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 initially seem simple can become difficult in practice: generating product reviews and ratings. This is because buying reviews or ratings is not only prohibited by Amazon’s review guidelines. Also, in terms of legal regulations and consumer protection, it is not advisable to buy Amazon reviews.
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 itself and influences the overall rating 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 affects sales in several ways.
Why it is a bad idea to buy Amazon reviews
If reviews and ratings are so important, why not allocate some budget and hire a corresponding service to write specially created but ultimately false reviews for Amazon? After all, you can find such offers all over the internet, suggesting that sellers could secure 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 irrevocably!
Why is that? Until a few years ago, it was common practice in the review system on Amazon to generate the desired review non-organically. This was usually done by 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 the customer after the purchase. However, such practices lead to fake reviews, not honest ones. These, however, are the goal of Amazon. 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, orient themselves to the Amazon review, and thus avoid disappointment upon receiving the goods.
It is also advisable not to list products with a heavily reduced price. An extreme discount compared to the normal price can under certain circumstances cost the Buy Box – even if they are private labels.
All of this basically applies to the seller rating as well, even if reviews purchased on Amazon are rather rare. The average seller rating and the number of seller reviews directly influence the receipt of the Buy Box. Merchants who boost their Amazon metrics through purchased reviews gain a competitive advantage without being able to fulfill this performance promise in the end. Therefore, the online giant does not want these merchants, who violate the guidelines, 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 a genuine Amazon product review or seller rating.
Amazon does indeed block reviews. Unfortunately, as usual, it is difficult to say what criteria the company uses to identify a fake and then take action. For example, there is speculation in the depths of the World Wide Web that the seller app reads the contacts of merchants and then 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 merchant has agreed to, to give away products for free in exchange for a positive Amazon review! Here, too, credibility suffers. Ultimately, only the organic generation of reviews is compliant with the guidelines!
ChatGPT: AI-generated reviews are also fake
Increasingly, AI-generated fake reviews are also becoming a problem. Especially since the spread of ChatGPT, there has been a rise in some very bizarre 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 do not even bother to read their reviews before copying and publishing them:
“As an AI language model, I have not used an aquarium light myself. Nevertheless, here is a sample review for an LED aquarium lighting, 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. 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 may doubt how credible reviews from ChatGPT are, which are not even checked by the reviewer.
Fake reviews are also a problem for merchants.
A solution approach is currently not in sight. (As of May 2023)
Tips and tricks for more organic reviews
These strict guidelines result in many merchants being in a dilemma. They want to launch a new product, but to generate any orders at all, they need to have at least one or two Amazon reviews. However, they can only get these if customers have already purchased the product. A vicious circle.
There must be another solution. We present you with various measures to turn your customers into reviewers – guaranteed to be compliant with the guidelines!
#1: The direct way – Asking for feedback
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 annoyed.
To minimize the risk of the latter, it should be designed as discreetly as possible. Email spam or oversized flyers as package inserts are not in vogue. One option could be to include small business cards in the package that draw the customer’s attention to the possibility of an Amazon review. Additionally, providing an email address or phone number that the customer can contact for questions or issues with the product could be helpful. This builds trust and increases the likelihood of a positive review.
Attention! Merchants 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 shipping item would be disposed of without the right to a refund. However, if the merchant ships via Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM), they can include a packing slip or an 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: Through the back door – Gummy bears, gimmicks, and more.
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, firstly, more satisfied; secondly, they feel the urge to give something back – a completely normal human reaction. Merchants can thus 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 insert. It is even better if the gimmick has a connection to the product. For example, if a merchant sells dog leashes, a small bag of treats fits perfectly. If the customer finds a nice pair of chopsticks in addition to their porcelain plates designed in the Ming Dynasty, that certainly has charm. Of course, one should avoid low-quality gimmicks – just as one would with inadequate products.
Just like the flyers mentioned above, gimmicks are not allowed with FBA shipping. Only with FBM can sellers resort to such package inserts to encourage their customers to leave an Amazon review and boost their overall rating.
#3: By detours – Brand, marketing, and product
What does the ideal reviewer look like? Is it a customer who received the product practically for free or even 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 merchants want to encourage to leave a review.
This is most easily achieved, of course, through a great, high-quality, and ideally innovative product. Not everyone has the luck of reinventing the wheel. Therefore, a strong brand and good marketing are needed! Adidas also sells just ordinary shoes. But the image and the product are right!
Merchants 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 way, a second, less well-performing product can be placed on the page of a bestseller and thus boosted. However, marketing outside the e-commerce platform is also sensible for building a strong brand. Then it will also work with the Amazon review.
#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 merchants when, for example, every return is accepted or money is refunded, whether justified or not. On the other hand, the very effort to create 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 merchant plays a crucial role. A nice side effect: The better the service, the more verified reviews sellers receive. Because when a customer has a concern and contacts the merchant, 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 a few Amazon reviews can also be generated 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, of course, do everything possible to resolve the customer’s concern. 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 merchants 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 be able to participate as a seller. These include, for example:
But attention! Participants in the Vine program are required to express their honest opinion in the respective Amazon review. There is no guarantee for exclusively positive reviews. Those who later want to retract an Amazon review 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 their own customer base to generate their first Amazon reviews.
#6: Through old acquaintances – Email campaigns
Most providers build their own lists of email addresses from customers over time, 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 campaign that specifically directs to the Amazon product page. Many free versions of email marketing programs, such as Mailchimp, also offer this possibility.
The email to all contacts can also be combined with a corresponding introductory offer, such as a time-limited discount of a few percent or a note about limited quantities to slightly boost the conversion rate. Of course, not all recipients will click on the link in the first email, let alone that someone has already written an Amazon review. These recipients will be followed up after a few days or weeks – for example, 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 sensible. The problem: Amazon sellers can hardly track which recipients not only clicked but also converted. Therefore, the second email to this group should address both those recipients who only clicked and those who clicked and purchased. This can be achieved with interesting content – for example, tips on hidden product features, usage instructions, or links to other suitable 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: 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 a sufficient sales volume. To win the Buy Box or to sell private label goods on Amazon, both product reviews and seller ratings are essential. Last but not least, the overall rating of the seller also influences seller performance and thus the chances of Buy Box.
However, it is a violation of Amazon’s review policies 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. In principle, 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
