In recent years, the importance of so-called “word-of-mouth”—such as reviews—has been widely recognized in marketing, and an increasing number of brands are adopting review apps and UGC tools.
With demand for these tools on the rise, many brands are likely considering implementation. But have you ever thought about what to do if these apps or tools were suddenly discontinued after you’d adopted them?
In fact, when the product review app “Product Reviews,” which was available on Shopify—a platform with a large user base—was discontinued in May 2024, many brands likely faced the need to migrate their apps and struggled to find a solution.
In this article, we’ll discuss contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances, such as the discontinuation of a review app.
1. What to Prepare Before a Review App Is Discontinued
— Backing Up and Exporting Existing Reviews
Some review apps have a feature that allows you to export accumulated review data. Losing reviews—which are valuable information assets you’ve accumulated over time—the moment an app is discontinued could result in a loss of opportunity for your marketing strategy.
Be sure to back up and export your review data before the app is discontinued. It’s important to recognize reviews as brand assets and manage them accordingly.
— Consider Implementing Other Review Tools
After backing up and exporting your accumulated review data, you’ll need to consider implementing a new tool to continue utilizing that data.
Since some tools offer comprehensive support for the migration process, it is advisable to evaluate them based on the following criteria in line with your marketing objectives:
✔︎ Difficulty
of migrating review data ✔︎ Extent
of support services ✔︎ Ease
of use after migration ✔︎ Price
In addition, since some tools offer free trials, actually trying them out can serve as a useful benchmark for comparing and evaluating these factors.
2. Migrating Reviews When Changing E-commerce Cart Platforms
In cases like this one—where a review app provided by Shopify is being discontinued—some brands may consider switching to a different shopping cart platform altogether.
Furthermore, when brands consider switching shopping carts for marketing purposes, it is not uncommon for them to struggle with how to migrate review data. In such cases, it is necessary to import the backed-up or exported review data in a format compatible with the specifications of the new shopping cart.
It is important to confirm in advance whether migration is even possible and to understand the steps required to migrate review data to your desired shopping cart platform. Furthermore, you must thoroughly research the features of each tool—including whether they offer import functionality—and carefully evaluate your options.
3. What Are the Benefits of Continuing to Use a Review Tool?
Since reviews are valuable information assets that offer objectivity from a third-party perspective, managing them is a critical factor that not only influences customer purchasing behavior but also plays a major role in building trust with customers and retaining them.
Explicitly stating that you use a third-party review tool to collect and manage reviews tends to make it easier to gain customers’ trust.
Furthermore, having this primary source of information—reviews—published on your company’s website serves as proof to customers that the site is trustworthy and is also effective for SEO. Additionally, the continuous use of review tools allows review data to accumulate, leading to the strengthening of your e-commerce site.
Strengthening SEO increases the number of visitors from organic search, which in turn is expected to improve conversion rates. As a result, you can anticipate higher profit margins without relying on advertising campaigns.
Summary
In this article, we’ve discussed measures to take in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as the discontinuation of a review app. After implementing a review app, it’s important to discuss not only daily operational procedures but also specific response plans for unforeseen events in advance.
U-KOMI is a UGC (user-generated content) tool designed to collect and utilize customer feedback. By using this tool, you can not only efficiently manage everything from review collection to operations but also benefit from a comprehensive support system that includes review migration and other services. Additionally, it features a mechanism 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 scoring, and automated replies based on 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
Not only is it easy to implement and configure—even for those who have never used a UGC tool before—but it also offers flexible support, such as migrating reviews when switching shopping carts. Why not take this opportunity to consider giving it a try?
View a list of use cases here: https://u-komi.com/jirei
If you’d like to review U-KOMI’s features, implementation case studies, and pricing plans all in one place, please download our service brochure.
Contact U-KOMI here: https://u-komi.com/contact/
