Customer reviews are no longer just an added bonus for businesses, they are a necessity, especially for ecommerce stores or businesses selling an online service. With the increasing reliance on digital platforms, reviews have become an essential factor in a customer’s decision-making process as well as a company’s reputation and brand identity. For businesses looking to compete and grow in their industry, understanding the value of customer reviews and how to effectively collect them can help to increase engagement, and traffic and boost overall sales.
Why are customer reviews important for businesses?
Building trust and credibility
Consumers tend to trust the opinions of others more than traditional advertisements as they are real customers with real opinions. Reviews act as social proof, validating your product or service whilst also offering advice in terms of sizing, price point and quality. A string of positive reviews signals to potential customers that your business is trustworthy and reliable and will encourage them to complete their purchase.
Boost SEO and online visibility
Search engines like Google consider customer reviews as an important factor in determining rankings. Businesses with more reviews, particularly positive ones, often appear higher in search results as they may include keywords and phrases, making it easier for others to find your business online.
Provide valuable feedback
Customer reviews offer invaluable insights into how your products or services are perceived and can also help you reflect when it comes to improving your business. They allow you to understand what’s working well and where improvements are needed in regard to product quality, logistics, measurements and cost. By listening to customer feedback, you can make adjustments to relevant areas and ensure that you are meeting their demands.
Enhancing business reputation
A steady stream of reviews can enhance your brand’s reputation over time as they allow you to demonstrate transparency by responding to both positive and negative feedback. Acknowledging and addressing concerns publicly shows that your business values customer input and also shows you are proactively trying to better the company and listen to their preferences or concerns. By collecting a solid list of positive reviews, your brand is being represented as reliable and trustworthy, boosting its reputation and online impression.
The easiest ways to collect customer feedback
With the right approach, not matter what your industry background, you can collect a wide selection of reviews ready to put forward to future customers and boost your business online. Here are some of the easiest yet most effective ways to collect customer feedback:
- Contact your clients or customers directly. This could mean via email, at the point of sale or through social media. This is one of the most straightforward ways to gather reviews and also means you can send a direct link to where the review needs to be left.
- Creating a QR code to distribute online is a modern and efficient way of collecting reviews as they can be shared and scanned anytime, anywhere. Whether they are sent privately, sent with an order or are visible on your websites homepage, a QR code will take customers to the review section within seconds. QR codes can also be tracked and monitored so you can analyse whether this method is working or not.
- Allow reviews on multiple platforms including Google, Trustpilot and social media as not all customers will have access to a specific one.
- Offering incentives is a great way to collect reviews and also give back to your valued customers. Offering incentives such as discount codes, special offers and prize draws provides a benefit for the customer, not just you. You do however have to do this in a strategic and mindful way.
- Many CRM systems can streamline the review collection process. These systems allow you to set up automated review requests which will come into action after a transaction is complete, sending reminders, surveys or any other method you would prefer.
- Publish your reviews on social media and your website. Once you have collected your positive reviews, it’s always a good idea to feature them on your website and social media channels to influence customers and also provide reliability for your product or service.
Best practices for customer feedback
By following these key best practices, you can maximise the impact of your customer reviews:
- Find the right time to ask and also send out reminders
- Encourage honest feedback
- Display reviews prominently and make sure they are accessible on desktop and mobile
- Respond regularly, to both positive and negative feedback
- Find a solution that best fits your customer base
Imaginaire – Ecommerce Web Design Agency UK
Is your ecommerce website looking a little lacklustre? Or perhaps you’re planning to launch a new ecommerce website from scratch?
Make the right first impression with your customers with a professionally designed ecommerce website by Imaginaire.
We’re based in Nottingham and work with clients from across the UK and beyond. We specialise in the luxury sector with various case studies available on our website.
If you’d like us to take a look at your existing website, or discuss ideas for your new ecommerce project then please get in touch. You can also give us a call on 0115 697 1221.
