Since 2018, more than 2,000 Amazon sellers have joined the platform per day.
This is great news for Amazon, but what about sellers? The flood of competition means positive customer reviews aren’t just a nice-to-have — they’re crucial to your early success on Amazon.
But with so much noise and only a brief window for connecting with customers, how can you get more Amazon reviews without relying on dubious “hacks” that could get you suspended?
In this article, we’ll share the latest do’s and don’ts to help you get more product reviews on Amazon.
What NOT to Do: Review Tactics that Go Against Amazon’s Guidelines
If you’ve gone anywhere near the e-commerce echochamber in the last five years, you know there are tons of ‘black hat’ review tactics, many of which go directly against Amazon’s guidelines.
While these might work in the short term, they can result in serious consequences, including a permanent withdrawal of your selling privileges and even legal action.
Here’s what not to do when soliciting product reviews on Amazon:
- DON’T ask for a positive review: All communications should ask for honest reviews. Avoid any ‘if/then’ language, for example: if you’re happy with our products, would you please leave us a review?
- DON’T offer compensation for a review: Including gift cards, discounts, refunds, or free products.
- DON’T ask friends and family to write reviews for you: This includes writing them yourself.
- DON’T ask a reviewer to change or remove their review: Regardless of whether a review was incentivized or not.
- DON’T use a third-party service or ‘club’ that offers free products tied to a review.
- DON’T divert negative feedback to a different channel: Variety of reviews (including some negative ones) can influence your rankings.
One sure way to say the right thing is to let Amazon do it for you by hitting the Request a Review button. With this option, Amazon automatically sends out a compliant email on your behalf, personalizing each one with the customer’s name.
We’ll share more on this in a moment. First, let’s take a closer look at why now is a great time to elevate your customer review strategy.
Why Product Reviews Are More Crucial than Ever
Selling on Amazon in the 2020s is an entirely different game than in the 2010s. The competition is steep. The noise is loud. The pressure to build your brand is painfully real.
Customer interaction with reviews has increased by 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels. In a retail environment where online shoppers are increasingly skeptical, genuine reviews can make all the difference.
Here are a few of the ways product reviews can help you grow and maintain your position on Amazon.
Boost Your Product Rankings
There are millions of sellers on Amazon. So, how does the mega marketplace determine which sellers are worthy of its precious, consumer-facing real estate? You guessed it: reviews.
If you’re gunning for the Buy Box, you may need dozens or even hundreds of customer reviews depending on your product category. And roughly 90% of those reviews need to be positive.
It’s a tall order, but products with a significant amount of positive feedback are much more likely to appear in Amazon search results and recommendations, leading to higher product visibility and more sales.
Build Trust through Social Proof
Nearly half of consumers say they trust reviews just as much as personal recommendations. If you’re like most of us, you may have even checked a product’s Amazon reviews before buying it in person. That’s how deeply consumers trust Amazon reviews.
While many modern shoppers are wary of fake reviews on Amazon, data indicates that Amazon reviews are still more trusted than any other type of review, with sellers seeing sales increase by 20% due to positive reviews.
In addition to a strong star rating and seller feedback profile, a healthy mix of mostly positive reviews can work wonders for boosting your authority on Amazon.
Get More Conversions
Depending on where you are in your Amazon growth journey, you may have a greater focus on Amazon seller feedback vs. reviews. But if you’re here, you’re probably still in the process of scaling up your verified reviews and product rankings.
When you’re moving from 50 to 2,000 orders per month, getting more customer reviews can feel like a ton of work. The good news is, putting the time in now will help you win more conversions both in the present and future on Amazon.
According to data, Amazon product pages with customer reviews convert 3.5X more frequently. Even increasing your rating by just one star could help increase your sales by 26%.
Sellers can also see a boost in ROI from fewer returns due to customers having firsthand insights from other users before they make a purchase and future innovations informed by deeper insights into customer data and feedback.
How Do Customer Reviews Work on Amazon?
Though it isn’t always linear, the Amazon product review process typically follows the below five steps:
- The customer purchases a product, receives it, and uses it. The customer must have spent at least $50 on Amazon in the last 12 months to be able to leave reviews and ratings
- The customer navigates to the product page or responds to an email prompt from Amazon inviting them to leave a review. They can then rate the product from 1 to 5 stars, write a detailed review, and even upload images or videos showcasing the product in real life.
- Once submitted, Amazon reviews the content to ensure it adheres to their community guidelines. This step helps prevent fake reviews, offensive content, and helps ensure the review’s authenticity.
- After passing the verification process, the review is published on the product’s Amazon page. It then becomes visible to other shoppers, contributing to the product’s overall rating and ranking.
- Sellers and customers can respond to reviews, providing thanks, additional information, or addressing concerns raised. This interaction can help resolve issues and improve the shopping experience for both existing and future customers.
10 Tactics to Get More Amazon Product Reviews
If there’s one thing to know about getting more Amazon reviews, it’s that you can ask for them until you’re blue in the face, but you cannot incentivize them.
Instead, stick to making a simple ask. Here are 10 different tactics to try.
1. Use Amazon’s ‘Request a Review’ Button
Sometimes all your customer needs is a gentle nudge and that’s exactly what the Request a Review button gives them.
With this approach, you don’t have to worry about crafting the perfect review template or accidentally violating Amazon’s guidelines. You simply click the button, and Amazon takes care of the messaging, sending out a personalized email on your behalf.
However, you will have to stay on top of this one as sellers can currently only use the button on orders delivered within the past 30 days.
