How to Boost Reviews for Your Retail Business

As a customer, I have always been wary of what I read. It is no secret that businesses choose to highlight the positive aspects over the negative. That’s why recommendations have such importance. Customers would like to see the personal recommendations of those who don’t have a stake in the business. They want the unfiltered opinions of those who’ve already taken the risk. Recent surveys show that 80% of consumers value reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Boosting reviews should be an active priority in marketing as the best marketers are your existing customers. So how do we encourage customers to leave reviews? Well, let’s have a look.

Why are customer reviews so valuable?

Apart from influencing customers to make a purchase, reviews also have an array of other benefits that can help push your business forward.

Enhances social proof and gains trust

In today’s society, we tend to look to others for validation regarding our decisions. This provides a sense of surety but when we can’t ask those close to use, we look to the internet for proof. What is social proof? Essentially, it can be considered as a psychological experience in which people assume that another persons actions or opinions are valid reflection.

Reviews help to either further a consumers interest in a product or indicate to keep looking. But what exactly about a review will encourage consumers to engage?

brightlocal Consumer Review Survey 2022

Contrary to some opinions, the more detailed the reviews, the less it matters. Consumers want to see positive reviews that are short and to the point. In addition, how businesses respond to the customer feedback ranks amongst the most important.

Improves SEO and foot traffic

As every retail business analyses consumer behaviour, so does Google. Google uses reviews to help decide how your website should be ranked. If your website has a considerable amount of good reviews then it will rank higher, and vice versa. By having an arsenal of good reviews, the more likely it is that users click on your site, therefore increasing click through rates. In addition, users will then go on to spend more time engaging with the site.

Research conducted showed that only a mere 1% of consumers did not use the internet to do research on businesses. That leaves a whopping 99% of consumers relying on platforms such as Google. When shoppers use Google to find businesses, reviews will always accompany the search results. The more reviews a business has, especially on multiple platform, the higher the ranking. Looking through the lens of a consumer, reviews will be amongst the first to catch my eye. I will inevitably be more interested in a business that has more reviews, considering them more trustworthy.

3 Simple methods of boosting reviews

Follow up with customers

Offer incentives

Make the review process easier

Follow up with customers

As is with anything we want, we often have to ask for it. Reviews are no different. So, reach out to your customers and encourage them to leave a review after their purchase. A survey conducted showed that when asked to leave a review, 60% of consumers were willing to do so. But how do you go about asking? Firstly, find a friendly and brand appropriate approach. Then let them know how much a review would mean to your business and how it could help.

Some businesses have mastered reputation management systems. From these leading businesses, here are a few ideas of how you can eventually do the same:

Create an automated email that sends after purchase. This email can be personalised based on the customers purchase.

Send postcards with the delivery. This is a great old-school method of asking for reviews. Customers often appreciate custom or handwritten cards, making them feel important.

Social media! Apart from asking for reviews through creative posts, show how much others already approve of your business by posting top reviews.

If you would like a broader view of what other businesses do, have a look at the infographic below.

brightlocal Consumer Review Survey 2022

Offer incentives

Receiving a reward for doing something is always motivating. And although there are fine lines on these types of exchanges, there are ideas worth exploring.

brightlocal Consumer Review Survey 2022

Statistics show that reviews in exchange for a discount or coupon rank as the best incentive. Thereafter, a free product or service rank second. Contrary to what most might believe, offering money or a free product is less impactful than offering a discount. So when offering incentives, keep the statistics in mind. Consumers don’t want to feel like they are being bought, they want to feel valued.

Make the review process easier

No one wants to go through a lengthy process for something that should only take a minute. That’s why ensuring a quick and easy review process is essential! One way of doing this is through automation. Below are a few suggestions that you can implement:

Integrate review-asking emails with other campaign emails

Add review links where applicable in your website

Add recent reviews and testimonials to your site and social media posts

In Summary

Reviews can often be an overlooked aspect of marketing for new business. But when made a priority, there is no turning back after the benefits have been seen. But don’t be overwhelmed when first starting out, it will take time to build up an armoire of reviews you can use. Although this guide is a simmered down approach, it will help to set a foundation. Over time your business will scale up and perhaps require different techniques and knowledge, but that is the ebb and flow of marketing; adapting to change.