Online reviews are the true lifeblood of Amazon. Not only do they help shoppers determine the best value products with the highest quality, but it empowers shoppers to work together and share common experiences for the products they buy. By using reviews, shoppers can ask each other questions, troubleshoot shared issues, and suggest recommendations on how to use a product. For Amazon sellers, Amazon reviews serve an ever greater purpose.
Sellers and products with more positive reviews have higher sales and conversion rates. 95% of shoppers read reviews before making a purchase, meaning the more positive reviews your products have, the higher the number of products you sell. Amazon reviews help sellers build brand awareness. 91% of shoppers read reviews regularly when shopping online and 84% of shoppers trust online reviews like they would a personal recommendation. Most importantly, online reviews provide product visibility, as Amazon’s algorithm ranks products with more reviews higher on their Best Sellers Rank.
What does this mean for sellers? The answer is simple: maximize the number of positive reviews as possible. In this guide, we’ll be breaking down 5 proven methods to obtain legal Amazon reviews without putting your account at risk!
Amazon’s Rules and Regulations for Reviews
Before we tell you the best method to obtain Amazon reviews, it is important to touch on Amazon’s guidelines for their review system. From Amazon’s website, here are their core rules:
1. Do not obtain reviews from parties who have a direct or indirect financial interest in the product
2. Do not obtain reviews from parties who have a direct or indirect relationship with the product’s seller
3. Do not review your products
4. Do not exchange reviews for compensation or monetary incentives
5. Do not put negative reviews on your competitor’s products
6. Do not obtain put multiple negative/positive reviews for the same product
Summary: Do not get reviews for your products in unsavory ways.
We discuss the topic in greater detail in our article, 4 Best Amazon Reviewer Checkers, but the main concept is: fake reviews suck. Fake reviews hurt shoppers trying to find great products and they also hurt sellers who are trying to promote their products. We encourage all sellers and shoppers to be as genuine as possible when collecting reviews. That’s why this article is going to highlight the best, legal, and proven methods that any seller can use to gain real, genuine product reviews.
How to Get 5-Star Reviews on Amazon
The first method of gaining 5-star reviews is to build an Amazon business that prioritizes the needs of the customer.
Amazon’s business should start by only selling high-quality products. When writing a review, the reviewer thinks of two questions:
1. Does this product fulfill my needs?
2. Does this product meet my expectations?
Remember: the products you sell are a reflection of your business. This means you never want to sell products with low quality, high defects, or do not fulfill the needs of the customer. Customers appreciate businesses with great products, if you want 5-star reviews, start with sourcing 5-star worthy products.
The next step is to provide excellent customer service at all times. This means promptly filing returns and refunds, responding to customer’s inquiries and concerns, and most importantly, troubleshooting any issue or conflict that may arise. Customer service goes a long way for a shopper. The less headache for them, the better they perceive your business and are more likely to give your product a 5-star review.
Our last suggestion is how to deal with negative reviews. Negative reviews happen, it is normal. When you receive a negative review, stay calm and resolve the issue as soon as possible. Identify a negative review, understand the buyer’s problem, and do your best to resolve the issue. This could be issuing a refund, sending a new unit, or simply sending the buyer an apology. More often than not, a shopper updates their negative review once you troubleshoot their problem.
Don’t Rely on Amazon’s Automated System
Amazon offers 4 different tools for sellers to use to obtain product reviews. The first being Amazon’s Automated System, which sends buyers a customer feedback email a couple of days after purchasing a product to provide reviews, feedback, or report any issues with the product. While this method is free and curated through Amazon, we highly suggest sellers not rely on this method for reviews.
The problem with Amazon’s Automated System is that the emails are too bland, generic, and impersonal. The Automated System has a very low click-through rate, meaning you won’t get a lot of traction through this method. We recommend sellers use this as a passive method of obtaining reviews. Do not rely entirely on the automated system.
“Request a Review” through Amazon
The second method offered by Amazon is through the “Request a Review” feature on your Amazon Seller Central account. After a purchase is made, sellers can Request a Review in which they send a personal email to the buyer within 4 to 30 days of the purchase. This is a great way for sellers to send a more personal email to their buyers and directly ask for a review.
While this process may be time-consuming, it is definitely worth the effort to develop a relationship with your customer and ask about your products directly.
Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program
New products have the hardest time getting reviews. Because buyers want to buy proven products, they don’t buy products with no reviews. How do products with no reviews gain reviews if no one wants to buy them? That’s why Amazon created their Early Reviewer Program.
The Early Reviewer Program rewards customers who purchase new products and submit reviews with an Amazon gift card. Everyone wins! The sellers gain sales and reviews for their product, the reviewers get to test new products and receive a small incentive for submitting a review, and Amazon helps other shoppers who may be looking for the same product. The Early Reviewer Program is a great method for sellers to get reviews for new products with no reviews.
Amazon’s Vine Program
Similar to the Early Reviewer Program, the Amazon Vine Program allows sellers to gain reviews from Amazon’s top and most trusted reviewers. Amazon provides Vine reviewers with free products supplied by a seller. It is a great way to get a ton of reviews in a short time.
You might be thinking, why should I join the program? Is it worth giving away free products in exchange for reviews? Simply put: YES! While you may lose some money giving away products for free, sellers get a ton of product reviews and attention to their new products without doing any work! The reviewers are not random customers either. The Vine Program members are among Amazon’s most elite product reviewers who have been ranked and hand-selected by Amazon to review your product. Not only are you getting genuine reviews, but the reviewers can provide exceptional feedback you can use to improve your products. Sellers can even send pre-launch products and get reviews before the listing even goes live.
We know the Vine program might not be for every seller, but if your business has the means to participate or if you are in desperate need of product reviews, the Vine program is a great and easy method to do so.
Connect with Buyers Outside of Amazon
The last strategy we suggest to sellers is to connect with your customers outside of Amazon and request reviews. Here are some proven methods you can use to connect with your audience:
1. Social media: Many sellers and their businesses have a strong online presence and social following. Social media is a great method to communicate and ask for reviews on products they recently purchased from you.
2. Newsletters: Newsletter subscribers are typically your most loyal and engaged buyers who love your company and brand. Why not ask them for product reviews?
3. Product Inserts: Product inserts are a great method to get reviews if done correctly. When packaging your products, include a small graphic insert with a description of your company and request a review from the buyer. Don’t ask for a 5-star review or provide any incentive (that’s against Amazon’s rules we mentioned earlier), just ask for a review and stay unbiased.
The best part about these strategies is that they’re dependent on Amazon. There are no limits to reaching out to your fan base outside of Amazon!
Reviews Start Before You Sell
Like we mentioned above, product reviews start with your company and the products you sell. All of the methods of obtaining reviews are great, but the easiest and most organic way to get 5-star reviews is to source and sell products that fulfill the needs of the customer. Finding the right products means spending time conducting proper product research and product sourcing.
Great tools like the Sellgo Profit Finder and Product Tracker empower your business to source the best quality and profitable products to maximize your 5-star reviews. If you want 5-star products, start your business off right with Sellgo.
