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You can have the best product in the world, but without social proof, it's an uphill battle to sell it.
But one thing is for sure—product reviews from customers help sell more stuff.
You know how when a friend raves about a t-shirt or skincare product that they recently purchased, and it makes you want to get some for yourself? Yeah, positive reviews can have the same impact. A recent survey found a whopping 91% of 18-34-year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
That's where customer product reviews come in. Whether it's a rating out of 5 stars or a more in-depth review from a customer who has purchased an item, product reviews tell other potential customers why your store is where they should spend their hard-earned cash.
Here are some product reviews email templates you can use in your store and some expert tips for getting (and managing) product reviews. Let's get started 👇
The Ingredients of 4 winning product review email templates
Not all product review templates are made the same.
Some will ask a customer for a quick rating of their recent purchase, while others have space to add detailed comments about what they liked (or disliked) about the product.
We think the best way to ask for a product review is to keep it simple. If it's a first-time customer, ask for a star rating out of five, or VIPs with a little more knowledge of your products, give them the space to write a more in-depth review. After all, a 2023 survey by Brightlocal found customers are open to reviewing a businesses if asked:
Here are four product review email examples you should steal for your eCommerce store 👇
//[inject:ad-reviews]
Review product template #1: Simple star rating with a comment box
Let's start with the most simple review of the bunch—asking customers: How would you rate this product? 🤔
Yes, a star rating doesn't tell you a whole lot about the customer's buying experience (except for 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟is good and 🌟is… err, not so good). But star ratings are good at building social cred for your brand and showing how popular an item is.
Here's a review request template for a simple star rating you can steal to get started:
Subject: Did you love [Product Name]? Time to rate it! 🌟
Hey there [Customer Name],
You purchased [Product Name] from our store a couple of days ago and we have a burning question to ask you…. Did you love it? 🙂
Rate [Product Name] out of five stars: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Your feedback is super important to us and it helps us improve your shopping experience (and to be honest, 5-star ratings just give us a warm, fuzzy feeling!)
Thanks for your time and leaving [Your eCommerce Store] a review!
Love,
The [Your eCommerce Store] team
British clothing retailer Gainful asks for a star rating review after every purchase. Customers get an email in their inbox that looks like this:
These reviews are then fed back to products in their eCommerce store so other shoppers can look at and decide whether or not Gainful is for them!
Review product template #2: 1-10 scale rating
The next review request template on our list is similar to the star rating and asks a customer to rate a product from 1-10.
Ask customers to rate your product and its features with a range of responses from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree." You can then use these reviews to fuel marketing campaigns. Check out this email from Bite:
The brand collected all its positive feedback over a year since it launched and used them to convince those on the fence that hey, the product is actually worth it! Genius 🤓
Review product template #3: A more detailed text review
If you need a more in-depth review, don't be afraid to ask customers for detailed feedback by sending them a comment box that fits longer feedback.
A blank text box where customers have free reign to provide their feedback, opinions, and suggestions is a much better way to get a real idea of what they liked (and disliked) about your product. Customers can also make suggestions about improving your product and buying experience; taking this feedback on board is essential if your brand wants to convert customers into lifetime fans.
So, what do these templates look like?
Sendlane now has templates that you can use out-of-the-box to send these product reviews to customers. Each template can be customized to include the product name, star ratings, review title and a detailed description box for the customer to fill out:
Each time a customer submits a review, you'll get a notification so you can gather their (super valuable) feedback and say thanks for their time.
Review product template #4: Video and image reviews
The final way we recommend to request reviews is to ask satisfied customers for user-generated content like video and images. According to a study conducted by Google, 85% of shoppers say product information and pictures have helped them decide which brand or retailer to buy from. Yep-85%!
Jump on this bandwagon and ask customers to give a video review or upload images of the product they purchased from you. This gives customers a chance to really talk about their experience with your product and even show off its best features. Oh, and it proves to other shoppers that the review is legit as well (bonus!)
Lululemon crushed this when it asked customers to add photos and videos of products to #Thesweatlife hashtag on Instagram. Used over 1.5 million times, the hashtag is now used daily by new (and loyal) customers to talk about new purchases and show off products they love.
Be warned—this review is the hardest to get as it requires more effort from the customer. We recommend you warm them up with an email sequence, something like:
📧 A couple of days after a customer purchase, send a "pre-ask" to test the waters and see if they are open to a review. The best way to do this is to make the customer feel at home with a welcome message like "Join our community and tell other [your brand name] members what you love about [product name] with the #hashtag".
📧 Follow up your first email with a link to a landing page where customers are shown other video testimonials and what the process will look like
📧 Sell the review process in your final email. Offer a generous discount code on their next purchase in exchange for a recorded customer testimonial
You can build a sequence like this in Sendlane and then set it up to send out automatically. Inside Sendlane's dashboard, create a review request to collect reviews and personalize it with tags like customer name and product name that will automatically fill when the email is sent out:
Check out our guide on automated email sequences here -> 5 Powerful Email Sequences to Boost eCommerce Sales.
