How to Collect Reviews Using Apps

eCommerce

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8 Sep

2023

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Collecting online reviews is now easier than ever with the integration of apps for eCommerce brands. Yet, with so many platforms available, getting started with collecting reviews can be the hardest step. With so many ways to gather and manage reviews online, implementing one or more of these tips will help you increase traffic to your eCommerce site from online reviews.

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How to collect reviews

Customer reviews are needed for improving your brand's reputation, attracting new customers, and gaining valuable insights on your products and services.

Get information from email marketing

Leverage your email marketing automation to reach out to users and request their feedback on their recent purchase experience. Include direct links to the review section to make the process seamless for shoppers. A unified email and review platform like Sendlane, will automatically pull dynamic product information for each shopper so you can collect feedback on autopilot!

Add on digital receipts and email follow-ups

Consider including review requests on digital receipts. Once customers have received and utilized your products or services, send a follow-up email to ask for a review. Personalize the email and express gratitude for their engagement to encourage higher response rates and increase customer reviews.

Use customer feedback surveys

Another route you could take to get positive reviews is to implement surveys to gather detailed feedback from users. Ask specific questions about their experience, suggestions for improvement, and whether they would recommend it to others. This approach allows you to gather more comprehensive insights beyond simple star ratings.

Provide exceptional customer service

Delivering outstanding customer service can lead to positive reviews organically. Ensure that users can easily contact support, and promptly address any issues or concerns they may have. Satisfied customers are more likely to share their positive experiences.

Offer incentives for reviews

Consider providing a small incentive, such as a discount, exclusive content, or entry into a giveaway, to users who leave reviews. However, be careful to comply with app store guidelines, as some platforms have restrictions on incentivized reviews.

Why do you need to collect reviews?

Establish credibility and trust

Customers cannot always interact with your products before purchase due to the virtual nature of eCommerce. Reviews are one of your only forms of social proof. Positive reviews from satisfied customers validate the quality and authenticity of your brand, instilling confidence in potential buyers. Displaying and addressing negative reviews also establishes trust and transparency between your brand and your audience

Influence purchase decisions

Reviews play a significant role in the decision-making process of online shoppers. Many consumers rely on the experiences of others to gauge the value and suitability of a product. Positive reviews can act as persuasive endorsements, convincing hesitant shoppers to make a purchase.

Improve search engine visibility

Search engines value fresh and relevant user-generated content, and positive reviews can boost your eCommerce website's search engine rankings. This makes it easier for potential customers to organically find your store and boosts your overall store credibility.

Understand customer preferences and pain points

Analyzing reviews can help brands can identify trends, patterns, and common pain points in their products. Negative reviews, while sometimes challenging to receive, provide an opportunity for growth. They highlight areas that may need improvement, enabling you to address product issues, shipping concerns, or customer service shortcomings proactively. This data can inform product development, marketing strategies, and customer service of where they need to improve and how they can further optimize the customer experience.

Foster customer engagement and loyalty

Encouraging customers to leave reviews opens up a direct channel of communication. Responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, shows that you value customer feedback and care about their experiences, fostering loyalty to your brand from dazzled customers.

Stay competitive in the market

Customer reviews can set you apart from the competition. Positive consumer reviews can differentiate your brand, making it stand out as a trusted and reliable choice for potential buyers. Leverage UGC and highlight product features to separate yourself from other brands. You can showcase glowing testimonials and business reviews in your advertising campaigns, social media posts, and website banners. Genuine customer experiences are compelling and more effective than costly marketing campaigns in standing out from your competitors.

Drive Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Well-optimized product pages that prominently feature reviews can lead to higher conversion rates. Customers are more likely to convert when they see positive reviews, as they serve as social proof of your product's value and quality.

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How to measure the metrics from collecting reviews

Analyzing the metrics derived from collecting customer reviews is essential to understand the impact of reviews on your eCommerce business. Two critical metrics can assist you in getting the full picture, creating opportunities for growth.

Conversion rate

Conversion Rate, as you likely know, measures the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase. You can measure conversion as it relates to reviews of your eCommerce website by following these steps.

Track Review-Driven Conversions: Identify the number of conversions that directly resulted from customers interacting with reviews on your product pages. You can use tools like Google Analytics to track this data.

