We frequently hear from various e-commerce businesses that they are struggling to gather reviews. When operating an e-commerce site, customer feedback and reviews are valuable information assets for selling products.
While an increasing number of e-commerce businesses are focusing their efforts on collecting reviews, many still struggle with low collection rates. In this article, we’ll explore three reasons why reviews aren’t coming in and suggest solutions to address them.
Reason #1 for Not Collecting Reviews: Not Sending Review Request Emails
An important aspect of collecting reviews is how you follow up with customers after they’ve made a purchase. One key step is sending review request emails. From the customer’s perspective, the transaction is complete once they’ve purchased and received the product, so few will voluntarily revisit the website to write a review. This is even less likely if the e-commerce business takes no action.
That’s why using review request emails is so effective. By sending a request email after shipping the product, you can remind customers to write a review. If they’ve experienced the product’s benefits and are satisfied, they’re much more likely to post a review.
When sending review request emails, you must pay close attention to both the timing and the content of the message.
Depending on the product or service, it may take several weeks for customers to experience the benefits, so you should aim to send the email at the appropriate time. You should also observe basic etiquette, such as avoiding repeated requests for reviews.
Regarding the content of the review request emails, it’s important to craft a subject line that catches the customer’s eye and to include text that helps them see the value in submitting a review. For example:
✔︎ Subject line: “Submit a review for a chance to win ○○ points in a monthly drawing for ○ people!”
✔︎ Your feedback is a great source of encouragement.
✔︎ We’ll use your feedback to improve our products and services.
It’s important to convey the benefits of submitting a review and how customer feedback is used to improve products and services.
Reason #2 for Not Getting Reviews: Lack of Incentives
Offering incentives is a major motivator for customers to submit reviews. According to our partner materials (*1), 56.9% of customers expect to receive benefits as a reason to write a review.By offering incentives—such as coupons or reward points—to customers who write reviews and including this information in your review request emails, you’ll generally find it easier to collect reviews.
Offering incentives not only allows you to collect reviews efficiently but also leads to repeat purchases of the reviewed product and purchases of other products, which ultimately contributes to increased revenue.
Additionally, there are UGC tools that can automatically distribute coupons and award points; by using such tools, you can implement the marketing strategies customers desire without increasing the workload for your e-commerce staff.
*1 SUIHEISEN (2024) A Must-Read for E-commerce Operators and Distributors! Image Survey on Customer Feedback and Reviews on Online Shopping Sites
Reason #3 for a Lack of Reviews: Posting Reviews Is Too Time-Consuming
One reason reviews aren’t being collected is the negative perception associated with the time and effort required to submit a review. Reviews come in various forms, such as the text-based reviews we often see and 5-star ratings, but since text reviews require customers to write a message, this process naturally takes a bit of their time.
Therefore, the key to increasing your review collection rate is to tailor your requests—such as using surveys to solicit reviews—in a way that makes it as easy as possible for customers to respond.
In addition to text reviews, visual reviews—such as those on social media or staff review videos—have been gaining attention recently. With visual reviews, you can feature content that customers have already posted on social media, as well as images and videos created by your own staff, alongside text on your e-commerce site.
Images and videos add depth to your site, enhance its visual appeal, and are more likely to catch customers’ attention. For this reason, some e-commerce businesses are focusing on collecting visual reviews by utilizing visual UGC tools.
Summary
When it comes to collecting reviews, the follow-up after a customer has made a purchase is crucial. It is essential to devise and implement various strategies, such as sending review request emails, offering incentives, and simplifying the review submission process.
U-KOMI is a UGC (user-generated content) tool designed to collect and utilize customer feedback. By using this tool, you can efficiently implement the review collection strategies introduced here. It also features a system that allows you to leverage reviews—a valuable, dynamic information asset—in real time.
Furthermore, U-KOMI incorporates an AI feature called U-KOMI AI. U-KOMI AI is a suite of smart AI functions that performs sentiment analysis, keyword extraction, AI score calculation, and automated replies based on reviews. From
customer support to service and product improvements, it takes your marketing to the next level.
Click here for more details on U-KOMI AI
To efficiently improve your review collection rate, why not consider implementing a UGC tool that suits your company’s needs?
Boost Your Review Collection Rate! Check out these UGC case studies here:
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