Sell More with Five-Star Amazon Reviews and Positive Seller Feedback

In 2018, Amazon became the second public US company to be valued at $1 trillion dollars (behind Apple). Subsequently, the ecommerce conglomerate’s 2019 net sales reached a whopping $280.5 billion. In order to generate that much money, Amazon has an incredible amount of market share with 89% of consumers more likely to buy products there over other ecommerce retailers. As you can see from the numbers, integrating Amazon into your ecommerce business plan can be lucrative. In order to make the most of this huge pool of customers, you must deploy a strategy that attracts positive reviews or you could be missing out on critical revenue opportunities.

Whether you’ve just launched your first Amazon listing or you want to improve your current listing’s rank, we’ll explain why reviews are so important, how to get four- and five-star reviews on Amazon and what to do if your listing receives a negative review.

Why are Amazon Product Reviews and Seller Feedback So Important?

According to Business Insider, 66% of online shoppers begin their product searches on Amazon. While fast delivery services help make the platform a first choice, Amazon’s emphasis on reviews not only validates product and seller credibility, it elevates the overall customer shopping experience.

There are two types of reviews you can receive on Amazon: Product Reviews and Seller Feedback.

• Product Reviews refer to the customer’s experience with the product that you sell.
• Seller Feedback refers to the customer’s purchasing experience with you, the seller.

Both types of user responses impact your listing’s selling ability in the following ways:

Improves Your Listing’s Rank

If you have more five-star reviews than your competitors, your listing will go up the search engine results page (SERP). This is one of many ranking factors such as proper keyword research, low page bounce rate and high-speed shipping.

Encourages Unsure Buyers to Purchase From You

Who wants to be the first person to leave a review? Not many. No matter how fantastic your listing is, many people just don’t purchase products without first seeing an outsiders opinion.

Provides Social Proof

Users often make purchasing decisions based on external and first-hand product experiences. Product reviews and Seller Feedback are elements of word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM), which is a powerful selling tool that provides credibility, letting buyers know it’s safe to spend their money on your product.

How to Get Five-Star Reviews for Your Listing

While there are a lot of strategies out there, not all of them can apply to products sold on Amazon as the platform has strict review-gathering rules and regulations. Essentially, Amazon does not allow sellers to offer money, discounts or promotions in exchange for positive reviews. However, you can offer a free product and the customer may leave a review, but you cannot leverage the free product to guarantee a review. Regardless, there are a variety of ways to encourage positive reviews that comply with Amazon’s requirements.

Make Sure Your Product Listing is Honest and Accurate

Most users leave negative reviews if they feel they’ve been misled by a false product description. Be honest and accurate so you don’t leave room for misunderstandings. If you need help writing a listing that converts without lying, either sell another product or check out these tips for crafting an engaging product description.

Ask for Reviews in the Packaging

Included in the customer experience is your product’s packaging and internal information such as instructions or a note. Utilize these communication touchpoints to encourage reviews on Amazon. Take it a step further and send a thank you card—customers are more inclined to share their positive opinion after receiving a thoughtful gesture.

Send Review Requests to Customers

If you still haven’t received any feedback, we recommend sending review requests to customers. While you can use Amazon’s review software, third-party platforms like Feedback Genius and ManagedByStats are great ways to personalize, manage and automate your review requests. When setting them up, it’s helpful to schedule multiple requests. Depending on your product, we suggest sending requests one, five, and 30 days after your product’s been delivered. However, keep in mind your product’s entire performance capability and the time it takes for consumers to feel the benefits. You should solicit reviews for a food product, for example, sooner than a skincare product since both have very different consumption lifecycles.

Maintain a Close Eye on Your Review Page

To remedy bad experiences quickly, set up notifications to alert you when a customer leaves a review. If you sell a huge line of products and don’t have the time to respond, hire a customer service manager. Being prepared to answer customer questions and address bad reviews filters out the potential to be seen in unflattering light.

If You’re New, Check out the Early Reviewer Program

If your product listing has less than five reviews and your product costs at least $15, you can sign up for the Early Reviewer Program. Additional fees are required to enroll, so make sure this makes sense for your budget and business.

Avoid Seeking Fake Reviews

Not only can you be federally charged for purchasing fake reviews, but they have become easier to spot by customers and the FTC. False customer reviews can mislead future customers, just like false product descriptions, and can ultimately lead to negative reviews in the future.

Can You Refute Negative Reviews on Amazon?

The short answer? Sometimes. Amazon tends to side with the customer rather than the seller, but there are a few instances where you can refute negative feedback. Since this will improve your rank, you should be diligent about disputing negative feedback whenever possible. However, do not refute negative reviews from users who are truly unhappy with the product or post a valid complaint, as Amazon will not remove this feedback. Regardless, we’ve outlined the types of negative reviews you are able to request for removal.

If It’s Inappropriate

You can dispute reviews that Amazon deems unacceptable, like promotions, reviews that have nothing to do with the product, obscene language and more.

It It’s About FBA

If you are in the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program, meaning Amazon handles the seller’s product storage, order packing and shipping, you can remove any reviews that critique the shipping of your product as this was Amazon’s responsibility and out of your control.

If It’s Written Wrong

This is another time to emphasize the difference between Product Reviews and Seller Feedback. If feedback is left in the wrong place, such as a negative Product Review written under Seller Feedback, you can request to remove this and vice versa.

Reach Out for Amazon Assistance

As you can see, a lot is required to ensure you’re earning the best reviews possible. If you need help garnering positive reviews on Amazon, we’re the experts! Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you sell your product on Amazon.