2. Leverage the Amazon Vine Program
Amazon Vine is Amazon’s official reviewer program and the only approved avenue for offering incentives in exchange for reviews.
Through Vine, invitation-only members (referred to as ‘Vine Voices’) receive free products in exchange for leaving their feedback, guaranteeing an uptick in reviews.
But it’s not perfect. As de facto Amazon influencers, Vine reviewers are chosen because they provide unbiased opinions and genuinely insightful reviews. Expect Vine reviews to also point out any aspect of your product that doesn’t meet expectations and be prepared to respond promptly to any constructive criticism or negative feedback.
3. Ask for Unboxing Videos
Video reviews are a great way to provide potential customers with genuinely helpful product content, while delivering a big boost to your Amazon rankings. Simply ask customers to create unboxing videos of your product and share them in their reviews.
If you’re already taking advantage of Amazon A+ content, get customers in the right mindset by using plenty of video content on your storefront and product pages.
You can also use your packaging to remind customers to create a video. For example, a simple sticker on the outside of the box inviting them to record their unboxing experience could be just the thing to kickstart a healthy stream of video reviews that you can repurpose for channels like YouTube an TikTok.
4. Use Inserts
Speaking of packaging, inserts are still an excellent way to set yourself apart from Amazon’s default branding and win more reviews. When buyers feel more connected to your brand, they’ll be more likely to leave a review.
But remember, Amazon prohibits asking specifically for positive reviews. Even using a graphic with five stars can be interpreted as an attempt to influence the review. Be sure to ask clearly for honest reviews — nothing more.
5. Ask for Reviews on Social Media
Your social media followers are one of two things: customers or fans. Which also makes them a great source of high-quality reviews.
Post regular reminders for those who have purchased your products in the past to go ahead and review them on Amazon. Since these are likely to be your more loyal customers, you may be able to ask for a little more here. Remind followers that reviews with lots of detail, photos, and videos are the ones that will help you the most.
6. Optimize Your Email List
If you have a customer email list or regular newsletter, include a call to action in your next email asking customers to leave reviews for your products. Since these folks have already opted in, there’s already some affinity you can tap into.
When it comes to requesting reviews via email, always take time to give it a good read and remove any barriers from the process. Include a direct link to the product and concise directions for how to submit the review.
7. Reach Out to Critical Reviewers
Amazon allows sellers to contact buyers using the customer reviews tool available to Registered Brands.
This tactic won’t necessarily get you more reviews, but it will help you provide support or a courtesy refund to customers who are particularly unsatisfied with their purchase. Will the customer update their negative review afterward? You can’t ask them to, but you can hope.
8. Sell Exceptional Products
When it comes to getting great reviews, nothing beats a fantastic product. By keeping close tabs on product quality, you can make sure every order exceeds your customers’ expectations.
Go the extra mile by using exciting packaging and a clear instruction manual for a seamless experience worthy of a 5-star review.
9. Provide Fast Customer Service
Satisfied customers are more likely to leave positive reviews, especially if you go above and beyond to make things right when there’s a problem.
While you may want to create an exclusion list to avoid sending automated emails requesting reviews from customers that have made a return, you still can help turn a negative experience into a positive one by providing a responsive experience.
10. Optimize Your Product Detail Pages
Last but in no way least, Amazon has been rolling out a ton of new features designed to help sellers make a better impression on customers — which can lead to a virtuous cycle of positive reviews.
By taking advantage of A+ content like videos, lifestyle photos and product comparison charts, plus A/B testing to help you choose the best-performing version of your pages, you can set yourself up for a glowing review before a customer hits the Buy Now button.
Detailed product descriptions and FAQs can also reduce the likelihood of negative reviews due to misunderstandings about product features.
What About Fake Reviews?
On May 1st, Amazon published an update on its latest efforts to fight fake review brokers and stop fake reviews at the source. The company is using “a combination of machine-learning models along with expert investigators” to ensure that each and every review is authentic.
According to Amazon, it has proactively blocked more than 250 million suspected fake reviews last year and won legal damages against several fake review brokers, including sites like Amazon v. AmzonReview.com.
Here’s what Amazon has to say about it:
“Amazon pioneered online product reviews, having introduced them in 1995 to help customers make informed shopping decisions. Amazon has zero tolerance for fake reviews and is committed to ensuring reviews remain a trustworthy, insightful resource for customers. These legal actions represent a continuation of Amazon’s efforts to protect its customers and selling partners, and we will continue holding fraudsters accountable.”
In short, they’re not playing around. Fake reviews are a problem for both buyers and sellers. If you suspect you’re being targeted by a fake reviewer or counterfeiter, know that you have options.
By enrolling in Amazon’s Brand Registry program, you can get access to a range of resources to protect your products and reputation. This includes Amazon’s Project Zero program which can help you serialize and validate your products to stop counterfeit products from reaching the customer and prevent bad actors from overtaking your ranking positions.
Attract, Grow and Keep Your Amazon Customers
A thoughtful Amazon review strategy can send your revenue soaring. But if you fail to stay compliant with Amazon’s guidelines when asking for reviews, it could put your business at risk.
The best way to approach reviews is to stay up-to-date on Amazon’s guidelines, use approved channels, and be consistent. With a set process and a healthy respect for the rules, you’ll be racking up the reviews in no time.
Ready to take your Amazon game to the next level? Supporting Amazon sellers is what we do best. Check out our Sellers Fi Amazon Resources Hub for the latest on all things Amazon.
Or, if you’re ready to get funded to grow your Amazon business, register for an account. It’s free, easy, and there’s no commitment.
