Why Product Reviews Matter for eCommerce

With the introduction of the internet, consumers are more vocal about their thoughts and experiences related to any particular brand or product. Online reviews provide them with the opportunity to express themselves and provide their feedback. As reviews help consumers to make informed decisions, they can similarly be leveraged to help brands display their credibility. Hence you may have noticed many brands adding reviews to their website, with a common trend of brands opting to embed Google reviews on their websites.

This of course applies to WordPress ecommerce sites as well. Brands with an online presence are likely to get more customers as they increase their range beyond local and geographical boundaries.

Having an online presence has become a must for businesses. WordPress is one of the most trusted and easy platforms to help businesses create a website. And as a result they’ll also see an opportunity to collect valuable reviews from their audience

While WordPress helps businesses in making their online presence more presentable, online reviews and product review help in building credibility.

What Are Product Reviews?

Online product reviews refer to the feedback or comments posted by customers on e-commerce websites, social media platforms, or review websites about products they have purchased or used. These reviews provide valuable information to other potential customers who are considering buying the same product.

These reviews can take various forms, including text, video, and images. Typically, reviews include a rating system (such as a star rating) and a written comment describing the customer’s experience with the product. Reviews may cover different aspects of the product, such as its quality, performance, ease of use, value for money, and customer service – really anything the customer themselves find significant.

We can know about the impact of reviews, as per recent studies, 72% of customers won’t take any action until they read reviews about a business. Another study shows that the purchase of a product with five reviews is 270% higher than the product without reviews.

Online reviews have a significant result on customers’ purchasing decisions. Here are some of the ways in which online reviews may impact customer behavior:

• Building Trust: Online reviews can help build trust between the customer and the product or service. Customers are more likely to trust the opinion of their peers who have used the product or service before.

• Decision-making: Online reviews can help customers make better decisions when it comes to purchasing products or services. By reading reviews, customers can get an idea of the pros and cons of the product or service, which can help them make a more informed decision.

• Reputation: Online reviews can significantly impact a business’s reputation. Negative reviews can harm a business’s reputation, while positive reviews can help build a positive reputation.

• Word of Mouth: Positive reviews can encourage customers to recommend the product or service to others, while negative reviews can discourage customers from recommending the product or service.

• Search Engine Ranking: Online reviews can also impact a business’s search engine ranking. Encouraging positive reviews should be a part of your WordPress SEO strategy as they can improve your pages  ranking, making products more visible to potential customers.

Why Are Product Reviews Important For WordPress eCommerce?

The significance of online product reviews cannot be ignored. They provide a wealth of information to potential buyers, helping them make informed decisions about whether or not to purchase a product. Reviews also offer valuable insights to businesses, as they provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their products, and identify areas for improvement.

Online product reviews are an important aspect of search engine optimization (SEO). Reviews can improve a product’s search engine ranking and increase its visibility to potential customers. This is because search engines like Google place a high value on user-generated content such as reviews, weigh it as a ranking factor for local SEO, and use it as a signal of a product’s popularity and relevance.

Add paragraph explaining that reviews can be a marketing tool to increase sales

How To Get More Reviews For eCommerce Business?

Getting more reviews for your WordPress eCommerce business can help build credibility and trust with potential customers. Here are some strategies you can use to encourage customers to leave reviews.

Make It Easy to Leave Reviews

Ensure that leaving a review is a straightforward process. Place a call-to-action button prominently on your website or in your email follow-ups, directing customers to leave a review. WooCommerce already makes leaving reviews easy thanks to the default review form on product pages.

For more advanced review options you can consider a plugin like ReviewX. With it you can add multiple review criteria for customers to rate. This makes it easier for them to leave a more complete review (that in turn is also more helpful to potential/future buyers).

Send Follow Up Emails

After a customer has made a purchase, follow up with an email requesting them to leave a review. This could include a link to the product page or a form to fill out. The Customer Reviews plugin for WooCommerce fits the bill. The plugin adds personalized review reminders to help you collect authentic product reviews.

Offer Incentives

Offer customers an incentive to leave a review, such as a discount on their next purchase or an entry into a contest. A great option is the MyRewards plugin. With it you can offer customers rewards points for completing actions like placing orders, referring friends and for leaving product reviews.

Display Reviews

Display existing reviews on your website or product pages to encourage others to leave reviews as well. One of the best review aggregator plugins on the market is Tagembed. One of its best features is that it helps you showcase your reviews on WordPress websites involving any coding. More than that, it also provides you with features like customization to make your widget look impressive to your website visitors.

For example you can change the themes and layouts of the review widget to match the branding of your widget. To make it look more professional, you can also use their moderation panel feature to remove the content you do not wish to display. You can use interesting layouts like slider widget and lists to showcase your reviews. What is even better is that, Tagembed helps you to aggregate reviews from different review platforms like Google, Facebook, Yelp etc.

Engage with Customers

Respond to customer reviews, both positive and negative. This shows that you value their feedback and can encourage more customers to leave reviews. By default WooCommerce will send a notification to the website admin any time a review is posted. So this means that you (or the person responsible for your e-store) will be notified of all reviews, so there is no excuse to not respond!

Use Social Media

Promote your products on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter (with WordPress it’s easy to import your entire shop when you connect WooCommerce to Facebook), and ask customers to leave reviews on those platforms as well.

What To Do After Getting Negative Reviews?

Getting negative reviews isn’t a bad thing. It can be treated as constructive criticism. And while having a business, having criticism and dealing with them is termed essential. 

Getting negative reviews can be disheartening, but it’s important to handle them professionally and effectively to maintain your brand reputation. Here are some steps you can take after receiving negative reviews on your WordPress eCommerce store:

• Respond promptly and professionally: Respond to negative reviews in a prompt and professional manner. Thank the customer for their feedback, apologize for any negative experience they may have had, and offer to resolve the issue. Address the specific concerns raised in the review and provide a solution to the problem.

• Don’t be defensive: It’s important not to be defensive when responding to negative reviews. Keep your tone professional and courteous, and avoid getting into arguments or personal attacks.

• Learn from feedback: Use negative reviews as an opportunity to learn from feedback and improve your business. Take note of the issues raised in the review and use them to identify areas where you can make improvements.

• Encourage more positive reviews: Encourage more positive reviews by providing excellent customer service, addressing customer concerns promptly, and asking satisfied customers to leave a review.

• Monitor your reputation: Keep an eye on your online reputation by regularly checking review sites and social media platforms for any new reviews or mentions. Respond to any negative reviews promptly and professionally.

Overall, online reviews can have a significant impact on customers’ perceptions and behavior when it comes to purchasing products or services. It’s essential for businesses to actively monitor and manage their online reputation by encouraging and responding to customer reviews. And thankfully with WordPress, enabling reviews and extending their functionality is easy with the help of a plugin or two.