Expert tips for sending out a killer review request email (that gets noticed)
1. Maintain simple communication in emails
Keep every review request email short and sweet.
If it takes too long for a customer to leave a review or they have to jump through hoops, they just won't bother. And it'll sink your review request campaign. It's that simple.
But many businesses get it right. We love this example from Casper:
It's not too upfront (if you have any thoughts) and the ask isn't too much, just a quick how did you sleep?
But what we love most about it is the last line in the ask which tells customers how much their honest feedback matters: Your honest opinion will help other Casper shoppers make smart decisions. It's a great way to make the shopper feel valued while collecting reviews at the same time 👌
2. Be specific in your emails and mention the product
Mention the specific item you want reviewed, its features, and benefits, and remind customers of their experience with your brand.
The right marketing tool can do the dirty work for you here. For example, Sendlane will auto-pull the product information this customer bought, so they don't have to manually do this. It saves a bunch of time and allows you to send out specific product review requests at scale.
Check out how Mountain Hardware asks customers to leave a review for multiple products in this email:
It does the hard work for the customer because each product has its own image (as a quick reminder) and CTA to write an online review. The customer can review all the products or just one if they want. Either way, Mountain Hardware reminds them that their opinion helps other outdoor enthusiasts make the right product choice 👍
3. Offer an incentive in return for feedback
Another effective strategy to encourage customers to leave reviews is to offer an incentive in return for their feedback, whether it's a discount code, a gift card, or another store freebie.
Here's a great example from Revolution Tea:
The email's subject line is a simple thanks for helping us, and inside, its customers are treated to 10% off their next order as a reward for their feedback. What makes this email stand out is Evolution Tea included how many other customers would recommend its products to friends (94%! 😲) along with some glowing reviews. It's a smart way to sneak in some social proof that tons of people love the brand's products.
The Best ways to manage eCommerce product reviews
Monitor reviews and feedback like a hawk
Monitor your eCommerce product reviews on various platforms, such as your website, social media, and third-party review sites.
It's always a good idea to set up notifications or alerts to stay informed of new reviews and respond efficiently. Setting this all up depends on the eCommerce platform you use. WooCommerce and Shopify merchants can use plug-ins to get automated notifications, or you can also use a platform like Sendlane to monitor and manage all your reviews from one dashboard.
Sendlane's review platform will notify your team when a customer does submit feedback so you can read it, thank them, and deal with any concerns or negative reviews immediately.
Sendlane's review dashboard makes responding to customers quick and easy
//[inject:ad-demo]
Look at how Purple handles bad reviews:
The customer service rep never has to leave the Sendlane dashboard, but the review response is sent straight to the Purple website for other shoppers to see. Nice!
Always respond to online reviews (even if they are bad)
Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, shows that you value customer feedback and are actively engaged in addressing their concerns.
It also helps boost your online cred and shows your brand has a voice (and a real person behind the keyboard). In fact, 88% of consumers are more likely to use a business if they see responses to all reviews—good and bad. These reviewers are your valued customers, so even if the review is negative, say thanks and tell them that your team will take their feedback on board and use it to improve.
Here is a potential template you can for a negative review response or social media comment:
Hi [customer’s name] – we’re so sorry to hear that! If you can hit us back with your order, I'll take a better look. Thanks, [customer service review's name].
Oh, and those good reviews? Yup—soak 'em up. It's safe to say the Sephora social media team are seasoned pros at responding to ever-happy customers. Check out this interaction on Twitter:
Sephora's reply is a masterclass in making the customer feel heard and recommending products in just a couple of sentences. To avoid sounding like a robot, always tweak the response template and personalize it to every review response.
Use feedback to improve your products and processes
Analyze the feedback to identify common patterns or recurring issues.
A good rule of thumb is to categorize customer feedback into different categories, such as product quality, shipping, suggestions, and customer service, to get insights into areas that need improvement.
For example, if customers consistently mention issues with shipping delays in their feedback, take that information and work to optimize the shipping process and speed up delivery times. If you take prompt action on feedback, it shows your brand values customers' opinions and is committed to improving their buyer experience.
Show off your best reviews
Positive reviews serve as social proof and show others that previous shoppers have had a good customer experience with your store.
Build trust and credibility with potential customers to increase their confidence in your brand and influence their purchasing decisions. With the right setup, you can sync reviews to each product in your storefront and show star ratings and detailed descriptions.
Again, how you display your best reviews depends on your eCommerce tech stack. WooCommerce vendors can use budget-friendly plugins like Storefront Reviews or Product Reviews Pro to collect and publish reviews.
If you are already using Sendlane to add juice to email marketing campaigns, our new reviews feature can integrate star ratings and customer reviews directly to your storefront:
Want to get more reviews for your eCommerce store? Use Sendlane Review Request Emails to win over more customers and get more sales.
Sign up today for a free 60-day trial—no credit card required!
