Turn 5 Star Reviews into Sales on Black Friday
Black Friday is one of the most anticipated shopping days of the year and having 5-star reviews can help you convert site visitors into actual sales.
In 2019, the National Retail Federation reported that 124 million people shopped in stores during Thanksgiving weekend while a soaring 142.2 million shopped online. Converting as many of these visitors into sales during the holiday can make Black Friday the day that makes your entire year.
So, what can you do to ensure that your 5-star reviews help you increase your Black Friday sales?
You can’t just sit back and assume that your review platform will work to your advantage. With the right plan, the 5 Star reviews you have worked so hard for can help boost your sales on Black Friday and also throughout the year.
Know How Reviews Impact Sales
Understanding the impact reviews can have on sales will help you grasp the importance of having a plan. Not only do 95 percent of buyers read reviews before making a purchase, there is also a proven impact on purchase behavior. Many shoppers rely on personal recommendations, but 85% of buyers say that online reviews are just as important.
So, with just a few statistics, it is easy to see how much reviews can sway your sales. In fact, 72 percent of buyers don’t take action until they read reviews. If you don’t want to miss out on sales, especially during critical days like Black Friday, you need your review game to be on point.
Now that you see how important reviews are, there are several things you can do to strategize and make customer testimonials work to your advantage.
Have Reviews Visible
Some companies choose not to show their reviews or they make them hard to find, but based on the data this might not be the best strategy. Studies show that displaying reviews can increase conversion by 270% for high end purchases. That is a large percentage and definitely worth noting.
To ensure your reviews are growing your sales, make sure they are in a prominent location that is easy to see. The reviews should also be in an easy-to-read format. Buyers should not need to make several clicks to get to a review, and it is ideal if they can access it on the same page, or with a single click.
Stellar reviews are even more important to highlight. Having 5 star reviews displayed can increase conversion by 4x, so make sure that these are visible and your sales will start to show the impact.
Leverage Verified Shoppers
Having reviews displayed is one step, but including a verified shopper badge not only helps the credibility of your reviews but also makes conversion more likely. Most platforms offer this option, and if you can take advantage of it, you should.
Now more than ever shoppers can be skeptical of reviews because there are so many businesses using fake review services. Making sure reviews are from verified buyers takes this hesitation away and makes consumers more likely to buy. Authenticity helps boost confidence in your product and is especially important during peak times like Black Friday where your site will have increased traffic.
More Is Not Always Better
There is no need to worry if you don’t have hundreds of reviews. In fact, consumers are more likely to purchase by reading the 10 most recent reviews, with the first five reviews having the most impact.
Knowing that these are the most powerful reviews, set your sights on quality reviews that come in consistently, as opposed to a high quantity of inferior quality reviews. This strategy will help you target the half of consumers that only lend weight to reviews from the past 2 weeks.
Always remember: authentic, recent reviews will get you the most conversions.
Don’t Hesitate To Ask
If you are not getting reviews, you may not be asking in the right way. Or maybe you aren’t asking at all. It is essential to have a follow-up campaign that asks customers to leave a review. In fact, 80% of reviews come from email follow-up.
An additional way to entice customers to leave reviews is to offer incentives like coupon codes or product giveaways. So, before Black Friday, it would be beneficial to contact customers and remind them to leave feedback. Make it easy and give them a link or simple instructions on how to leave a testimonial. Who knows, maybe they will all be 5 star reviews!
Ultimately, the key is to display high quality, authentic 5 star reviews so that your Black Friday sales conversions will soar.
