Get Reviews, Increase Sales: How to Ask For Reviews Online (+ Template)

In a world of merchants crowding into the ecommerce space, there’s bound to be a ton of other brands competing with you for customers. As this competition heats up, you need to stand taller than the rest.

The fact is, your potential customer trusts your existing customers more than they trust your shiny marketing (though you want to keep that up).

Customer reviews, in their various forms, are a vital way to demonstrate that your product is what it says it is and that it is super awesome, to boot.

There are many ways you can showcase customer reviews—on product pages, in paid ads, on social media, in online marketplaces, within email marketing, etc. But you have to‌ get the reviews to be able to do that.

So, how do you get customer reviews? And how do you respond when they’ve passed judgment (good or bad) on your products?

In this post, we’ll cover:

• Best practices for attracting customer reviews
• How to ask for reviews directly
• How to respond to customer reviews

#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Showcase your glowing reviews without coding<cta-title>Build and customize your store pages with ease, then add conversion-boosting elements like customer reviews.Start building for free

Why it’s essential to get reviews from your customers

Without reviews, your products can seem untested to potential customers.

When weighing the decision to buy a similar product from two different brands, it’ll likely come down to the one with the reviews (assuming they’re largely positive).

In fact, 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product, according to Podium.

Despite our desire to be at the bleeding edge, most of us would rather buy a product that other people have already formed opinions about. It’s just easier.

79% of consumers seek out sites with product reviews when researching a purchase. So, those lacking this vital social proof are bound to see higher bounce rates as shoppers see this.

And, most shoppers are searching for negative reviews (a full 96%, according to PowerReviews research). By sussing out the biggest problems customers have with your product, they can make better purchasing decisions.

Having a couple of reviews published across your brand’s website, social media, and other publications is not enough—you need to have a significant number for your customers to feel they can trust them.

Research data by Baymard Institute shows that shoppers often prefer to purchase products that have a higher number of reviews over higher product ratings.

For instance, a survey showed that 70% of users would choose a product with a 4.5-star rating average based on 12 reviews over a product that had a perfect 5-star rating with only two reviews.

Similarly, in a second survey, 74% of users chose the lesser-rated product with a higher number of reviews.

And according to Statista, online shoppers in the US expect an average number of 112 reviews, with younger shoppers expecting more reviews than older ones.

But how can you get that many customer reviews? And what percentage of customers leave reviews?

Best practices for how to get customer reviews

Today’s customers are more tech-savvy than ever. With more than 50% of consumers aged 25-34 writing a review of a business or product—there are many ways you can acquire customer reviews.

Incentivize your customers

Sometimes your happiest customers may need an incentive to leave a customer review.

They have busy schedules and long to-do lists. Offering them the chance to win a prize after leaving a review may give them the motivation they need.

Kate Spade Saturday offers their customers 25% off their next order if they complete the survey—a difficult incentive to refuse for shoppers who like their products.

Make reviews easy to leave

Customers aren’t likely to go out of their way to leave a review for the products they purchased from your store—even if they love them.

So how do you get your customers to leave a review? Make it as easy as possible for them—simplicity is key.

Mack Weldon makes it easy for its customers to leave a review by using a clear and concise email. It makes it obvious that leaving a review will only take a few seconds of their time—all they need to do is click on one of the stars.

“The best approach to solicit reviews is simply to make it easy for them to leave a review. So, offering the option right away with a link to a feedback survey or shooting an email immediately after the purchase to leave a review. Your marketing strategy could also include offering review incentives like discounts for leaving a product review.”

— Stacey Kane, Business Development Lead at EasyMerchant

Use surveys to get responses

After your customer has completed their purchase—let them know that your goal is to enhance their customer experience further.

Do this by sending an email that asks if they would complete a survey to review how they found the product and the overall service they experienced.

Withings sent an email to their customers requesting them to fill out a two-minute survey.

Next, we’ll discuss how to ask for customer reviews in a way that entices them to take action.

How to ask customers for reviews

When you set up a system for continuously requesting reviews, you guarantee that your online store has a steady stream of positive feedback coming in.

Thankfully, asking your customers to give reviews doesn’t have to feel awkward or self-serving.

Here’s how:

• Make it easy. Most people won’t do something if it seems complicated. If you want a review, make it easy. Examples include just a single form, direct links to the form, and multiple review options.
• Incentivize the ask. Simplicity isn’t the only way to smooth out the friction of this process. Give customers something in return, like a discount on their next order, to secure the positive review. They might even be willing to give more for the reward, like a video or image review.
• Explain why their customer feedback is so essential. When you let your customers know that the experience they receive will improve by providing a customer review, they are more enticed to do so.
• Say thank you. Let your customers know how grateful you are for their review, and if they have any comments, concerns, or questions, you are more than happy to help.
• Ask when the customer is happy. The best time to ask for customer reviews is when your customer is at their happiest. Such as when they have received a product that’s arrived in excellent condition and on time or after a great customer service experience.
• Understand the customer journey. When you understand what stage someone is at on their customer journey, you can ask the questions they want to answer. This sort of personalization provides a relevant experience for them.
• Show them you value their time. Keep the conversation short and focused, and let them know you plan to do so. Don’t ask irrelevant questions. Be mindful of your customer’s time and tell them in advance how long it’ll take for them to leave a review.

