Thanks to the internet, shopping has become easier. Even people who have not purchased goods or services online before were forced to do so because of the pandemic, and they discovered how convenient online stores are.
Due to e-commerce growth, businesses are looking to incorporate different marketing tactics to retain old customers and attract new leads. Right now, there is a big emphasis on reviews. Online stores are doing their best to encourage customers to leave a review after a purchase.
Also read: The Best Social Commerce Platforms For eCommerce Brands To Drive Growth
Businesses that use the dropshipping model can simplify things for themselves thanks to an effortless product review import from AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and other eCommerce giants so long as they are using proper tools.
A few negative instances of feedback can break a business because if a potential shopper sees bad things about goods or services, the odds of them avoiding a purchase are relatively high.
But what about positive reviews? What kind of impact do they have for business growth long and short term? Let’s take a look.
1. Sales
First and foremost, reviews drive sales. According to Oberlo and other sources, about 90 percent of shoppers are influenced by a positive review of a product. In fact, a large number of these shoppers consider online reviews as impactful as recommendations from people they know and trust.
When you confirm that other customers are satisfied with what they got, it is much easier to spend your money because you will know that you are getting a good deal.
Some companies are also trying to create video reviews and encourage customers to submit those as well because visually representing a product in a positive light creates an even bigger demand.
2. Visibility
Another great thing about customer reviews is that you can leverage them as content to increase your visibility and improve search engine optimization rankings.
Different search engines have their way of indexing and ranking content, but original user-written reviews are great as far as variety goes. In other words, search engines appreciate fresh content.
By encouraging more customers to submit their feedback, you can create a steady stream of valuable content that gets published without looking for writers.
An easy way to encourage people to leave more responses is to reply with a positive message. When you reply you will show that you care and make their day and they will respond. If you are pressed for this, you can use a review response generator that will automatically respond to reviews
3. Trustworthiness
Building trust with customers should be one of the priorities for businesses that are looking to establish themselves online. A few positive reviews might not be enough to make a business look genuinely credible.
However, constant publishing of positive feedback is great if you are looking to create an online identity and become a business that values the trust of its customers.
4. Loyalty
Building trustworthiness also helps with loyalty. When customers are happy, they are less likely to consider other stores that sell similar or identical goods and services.
One can also consider that customers can respond to other customer questions and create a community-like feel where they exchange information. While seemingly insignificant, this sense of community could also be one of the driving forces behind more customer loyalty. And if reviews are one of the ways to build a community, it makes even more sense to encourage them as an online business.
5. Marketing
Sometimes, a business might struggle to determine where to spend its marketing budget because there are many different methods and strategies.
Customer reviews can be considered as mini-marketing campaigns that benefit a business long after they have been published. Moreover, positive reviews generate more reviews and create a snowball effect.
If a website visitor sees a review and spends money because they were influenced by the original review, they are more likely to leave some feedback of their own.
6. Data
Feedback from shoppers is valuable because it provides insight. For example, if you release a new product, you can look through the first reviews and see what the customers are saying. They might have great suggestions to improve the product or opinions on what is wrong. Noticing mistakes is also something that customers can help you with.
It is also worth noting that interacting with customers via reviews helps establish a stronger relationship between them and your business. By responding and rectifying mistakes, a business shows that it cares about its customers.To ensure that the data that you collect is even more accurate, identify which channels your customers prefer for sharing their experience.
And the reason is some shoppers would like to give feedback through home phone service providers, and others are ready to participate in an in-app survey.
7. Awareness
Raising brand awareness is another challenge that businesses face when creating long-term marketing strategies.
Customer reviews help with brand awareness as well. A customer who has something positive to say on a product page in the store is also more likely to share their thoughts on other external sites. For example, they might say nice things on Yelp, TripAdvisor, or a personal social media page where their followers and friends will see the praise.
Conclusion
All in all, this article should be enough to convince online businesses about how important customer reviews are. If you have been neglecting to encourage your shoppers to leave their feedback on your website, change your stance and get the benefits mentioned in this article