your website. It is one of the best ways to promote your brand that can attract a number of potential customers to your website.
5. Increase conversions
If you meet your customers’ expectations, product reviews will play a big role in conversions. Surely there will also be some negative reviews, but as long as they have a low count there is no need to worry, not all customers can be satisfied. If the product has the quality and people have given you positive comments, more and more people will be encouraged to buy from your business.
6. Increased traffic
Product reviews can help your online store rank higher in search results, as user-generated content drives SEO.
7. Lower rates of return
If you collect a lot of opinions, there are more comments for buyers to read. Each visitor is unique and looks for different details. With many reviews, buyers get a clearer picture of the product or service they are going to buy.
When customers better understand what they are buying, there is less sense of disappointment, hence lower rates of return.
How to attract more customer opinions?
We give you three ways to attract more customer reviews:
1. Quick and easy to leave a review
If you accept reviews on your own website, make sure it’s as easy as possible for consumers to rate your product or service.
2. Send an email to request a review
Send an email within the same week of purchase. This practice can result in a response rate of up to 18%.
3. Share good reviews on social media
Sharing good reviews on social media helps reviews reach more potential customers. In addition, it also reminds your current customers that they should leave a review.
Conclusion
Now that you know the importance of online reviews, encourage your clients to leave their assessments, opinion, or comments on your website or social networks. Do not be afraid of criticism and try to get the maximum information from them.