Online reviews have become an integral part of modern-day online shopping. They are an indispensable tool for customers to make informed purchasing decisions, and ecommerce businesses use them to build trust, and improve their reputation. In this article, we will discuss how important online reviews are for customers, and why you should integrate them into your ecommerce website build.
What do reviews do?
Online reviews provide valuable information about the product or service being purchased. Customers can read about the experiences of others online, and determine if the product or service meets their needs and expectations or not.
How do reviews impact customers?
Active online shoppers put a lot of effort into evaluating products online and offline; they will research different products by reading reviews and comparing them to others.
Reviews are really beneficial for your customers in that they can help them to understand the quality of you products or services, and whether they are worth the price or not. In this way, online reviews help customers make more informed decisions and avoid making costly mistakes; not to mention making unwanted returns. Reviews also provide a platform for customers to voice their opinions and share their experiences with others. Let’s not forget that reviews can be a source of inspiration for customers, providing them with ideas for new products or services - think of them like a focus group.
77% of customers always or regularly look at reviews while browsing online.
-Bright Local
Will reviews help my brands reputation?
Hell yeah! Another important factor is the impact of online reviews on your business's reputation. A high number of positive reviews can attract new customers, while negative reviews can drive away potential business (oh no)! For this reason, it is crucial for all online businesses to actively monitor their online reviews and address any negative feedback as soon as possible. By doing this you can maintain a positive reputation and build trust with your customers. This feedback can be invaluable for ecommerce businesses, such as yours, as you can use it to improve your products and services to suit your target market. Don't forget those that leave a positive review are more likely to come back and purchase from you again - increasing sales!
Why leave a review?
Ultimately, customers use reviews to learn all about a business and its products. While you can put anything in a product description, you can’t alter a customer review or testimonial, and prospective shoppers know this! Remember, online shoppers are more willing to trust the word of a stranger the other side of the world than they are the company they are buying from. Why? They’re real humans with real experiences. This means leaving reviews helps each other make informed decisions. It helps increase customer conversions and satisfaction sure, but it also creates an online community on your site that shoppers will start to trust overtime.
What about SEO?
Online reviews play a critical role in search engine optimization (SEO) because reviews often contain keywords, including your product names and brand name. Positive reviews can also improve your business's ranking in search engine results, making it easier for customers to find you. Ranking high in search engine results pages (SERPs) is a goal for many online businesses because it increases traffic and sales. On the other hand, negative reviews can also lower a your ranking, making it more difficult for customers to find you, as your brand becomes associated with negative terminology.
How can I get customers to leave a review?
Ask customers directly: You can ask for a review at any point in the buyer’s journey. It’s typically best to ask for a review after they have the product in their hands, but you can ask them to review their shopping experience as soon as the purchase is made.
Send emails with feedback surveys and incentives: Send automated emails with customer feedback surveys to help them easily voice their opinions. Asking for feedback is a great way to build relationships with customers because it shows them you care about their experience and are a trustworthy brand. By offering incentives you are also rewarding customers for reviewing, meaning they gain something additional out of their relationship with your brand.
So, online reviews are really important, if not essential for your customers in the modern-day online shopping experience. They provide valuable information, a platform for feedback, impact your reputation, and play a role in SEO. Whether you're a customer or a business, it is important to understand the significance of online reviews and use them to make informed decisions whether buying or selling.
