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 Reviews” app—which was available on Shopify and had a large user base—was discontinued in May 2024, many brands likely faced the need to migrate to a new app and struggled to find a solution.
In this article, we’ll outline strategies for dealing with 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 the app shuts down could result in a loss of opportunity for your marketing strategy.
Be sure to back up and export your review data before the app shuts down. It’s important to recognize reviews as a brand asset 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 various factors aligned with your marketing objectives, such as those listed below.
✔︎ 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 e-commerce platform altogether.
Furthermore, when brands consider switching shopping carts for marketing purposes, it’s not uncommon for them to struggle with how to migrate review data. In such cases, it’s necessary to import the backed-up or exported review data in a format compatible with the new shopping cart’s specifications.
It’s important to confirm in advance whether migration is even possible and to understand the steps required to transfer review data to your desired shopping cart platform. You’ll also need to 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 tool—such as a review management platform—to collect and manage reviews tends to make it easier to gain customer trust.
Furthermore, having first-hand review data published on your company’s website serves as proof to customers that your site is trustworthy and is also effective for SEO. Additionally, continuous use of review tools allows review data to accumulate, which helps strengthen your e-commerce site.
Strengthening SEO increases the number of visitors from organic search, which in turn can lead to improved conversion rates. As a result, you can expect to see higher profit margins without having to rely on advertising campaigns.
Summary
In this article, we’ve discussed strategies for dealing with unforeseen circumstances, such as the discontinuation of a review app. After implementing a review app, it’s important to discuss not only day-to-day operational procedures but also specific contingency plans for handling unexpected situations in advance.
U-KOMI is a UGC (User-Generated Content) tool designed to collect and utilize customer feedback. Using this tool not only allows you to efficiently manage everything from review collection to operations but also provides comprehensive support, including review migration. Additionally, it incorporates features that enable 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 for 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
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
Download materials here: https://u-komi.com/
Contact U-KOMI here: https://u-komi.com/contact/
