The 2020 holiday season will be here before you know it so businesses should start to prepare now. One way to boost holiday sales is to get more reviews. Reviews can help new customers feel confident in purchasing form your company. Product reviews, testimonials, and social media comments can all aid other consumers in forming an opinion about your business. The more reviews a business has, the more trustworthy the reviews are.
U.S. companies lose more than $75 billion each year due to poor customer service. Reviews highlight positive customer experiences and shows that your business’s customers are important.
The Importance of Getting More Reviews
Online reviews let consumers know that they can trust your company. No reviews can result in a decrease in sales for your business. According to Fan and Fuel, 92% of consumers hesitate to purchase from a company that has no customer reviews. And a whopping 97% stated that customer reviews do affect their buying decisions.
The same data also found that reviews produce an increase of 18% in sales. Customers are more likely to buy from a website that has reviews than one that does not. Getting more reviews on your website reduces doubts about purchasing, which results in a higher conversion rate. It also strengthens your brand’s credibility and reliability.
How to Get More Reviews
The process to get more reviews is quite easy:
- Ask Your Customers. You won’t get many reviews if you don’t ask for them. Have a customer that was really pleased with their product? Ask them if they would be willing to write a review for you. Some businesses choose not to do it because they are afraid of hearing some bad information, but this can only help to improve your company.
- Make it Easy. The review process should be as simple as possible for the customer. Offer several ways in which the customer can submit a review—email and an online form on your website work well.
- Ask Soon After Purchase. It is best to ask soon after a customer makes a purchase, but not at point of sale. If you want longer answers, rather than just stars, ask them specifically why they bought the product or service, and if they would shop with you again.
- Send a Follow-up Email or Text Reminder. Not every customer will answer the first time so ask one more time if you do not get a response the first time.
- Ask Soon After Purchase. It is best to ask soon after a customer makes a purchase, but not at point of sale. If you want longer answers, rather than just stars, ask them specifically why they bought the product or service, and if they would shop with you again.
- Engage Online. Use your social media platforms to get more reviews and feedback on your products and services.
- Thank the Customer. Remember to thank each customer for taking the time to submit a review.
Get More Customer Reviews and Increase SEO
Customer testimonials can increase sales indirectly as they improve your business’s search engine optimization. Since search engines are controlled by algorithms, customer reviews (particularly those on Google Pages) lend credibility to your business. This means a higher rank in the search engines, and more sales. Including a review in the website’s meta description alone can improve click rates by 20%.
The important revenue-generating holiday season can be even more profitable with testimonials about your business. When a company takes the time to get more reviews from their customers, they will see in an increase in sales. Find out how we can help you get more reviews and boost your sales this holiday season.
