We frequently hear from various e-commerce businesses that they are struggling to collect reviews. When operating an e-commerce site, customer feedback and reviews are valuable assets for selling products.
While an increasing number of e-commerce businesses are focusing 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
When collecting reviews, the most important aspect is how you handle customers after they’ve made a purchase. One key step is sending review request emails. For customers, 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 especially true if the e-commerce business takes no action.
This is where review request emails prove effective. By sending a request email after shipping the product, you can remind customers to leave a review. If customers experience the product’s benefits and are satisfied, they are much more likely to post a review.
When sending review request emails, you must pay close attention to the timing and content of the email.
Depending on the product or service, it may take several weeks for customers to experience the benefits, so you need to time your emails accordingly. You should also observe basic etiquette, such as avoiding repeated requests for reviews.
Regarding the content of the review request email, it is important to craft a subject line that catches the customer’s eye and to include content that helps them see the value in submitting a review. For example:
✔︎ Subject: "Submit a review for a chance to win XX points in a monthly drawing!"
✔︎ Your feedback is a great encouragement to us. ✔︎ We use your feedback to
improve our products and services.
It is important to communicate the benefits of submitting a review and how customer feedback is used to improve products and services.
Reason #2 for Not Gathering 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 some kind of benefit as a reason for writing a review. Preparing incentives—such as distributing coupons or awarding points—for customers who write reviews, and including this information in the review request email, tends to make 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, ultimately contributing to increased revenue.
Additionally, there are UGC tools available that can automatically distribute coupons or award points. By using such tools, you can implement the marketing strategies customers desire without increasing the workload on your e-commerce team.
*1 SUIHEISEN (2024) A Must-Read for E-commerce Operators and Sales Agents! Image Survey on Customer Feedback and Reviews on Online Shopping Sites
Reason #3 Reviews Aren’t Coming In: Posting Reviews Is Too Much Trouble
One reason reviews are not 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 reviews we commonly see and 5-star ratings, but since text reviews require writing, they take a bit of time for customers to complete.
Therefore, the key to increasing your review collection rate is to tailor your requests—such as using surveys to solicit reviews—so that customers can respond as easily as possible.
In addition to text reviews, visual reviews—such as those utilizing social media posts or staff review videos—have recently been gaining attention. Visual reviews allow you to 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 have the advantage of increasing the site’s content volume, enhancing its visual appeal, and making it 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 source of real-time information—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 for reviews.
From customer support to service and product improvement, 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! See UGC case studies here:
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