6 Ultimate Tips on How to Generate More Reviews on Amazon
Seller Central Account: Check!
SEO Optimization: Check!
Product Launch: Check!
Amazon Review: Check?
What may seem simple at first can become challenging in practice: generating product reviews and ratings. This is because buying reviews or ratings is not only prohibited by Amazon’s review guidelines. It is also not advisable to purchase Amazon reviews in light of legal regulations and consumer protection.
Good to know There is a significant difference between an Amazon review and a seller rating. While reviews refer to a product, the seller rating makes a statement about the seller themselves and influences the overall assessment of seller performance.
At the same time, sellers rely on not only receiving reviews on Amazon themselves but also on their products generating corresponding reviews, as this influences sales in several ways.
Why Buying Amazon Reviews is a Bad Idea
If reviews and ratings are so important, why not allocate some budget and hire a service to write corresponding reviews specifically created for Amazon, albeit ultimately false? After all, such offers can be found all over the internet, suggesting that sellers could gain advantages on the online platform this way.
Very simple: It is prohibited. In the worst case, fake reviews can lead to the complete suspension of the seller account. And this is irreversible!
Why is this the case? Until a few years ago, it was common practice in the Amazon review system to generate desired reviews inorganically. This often involved launching a new product with corresponding coupon codes, allowing buyers to order the item for a fraction of the actual price. Alternatively, sellers would refund a large portion of the money to customers after the purchase. However, such practices lead to fake reviews, not honest ones. These honest reviews are what Amazon aims for. Customer reviews should reflect how satisfied the buyer actually was with the product. Only in this way can the e-commerce giant ensure that reviews realistically represent the shopping experience and product experience and are credible. This, in turn, is necessary for users to build trust, rely on Amazon reviews, and avoid disappointment upon receiving the goods.
It is also advisable not to list products at a heavily reduced price. An extreme discount compared to the normal price can potentially cost you the Buy Box – even when it comes to private labels.
All of this essentially applies to the seller rating as well, even though purchased reviews on Amazon are relatively rare. The average seller rating and the number of seller reviews directly influence the acquisition of the Buy Box. Sellers who boost their Amazon metrics through purchased reviews are gaining a competitive advantage without being able to fulfill this performance promise in the end. Therefore, the online giant does not want these sellers, who violate the guidelines, to be in the Buy Box. A change in these rules by the online giant is not to be expected.
Amazon Deletes Fake Reviews and Ratings
For some time now, the online marketplace has been taking action against fake reviews. In particular, reviews that do not have a “verified purchase” tag are removed. However, it also affects other reviews and ratings where the tech giant has indications that they are not genuine Amazon product reviews or seller ratings.
Amazon does indeed block reviews. Unfortunately, as usual, it is difficult to determine the criteria the company uses to identify a fake and then take action. For example, there are speculations in the depths of the World Wide Web that the Seller App reads the contacts of sellers and subsequently deletes the respective Amazon review. Whether this is just a rumor or contains a grain of truth is known only to the tech giant itself.
By the way, it is also a violation of the guidelines that every seller has agreed to, to give away products for free in exchange for a positive Amazon review! Here too, credibility suffers. Ultimately, only organically generating reviews is compliant with the guidelines!
ChatGPT: AI-Generated Reviews Are Also Fake
Increasingly, AI-generated fake reviews are becoming a problem. Especially since the spread of ChatGPT, there has been a rise in some very peculiar reviews on the product pages of the marketplace. In addition to reviews that stand out only due to suspicious phrasing, there are also reviewers who don’t even bother to read their reviews before copying and publishing them:
“As an AI language model, I have not personally used an aquarium light. Nevertheless, here is a sample review for an LED aquarium light, based on the features and benefits one might expect.” (Source: t3n)
Many of these reviews are said to have been posted by members of the Vine Program. In this program, selected customers receive products for free, which they are supposed to review honestly in return. However, the concept now seems to be falling short – at least, one can doubt how credible reviews from ChatGPT are when they are not even checked by the reviewer.
