Visibility leads to Trust, Trust leads to Engagement, Engagement leads to Sales.
Customer Reviews are playing a larger and more impactful role in the success and online presence of eCommerce stores. In recent months we’ve discussed customer reviews and the best extensions for powering reviews, but one topic we haven’t considered is why you need reviews in the first place. In this blog we’ll take a look at why every eCommerce website needs customer reviews and their direct benefits.
Reviews encourage engagement with your site, before and after a sale
Reviews for your products help inform the customer’s decisions. In the decision making process, customers take note of what other people have said about your products and may even change their mind to a different product than they were initially searching for. Research shows that 70% of customers look at reviews on products and stores before making a final purchase.
Reviews are the ultimate user-generated content. They encourage engagement with your site both before and after the sale. Customer reviews provide a unique level of insight on a product that a seller can’t provide giving your product and brand true validation if a large enough number of positive reviews are flowing in.
Reviews increase revenue and conversion rate
All of this engagement, trust, and visibility built up with genuine customer reviews will lead to increased revenue and traffic. Simply put, customers will become more likely to convert because of review representation on products.
- According to Reevoo stats, 50 or more reviews per product can mean a 4.6% increase in conversion rates.
- 63% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from a site which has user reviews. (iPerceptions, 2011).
- Reviews produce an 18% uplift in sales (Revoo, as shared by Econsultancy)
- 8.72% of customers won’t take action before they read some reviews.
Reviews serve as a form of social proof, removing some of the friction and uncertainty when visitors are shopping online. Shoppers are much more likely to believe the third party perspective of what their peers are saying about your product than what you wrote about it in your product description. Personal shopper experience trumps a seller’s sales pitch every time.
Reviews increase site traffic
Customer reviews can increase site traffic in several key ways. Adding review schema to your website makes sure that your reviews are readable by search engines. This makes your appearance in Search Result pages more appealing to the searcher and can make your business rank higher in the local pack when applicable. More visibility in these areas can equal more traffic.
Reviews keep your offerings competitive
Google, Bing, Amazon and other platforms you may use to showcase your business’s offerings all utilize reviews to show potential customers relevant products based on what they have previously searched for. Reviews are free content, but the trick is getting them from your customers. Usually all it takes is a small reminder, and there are tools out there that will follow up with your customers for you so that you do not let any possible reviews slip through the cracks. Some of the tools include automations from review services like Yotpo to a myriad of other tools like Bazaarvoice and Outreach Frog.
Real reviews reaffirm your brand
Shopify has revealed that 63% of customers are more likely to convert after seeing reviews. Good reviews, bad reviews, no problem! Having an overwhelming amount of positive reviews may fill your customer with anxiety that the reviews may not be from actual customers. Make sure to utilize reviews, of any kind, anywhere possible. Best Buy does a great job of this, with reviews on products, suggested products, and services they also sell like AppleCare.
Earn More Reviews Now
Earning reviews makes a dramatic impact on conversion rate and remains a key to maximizing your revenue-per-visit. Plus, customer reviews add a layer of trust and legitimacy to your website and brand that no marketing initiative or campaign can purchase. They are becoming table stakes for any eCommerce brand. To learn more about how to choose and install a product review system on your eCommerce site or how to make the most of your current system, contact us today.