Segment Reviews by Rating: Analyze the conversion rates for different rating categories (e.g., 1-2 stars, 3-4 stars, 5 stars). This helps you understand how different levels of customer satisfaction impact conversion rates.

Calculate the Conversion Lift: Compare the conversion rate of product pages with reviews to those without reviews. This will reveal the percentage increase in conversions attributed to the presence of positive customer reviews.

Average rating

The Average Rating represents the collective sentiment of customers toward your products or services. To find this, complete these tasks.

Collect and Summarize Ratings: Gather all the individual star ratings provided by customers across all your reviews and product range. Add them together to calculate the total number of stars received.

Divide by Total Reviews: Divide the total number of stars by the number of reviews received. This will give you the average rating of your product ratings and your eCommerce store.

Monitor Changes Over Time: Continuously track and compare average ratings over different time periods. This will help you gauge the impact of improvements or changes made based on customer satisfaction surveys and feedback.

Analyze by Product Category: If your eCommerce store offers a diverse range of products, consider analyzing the average rating for each category. This can highlight areas of strength and areas that may need more attention.

Benchmark Against Competitors: Research the average ratings of your competitors' products to see how your offerings compare. This can provide valuable insights into areas where you might have a competitive advantage or areas that require improvement. Sendlane’s snazzy dashboard makes research a breeze, displaying data such as average customer reviews, number of reviews collected, and your top products by rating & review.

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4 Best eCommerce reviews platforms to collect reviews

When it comes to collecting reviews for your eCommerce store, choosing the right platform is crucial. Here are four top-rated eCommerce reviews platforms.

Sendlane

Pricing and plans

Sendlane offers various pricing tiers based on send volume, and Sendlane Reviews is 100% free for all Sendlane users. The plans range from basic to advanced, with custom pricing available for larger enterprises.

Design

Sendlane provides customizable review request email templates, allowing you to align the design with your brand's aesthetics. The platform offers user-friendly drag-and-drop editors for easy customization.

Product features

Sendlane allows you to set up automated review request emails to be sent after a specified period or action, encouraging customers to leave reviews. You can also segment customers based on their behavior and target specific groups with personalized review requests. Sendlane integrates seamlessly with popular eCommerce platforms, making it easy to both collect feedback and manage reviews.

Yopto

Pricing and plans

Yotpo offers a variety of pricing tiers tailored to different business needs. Their plans range from free to premium packages with additional features. Pricing is typically based on the size of your customer base and the specific functionalities required.

Design

Yotpo provides customizable review widgets that seamlessly integrate into your website design. You can tailor the appearance and placement of the review elements to match your brand's aesthetic.

Product features

Yotpo offers a comprehensive suite of features, including in-mail review requests, review generation widgets, user-generated content curation, sentiment analysis, and social media sharing capabilities. The platform also provides powerful analytics and insights to measure the impact of reviews on your business.

BigCommerce Reviews

Pricing and plans

BigCommerce provides built-in reviews as part of its standard features, available to all BigCommerce users at no additional cost.

Design

BigCommerce Reviews offer a clean and intuitive design, ensuring that the review display fits well with your store's design theme.

Product features

BigCommerce's built-in reviews allow customers to leave written reviews and star ratings directly on product pages. The platform supports review moderation and reply features, giving you control over the content displayed on your site.

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Sendlane's product review feature to collect reviews

Sendlane’s unified email, SMS, and reviews platform enables eCommerce marketers to collect, monitor and dynamically display customer feedback under one UI. Use email automation to collect feedback, leverage the display widget to highlight your ratings on-site, and create custom audiences based on star ratings to weed out your brand champions.

Speak with a Sendlane expert today and start leveraging reviews to sell more!

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Collecting reviews FAQs

Written by

Caitlin Hutchinson

Head of Marketing

As someone consistently recognized for her talent in writing, storytelling, art, and technology, it’s not shocking that Caitlin realized her passion for marketing exceptionally early in her career. As the Sr. Director of Marketing, Caitlin leads, develops, and accelerates Sendlane’s strategy and brand recognition. Known as Sendlane’s “Brand Warrior'', Caitlin is credited for the bold, disruptive, and innovative branding behind the pink envelope. Joining Sendlane as the 6th employee and the 1st marketing hire, Caitlin has since worked diligently alongside the CEO to nurture the department into the high-performing and creative powerhouse it is today.

@caitlinkhutch