Fake reviews are also a problem for sellers:
A solution is currently not in sight. (As of May 2023)
Tips and Tricks for More Organic Reviews
These strict guidelines result in many sellers finding themselves in a dilemma. They want to launch a new product, but to generate any orders at all, they need to have at least a few Amazon reviews. However, they can only receive these if customers have already purchased the product. It’s a vicious cycle.
So, another solution is needed. We present various measures to turn your customers into reviewers – guaranteed to be compliant with the guidelines!
#1: The Direct Approach – Ask for Reviews
The simplest, but unfortunately not necessarily the most effective method to encourage customers to write a review on Amazon is the direct request.
The advantage: It requires relatively little effort from the seller. The disadvantage: Customers do not like to be bothered.
To minimize the risk of the latter, it should be done as discreetly as possible. Email bombardment or oversized flyers as package inserts are generally not well-received. One option could be to include small business cards in the package that draw the customer’s attention to the possibility of leaving an Amazon review. Additionally, providing an email address or phone number for the customer to reach out to with questions or issues regarding the product can help build trust and increase the likelihood of a positive review.
Attention! Sellers who ship via Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) unfortunately have no option to include business cards or similar items according to the applicable guidelines. Doing so would risk the goods being logged as “distributor_damaged.” Both the inserts and the shipped item would be disposed of without the right to a refund. However, if the seller ships via Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM), they can include a packing slip or invoice and design it accordingly.
Since the end of 2019, there has also been a button in Seller Central that allows sellers to actively request an Amazon review after an order. However, whether this was responded to was up to the customer. Amazon has since disabled this feature and now sends requests for reviewing a product completely automated.
#2: Subtly – Gummy Bears, Gimmicks, and Co.
Who doesn’t like receiving gifts? And what was that saying about the mouth of a gifted horse? Customers who receive more than they pay for are, first of all, more satisfied; secondly, they feel a desire to give something back – a completely normal human reaction. Sellers can use a small gimmick to influence how likely a customer is to leave an Amazon review or a seller rating.
Not only gummy bears are suitable as an addition. It’s even better if the gimmick relates to the product. For example, if a seller sells dog leashes, a small bag of treats would fit perfectly. If the customer finds a nice pair of chopsticks along with their porcelain plates designed in the Ming Dynasty style, that certainly adds charm. Of course, one should avoid low-quality gimmicks – just as with inadequate products.
Just like the flyers mentioned above, gimmicks are not allowed with FBA shipping. Only with FBM can sellers use such package inserts to encourage their customers to leave an Amazon review and boost their overall rating.
#3: Indirectly – Brand, Marketing, and Product
What does the ideal reviewer look like? Is it a customer who received the product practically for free or someone who was paid for the Amazon review? Certainly not. The ideal reviewer is rather someone who stands behind the brand and is convinced of the product in question at its original price. These are the buyers that online sellers want to encourage to leave a review.
This is most effectively achieved, of course, through a great, high-quality, and ideally innovative product. Not everyone has the luck of reinventing the wheel. That’s why a strong brand and good marketing are essential! Adidas also sells just ordinary shoes. But the image and the product are right!
Sellers can achieve a lot with high-quality product pages and additional A+ content. What story does the brand or company have? What extra features does the product offer? Additionally, with the extra content, it is possible to control which recommendations Amazon displays on a product page. This allows a second, less well-performing product to be placed on the page of a bestseller and thus be promoted. However, marketing outside the e-commerce platform is also beneficial for building a strong brand. This way, getting Amazon reviews will also work out.
#4: In Personal Contact – Service, Service, Service
By now, it should be well known: at Amazon, the customer is indeed king. This has sometimes unpleasant consequences for sellers, such as when every return is accepted or money is refunded, whether justified or not. On the other hand, the pursuit of creating the perfect customer journey has made Amazon one of the largest global players and attracted millions of customers.