Product review request email template

Here’s a general template you can use to get started. Edit it however you like to match your brand voice and tone.

Subject: [first_name], what’d you think?

Hey [first_name],

Thanks so much for your purchase! We hope you are loving your [product_name].

We’d love to hear your thoughts. Please take a moment to let us know how it worked for you, so we can keep providing a stellar experience to customers like you.

To leave your review, just click the button below:

[product image] [product name]

[five star icons]

[Review this item]

If you had any issues with your order, we’re happy to fix those ASAP. Get in touch with our customer support team now.

Using a short and sweet review request message will ensure that the greatest number of customers actually read the message and click through.

It’s also important that you give them a chance to speak to your support team if anything has gone wrong with their order. This can short-circuit a bad review.

Examples of customer review request emails

Here are a few examples of review request messages from major ecommerce brands to help inspire your own email template.

Bellroy

Everlane

Everlane does a great job of asking for reviews, but they also put their reviews to great use in their email marketing campaigns (seen below).

Casper

Massdrop

#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Add your product reviews to any page<cta-title>Build your store pages with ease, then start boosting conversions with customer reviews.Start designing for free

How do you respond to customer reviews?

Your customers rely heavily on reviews when deciding if they want to purchase a product from your store.

So you must know how to respond to both negative and positive feedback and stay on top of this process.

By monitoring product reviews, you can learn where to improve your product or service, the overall sentiment surrounding your brand, and user-generated content marketing opportunities.

Let’s look at how you can respond to different types of reviews.

How to respond to negative customer reviews

Research has shown that 53% of users specifically seek out negative reviews for products they are interested in, and 37% of users positively factor in any site responses to negative reviews—both in how they feel about the negative review, product, and website.

Unfortunately, 83% of all ecommerce sites don’t respond to negative reviews, which is a big missed opportunity to leverage the bad review as a branding and marketing opportunity.

“Acknowledging both positive and negative reviews is an effective way of reinforcing customer loyalty. 83% of customers agree they feel more loyal to brands that respond to and resolve their complaints.”

— Eric Netsch, CEO and co-founder of Tapcart

When responding to a negative review, it’s best to:

1. Address the person who left the customer review calmly and professionally.
2. Thank them for taking the time to post the review.
3. Apologize and then sympathize with their experience.
4. Try and resolve the issue. Let them know their feedback will help you improve the product or experience.

Below you can see a real-world example of an excellent response to a negative experience.

“If you’ve got negative reviews, don’t despair! Respond publicly to the review in a way that shows empathy for their concerns without being defensive or dismissive.

Don’t delete reviews just because they’re negative—you need that information so that you can improve! Keeping them up as you resolve the issue demonstrates your transparency and authenticity to current and potential customers.”

— Tom Leighton, COO of Sofary

How to respond to positive customer reviews

Responding to a positive review shows your customers that you’re listening and you care about their opinions.

Potential customers will see your response as a positive engagement if it’s something like this:

1. Thank the customer for leaving a glowing review and let them know you appreciate them.
2. Mirror back the positive parts of their good reviews in your response to them. Feel free to hype your product.
3. If they mention someone who is a part of your team, let them know that you’ll pass along the compliment to them.
4. Tell your customer you hope they visit your store again and recommend some products that match their recent purchase.
5. Encourage them to share their positive experience with friends and family. This would be a good moment to tell them about your loyalty or referral program if you have one.

Below is a review example from Adidas encouraging the customer to return to the store.

Taking full advantage of positive customer reviews

Positive reviews are powerful marketing tools.

No matter how great your own marketing messaging is, it’ll never come off as earnest and sincere as a customer review.

So, when you get positive customer reviews, you need to take advantage of them. Don’t let them sit around—inject them into your marketing to enhance their power.

“You can take advantage of positive reviews in a few different ways. Use them as social proof to drive more sales. When shoppers see that others have had positive experiences, they’re more likely to purchase themselves.

Or, use them as a marketing tool. If you have particularly glowing reviews, highlight them on your website or in your marketing materials. This helps attract new customers and build brand awareness”

— Jamie Irwin, Director & Founder at Straight Up Search

When you combine your usual marketing strategies with positive product reviews, you create a wave of positive energy that amplifies the effect it has on potential customers.

Integrating particularly great reviews into your store design laces the shopping experience with trust-boosting messaging, helping to push them through the funnel.

“Once you have some solid reviews and testimonials, you should promote them as much as possible—on your homepage, product pages, social media, advertising, etc.

You want to show potential customers that ‘yes, there are customers using our products,’ and ‘yes, our products have helped them.’ The more reviews you have the better.”

— Luke Genoyer, Marketing Director at United World Telecom

Build a powerful product review engine to grow sales

By putting in the effort to acquire product reviews from your customers, you’ll be able to consistently improve your products and grow your sales.

Effectively, what you’re doing is demonstrating that your customers are part of your team, helping you to create better products and a better service overall.

The more great reviews you get, the more shoppers will be convinced to convert and leave great reviews—a powerful feedback loop. This allows you to scale efficiently and capture more of your target audience.

Showcase your customer reviews quickly and easily with Shogun Page Builder’s drag-and-drop functionality. You’ll be happy that you did.

#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Feature your positive reviews across your store<cta-title>Build and customize all your store pages with ease and add conversion-boosting elements like customer reviews without coding.Start designing for free