Allow space for customer reviews
Often, ecommerce businesses tend to overlook one of the most potent tools by which they can enhance their value. One may have the best design and the best features for the online shopper, but there is perhaps no tool that is as powerful as customer reviews. It is simple common sense that nothing makes a product sell better than a good testimonial.
Why offer customer reviews?
The most important use of reviews is that they build confidence about the product. Undoubtedly, at this, there is no better means for a product to be seen and sold. There is no denying that the most creative ads may not go as far as user reviews in pushing the sale of a product.
Customer reviews are a good way of populating a website with valuable content. By allowing customer reviews, an online business allows free discussion of its products. This is something that never happens in a physical store, because there, a product never gets discussed about in forums.
Reviews aid improvement in the product. As a seller and not a creator of products or services, an ecommerce business has limited control over the quality of the product. It only receives from one source and sells to another. Discussion about the product from its users goes a long way in improving the quality of the product, because the online business can use these discussions as proof that the product is not being well received and present it to the manufacturer. This contributes to betterment.
The way to get them
Having understood the importance of user reviews, the next step that ecommerce businesses should undertake is ways by which they can get these. Getting reviews may be great for ebusinesses, but getting users to give their opinion is a great challenge. The simple reason for this is that the customer has no gain in doing this. So, ebusinesses should induce them to do this. They can reward them for writing reviews. Of course, this is a bit like offering a bribe; but when directed properly, it can work.
Think of variety
The reward can be given in intuitive and different ways. For instance, an ecommerce business may offer incentives or discounts on the purchases made by reviewers. An ecommerce business can also think of enlisting consistent reviewers to an elite panel of select users, which will be entitled to special packages. Ecommerce businesses should also be sportive when it comes to negative reviews. It should treat these as means for improvement.