Also, for winning the Buy Box and seller performance, the quality of customer service provided by a seller plays a crucial role. A nice side effect: the better the service, the more verified reviews sellers receive. Because when a customer has an issue and contacts the seller, they will later be asked if their problem was resolved. A “No” leads to a negative review, while a “Yes” leads to a positive review.
But you can also generate a few Amazon reviews this way. A footer at the end of the message indicating that you would appreciate a product review here on Amazon doesn’t hurt. However, avoid begging for it. Additionally, you should certainly do everything possible to resolve the customer’s issue. This can include helpful content on how to use the product as well as sending a replacement for free.
#5: With Assistance – Amazon Vine
Amazon Vine is the only legal way in the review system to exchange a product for an Amazon review. Selected product testers receive the seller’s product for review purposes. The Vine program has been open to sellers only since December 2019; previously, only vendors were allowed.
The catch: Amazon decides who can participate in the program and test items, which products can be tested, and fees are likely to be incurred sooner or later.
Additionally, there are certain requirements to participate as a seller. These include, for example:
But caution! Participants in the Vine program are required to express their honest opinion in the respective Amazon review. There is no guarantee for only positive reviews. If someone later wants to retract an Amazon review, they cannot do so easily – just like with organic reviews!
In Seller Central, sellers can find the “Vine” option under “Amazon Advertising” and begin the registration process. Since participation is free for the first six months according to t3n, the Vine program can be a good opportunity for new sellers without an existing customer base to generate their first Amazon reviews.
#6: Through Old Friends – Email Campaigns
Most sellers gradually build their own lists of email addresses from customers in one way or another, completely independent of Amazon. During a product launch, these contacts are worth their weight in gold, as they can be used to create a targeted campaign that directs customers to the Amazon product page. Many free versions of email marketing programs, such as Mailchimp, offer this possibility.
The email to all contacts can also be combined with a corresponding introductory offer, such as a limited-time discount of a few percent or a note about limited quantities to boost the conversion rate a bit. Of course, not all recipients will click the link in the first email, let alone that anyone would have already written an Amazon review. A follow-up will be made to these recipients after a few days or weeks – perhaps at a different time, on a different day of the week, or even on the weekend.
But even for those who clicked the link, a follow-up is useful. The problem is that Amazon sellers can hardly track which recipients not only clicked but also converted. Therefore, the second email to this group should address both those who merely clicked and those who clicked and made a purchase. This can be achieved with interesting content – for example, tips on hidden product features, usage instructions, or links to other relevant products.
As a basis for measuring success, sellers can use their usual conversion rates: Let’s assume a seller’s click-through rate is normally 30 percent. Of those, 15 percent convert and purchase the product. Of the buyers, perhaps 10 percent write an Amazon review. In general, it can be said that the better the customer feels taken care of and the more they engage with the product, the higher the likelihood that they will leave a (positive) Amazon review.
Conclusion (including video!): Reviews are important – but difficult to obtain
It should be clear that a product without a single Amazon review has little chance of generating sufficient sales volume. To win the Buy Box or sell private label goods on Amazon, both product reviews and seller ratings are essential. Ultimately, the overall rating of the seller also influences seller performance and thus the chances of obtaining the Buy Box.
However, it is a violation of Amazon’s review guidelines to give away items for free in exchange for a positive review, to buy reviews, to offer extreme discounts, or to generate non-organic reviews in other ways. Sellers should still have a few measures in place to encourage their customers to leave reviews. Amazon Vine and email campaigns are one option, as are gimmicks or small flyers. Fundamentally, the quality of customer service and marketing must align. Sellers should ultimately evaluate the results of their efforts over a longer period.
Image credits in the order of the images: © Gajus – stock.adobe.com / © Gajus – stock.adobe.com / © christianchan – stock.adobe.com
