How Online Customer Reviews Improve Conversion

For e-commerce businesses, online customer reviews are more important now than ever. But they’re not just about looking good for potential buyers, they play a critical role in boosting conversion rates, building trust & shaping your business & marketing strategies.

This guide explores the benefits of customer reviews, how to get more reviews, customer review laws & how to handle negative reviews.

Online reviews are no longer a “nice-to-have” for online retailers; they’re a necessity. Research by BrightLocal shows that 98% of customers think online reviews are important for buying decisions. Additionally, 75% trust these reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family.

This makes reviews a powerful form of social proof. Shoppers are heavily influenced by what others say. Reviews show that your brand is open, trusted & worth their money. But the benefits don’t stop there…

Here’s how online reviews directly impact e-commerce conversions:

• Build Trust & Credibility
  Seeing positive reviews eases buyer hesitations & builds confidence in your products & services.
• Boost Search Engine Rankings:
  Reviews contribute to user-generated content (UGC), which search engines love. More reviews equal fresh, natural language content, improving your site’s SEO.
• Increase Click-Through Rates (CTR):
  When you display star ratings using schema, customers are more likely to click on your snippet in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
• Encourage Purchase Decisions:
  Products with reviews are far more likely to convert. A study found that purchase likelihood increases by 270% for products with five reviews compared to those with none.

But reviews don’t just increase sales, they also offer meaningful data about what you’re getting right (or wrong) as a business.

Customer reviews provide more than just a boost to sales; here’s how they bring value to your business:

1. Actionable Product Insights:
   Reviews reveal what customers love or dislike about your products. This feedback helps you iterate, fix issues & improve your products or services.
2. Customer Engagement:
   Asking for & responding to reviews shows your customers that their opinion matters, helping to build brand loyalty.
3. Transparency:
   Even negative reviews build transparency. No product is perfect & highlighting genuine feedback adds authenticity to your brand.
4. Competitive Edge:
   Detailed reviews with photos or videos help customers compare your product to others.

Now, let’s discuss practical ways to encourage & manage customer reviews effectively.

1. Ask Strategically

The easiest way to get reviews? Ask for them. Many customers won’t leave reviews unless prompted, so it’s up to you to send a polite request. However, timing is key.

• Send an email shortly after delivery while the product experience is still fresh.
• Include embedded links to make it easy for your customer to write a review.
• Don’t be pushy or beg for a review. Instead, highlight that their feedback helps your business grow & helps other shoppers.

2. Make Reviews Visible

Visibility matters. Place reviews on prominent pages of your website, such as:

• Product pages
• Landing pages
• Checkout pages

Using schema to display star ratings in search results adds another layer of visibility, often boosting CTR.

3. Be Transparent

No one trusts a site with nothing but glowing, perfect feedback. Customers want honesty.

That means:

• Show both positive & negative reviews.
• Don’t alter or filter genuine feedback.
• Respond to negative reviews rather than deleting them. Showing your effort to address issues builds trust & paints your business in a positive light.

4. Offer Incentives (Carefully)

Encourage reviews with mild incentives like discounts, loyalty points, or entry into a prize draw. Just be careful not to appear like you’re paying for glowing reviews, as this can backfire.

5. Leverage Social Media

Tap into your brand’s social media followers. Share posts asking fans to review your products & link directly to your review sections, share photos.
Many satisfied customers just need a gentle nudge.

6. Capture the Moment

Timing matters when it comes to requesting reviews. When your customers are excited about their purchase, they tend to leave more enthusiastic & detailed reviews.

Send a follow-up email a few days after delivery with a friendly request for feedback.

As online reviews grow in importance, making sure they are genuine is crucial. The UK government recently introduced laws banning fake reviews. This is designed to ensure transparency for consumers & fairness for businesses. These changes aim to:

• Prevent misleading practices like posting paid or fake reviews.
• Hold platforms accountable for moderating their review sections to ensure authenticity.

Check for fake reviews & keep your site clear & honest.

No business is immune to receiving criticism. However, negative reviews can be an opportunity to turn feedback into action & subsequently improve your customer relationships.
Here’s how:

1. Respond Promptly:
   Acknowledge the issue & explain how you plan to address it.
2. Stay Professional:
   Avoid getting defensive. Responding graciously keeps your brand reputation intact.
3. Implement Feedback:
   Monitor for recurring themes & use this feedback to improve your products & services.

Showing that you take feedback seriously builds consumer trust, even when things go south.

Did you know that Q&A sections on product pages can influence conversion rates just as much as reviews? A study by PowerReviews shows that having a Q&A feature boosts conversions by 177.2%.
Why?

• Shoppers get quick answers to specific questions about the product.
• Q&A content reduces uncertainty, making potential customers feel more confident in their purchase.

Consider integrating a Q&A tool into your product pages to complement your review strategy.

Adding photos to reviews is another game-changer. Customers are 26% more likely to purchase when they see user-generated images alongside product feedback. Encourage customers to upload clear, authentic shots, moderate the content but avoid editing or filtering them. This creates a richer, more trustworthy customer experience.

Online reviews clearly play a massive role in e-commerce success. Whether they boost conversions, improve customer trust, or provide actionable insights, they deserve a core spot in your strategy.

If you’re not already, start actively encouraging reviews, managing them transparently & include them, strategically, into your website.

Looking for more advice? Get in touch with our team today. We’re here to help you build trust, boost conversions & grow your business.