Collecting more reviews is essential: for many (potential) customers, positive online reviews can be decisive. As much as we like to look at reviews before we make a purchase: we prefer not to write them. When was the last time you yourself left an online review? Your business is best served by scoring effective reviews, which does not necessarily equate to mere five-star reviews. At Tomahawk, we offer you knowledge and nuance in this review guide, so you can stand up to any review.
Collecting reviews: why is it hard?
Before naming the solutions, we look at the causes:
- Not every business is equally "reviewable. Perhaps you sell products or services that people would rather not make public that they use, even though they are completely satisfied with them. In other cases, a product is so obvious that it doesn't even occur to people to review it.
- Few reviews reduce the likelihood of others leaving reviews. If you are one of the few reviewers, you bear a large(er) responsibility in the buying decision of others, which is not always desirable.
- The other reasons are less daunting. People do not leave reviews because of lack of time or immediate benefit.
How influential are reviews?
Reviews have a strong social proof power: with many (positive) reviews, customers' trust in your company increases. In some cases, such as clothing or food, reviews perform functions that you also find in physical stores: online there are no fitting rooms or options to taste something. Online reviews then tell a lot about the fit or taste of a product.
Reviews are important for SEO: search engines welcome fresh content that is updated regularly, and reviews continually add additional content that you don't even have to write! This makes your shop extra relevant and current for the search engine. Customers use specific language and terms in their reviews, which generates long-tail keywords. These, in turn, help generate traffic from more precise searches.
What does the ideal review look like?
An ideal review is for the customer like a friend you would take to a physical store. In a review, it is not the company speaking to the customer, but rather like-minded people informing each other. Both the shop and the customer both benefit most when the reviews highlight the pros and cons, are honest and informative .
The star system seems ideal because it is universal. Whereas in Germany, for example, you can cause confusion with a 1-10 ranking (in German schools, 1 is the highest grade, 10 the lowest), the star system is established worldwide. It is also incredibly accessible and makes it easier for customers to leave a review. One drawback is the difference in interpretation of those stars - getting 4.5 stars is usually actually better! A sea of five-star reviews, on the other hand, seems suspicious: it is then quickly too good to be true. The ideal review therefore contains text: with text the customer makes their feelings clear and the chance of misunderstandings is smaller.
Unambiguous, clear reviews are extra important if your products are a big expense for the customer or if you are in a niche that people are passionate about, such as products related to hobbies or interests. Products in this category are sometimes extremely "reviewable" because there is an (online) community ready to talk about the type of product. An example is hot sauce lovers. Reviewing is more or less the goal of this spirited hobby - making reviewing the product a fun job for the customer. It shows in the hilarious results:
Even though the above review is clearly written with a wink, the review still meets the aforementioned necessities for the ideal review. Based on this review, the provider may choose to adjust the product description, for example, by adding an explanation of the number of Scoville units (Scoville is the scale used to measure how pungent something tastes).
Are positive reviews for sale?
When looking for ways to collect more reviews, you come across agencies that "sell" reviews. At Tomahawk, we are absolutely not in favor of this for one simple reason: it is illegal. We are in favor of transparency and honesty. If even this is not convincing enough, here are some more reasons not to do it:
- Chances are you'll be caught: Tripadvisor picked out 72% of fake reviews in 2022 before they were posted at all. Review platforms like search engines can issue penalties for this.
- Fake reviews - because that's what they are - lead to reputational damage if you are exposed. If you work in an industry in which reviews are crucial - such as cosmetics - be even more wary: fake reviews sometimes cause reputational damage to the entire industry.
How do I motivate my customers to leave reviews?
The agencies that sell reviews advertise with the promise that they can rake in more positive reviews for you. They perform little "hacks" or tricks that get those reviews, without having to change anything. So the priority is not to improve your shop or your service. The needs and humanity of the customer are secondary in this approach, while both you and your customers benefit most from 'organically' obtained reviews in the long run. In other words: do you want positive reviews quickly and easily, or do you want to offer your customers an excellent experience that makes them enthusiastic and makes them want to write about it?
Sometimes you have to give the customer an extra push to return that positivity. To do that, you apply - to complement that excellent experience - the following methods:
- Do you have your customers requested To leave reviews? This simple trick already works wonders. An email after the customer receives the order already makes a difference:
Are you satisfied with our service and product offerings?
Please let us know by leaving a review. We would really appreciate it, because service is our top priority. Hopefully you experienced it that way. You can review us here: [link]
- How easy is it for customers to leave reviews online? Time and motivation are important factors, bet on that by making the review process quick and efficient. Look at the example below. The "fit" and "quality" bars already give customers a lot of information about a product without having to write anything. Keeping the open text field allows customers - if they want - to explain their score.
- Are you letting your customers know that you take their reviews seriously, for example, by responding to them or using the feedback to improve your shop? As a result of the above reviews, asos may include in their size recommendations that the dress is larger.
- In addition to recognizing the importance of reviews, you need to value them: give your customers a good reason to leave reviews, without appearing to "buy" reviews. A monthly giveaway for reviewers is a good option. You reward someone who writes a review, regardless of whether it's a positive review or not. An online shop that sells hot sauce makes their appreciation clear by positioning the customer as the expert. You can see that on this card you receive with an order:
Do I have a problem if I get negative reviews?
In the process of gathering more reviews, there is a realistic chance of negative reviews. Fortunately, you solve a lot with a tactical response. Responding to reviews (including the positive ones!) is a way to show your customers that you take their feedback seriously. This is the ideal tactic: respond within a maximum of 7 days, professionally and empathetically, acknowledge that it's annoying for the customer and offer the most concrete solution possible. An example of a concrete, clear response would be stating what you are doing with this feedback: 'we are adjusting the product page'.
Cultural differences
At Tomahawk, we look beyond national borders and always include the international context in our advice. This is something you should keep in mind when entering the international review arena:
- Directness is a big thing in countries like Germany and in the Nordics; in the Netherlands we go the extra mile. This is regularly a stumbling block abroad. Be careful with the witty and (slightly too) honest reactions to customers from the rest of Europe.
- Related to the previous point: in the Netherlands we are down-to-earth and this is reflected in the muted lyricism in our reviews. This is different in the United States, for example, where people sometimes feel obliged to give positive reviews full of superlatives because they fear the consequences of bad reviews.
- By now, most consumers know that fake reviews exist and are extra skeptical - especially in Scandinavia. The skepticism is justified: the Consumers' Association took the test and was able to post a surprising number of fake reviews.
- In some Eastern European countries, they appreciate
formality. Opening a response to a negative review with "Cześć Oleg!" (Polish for "hello Oleg!") is then less appropriate.
Of course, these are rough sketches in which we have not included smaller nuances for the sake of brevity. We encourage you to use the above as a starting point for researching the review culture in the countries where your shop operates.
The power of quality
Being above average is still the best path to positive customer reviews, and there are plenty of methods to make sure your satisfied customers return the enthusiasm. That's nice, because reviews are incredibly influential. Want to see even more numbers? BrightLocal' s research provides insight into how, where and when people review. Trusted Shops examined four million reviews from the three largest European markets: the United Kingdom, Germany and France. With our guide, we've given you a starting point to discover the wonderful world of online reviews, the rest is up to you.
Are you satisfied with our service and this item? If so, please be sure to let us know by leaving a review 😉
