5 Ways to Boost Customer Ratings

In 1997, Amazon.com pioneered the first online consumer reviews and customer ratings system. Since then, the use of online reviews has skyrocketed and consumers routinely search for them prior to making a purchase. Research shows that posting customer ratings on your e-commerce website (even negative ones) can attract new customers and increase sales. Here are five ways to boost customer ratings on your website:

Be Proactive – Many consumers won’t take the time to rate a product or service without encouragement to do so. After a customer makes a purchase on your site, send an email thanking them for their purchase and inviting them to submit a review.

Offer Incentives – Customers will be more inclined to complete reviews and rate products with an incentive. Offer small enticements such as a minor discount or free shipping on their next order if they complete a review; this will not only boost reviews and ratings, but prompt customers to shop on your site again.

Simplify the Review Process – Customers don’t want to be bothered writing reviews or completing product surveys that are lengthy and open-ended, so simplify the review process as much as possible. In addition, consider allowing reviews without registration.

Think Short and Sweet – In a similar vein, keep the review process short and sweet. For example, you may want to have a simple five-star rating system where customers can rate a specific product and a text box for any optional comments.

Keep the Negative Reviews – It may seem counterproductive but allowing negative reviews to be posted on your site is actually good for business and gives consumers a sense of transparency. If every single review is positive, it definitely raises a red flag among consumers and appears artificial.