Both product reviews and seller ratings are extremely important for Amazon sellers. Not only do they have a significant influence on purchasing decisions, but they also definitely have an impact on the algorithms for organic search results or the Buy Box.
While customers often don't differentiate between the two reviews and write seller reviews that are in fact product reviews, as a seller you not only need to know the difference, but also what you can do about bad reviews.
In this article, I will therefore explain how product reviews and seller ratings affect you and how you can influence them.
Amazon product reviews
When it comes to selling on Amazon, product reviews are the be-all and end-all. According to a study by BrightLocal 84 % of online shoppers trust reviews from other customers on the internet just as much as personal recommendations. These have a significant influence on purchasing decisions.
While product reviews are essential for Amazon sellers, only a few customers rate their products - only around 5 %. As a seller, you therefore need to do everything you can to receive an above-average number of positive reviews in order to stay one step ahead of the competition.
How to get more positive product reviews
There are some effective ways to drive more product reviews - especially positive reviews. Here are the top three strategies:
Request evaluation
It is particularly important for new sellers to get as many positive reviews as possible as quickly as possible. Fortunately, there is a way to help. Amazon provides a function for requesting reviews in Seller Central.
To send an email within 30 days of purchase asking the customer to leave a review, simply click on the "Request review" button. After an analysis of FeedbackFive the number of reviews increased by 41 % within 10 days of the message being sent. As a seller, you should therefore make sure to request a review.
Take part in Amazon Vine
Sellers who sell to Amazon Vine can receive reviews before a product is released. Within this program, Amazon's most trusted product testers are invited to give their feedback on products that have not yet been released.
If you take part in Vine, you must make the product available free of charge. This can therefore be particularly worthwhile for low-cost products, but should also be worth considering for high-priced products.
However, reviews are always marked with the addition "Customer opinion from the Amazon Vine - Club of Product Testers program".
Ask for an evaluation on a product insert
Probably the most popular way to encourage buyers to leave product reviews on Amazon is to use product inserts. Many sellers insert a card into their packaging and ask buyers to leave a review.
However, it is important to follow Amazon's terms and conditions in order to avoid having your account suspended. To be more specific: Time and again, sellers encourage customers to leave positive feedback and to contact customer service if they have negative feedback. However, sellers are not allowed to do this.
Anyone who sends product inserts that ask for a rating must therefore avoid influencing the customer in any way. The customer can only be encouraged to rate the product, regardless of whether this is positive or negative. In addition, any remuneration for product reviews is excluded.
Amazon seller ratings
Almost as important as product reviews are seller reviews. Seller feedback is a way to measure customer satisfaction based on factors such as delivery, product condition or communication. Customers can rate the seller after the purchase using a 5-star system.
These seller ratings have an influence on sales performance on Amazon in two main ways. Firstly, the customer can see how many positive, neutral or negative ratings a seller has, and secondly, seller ratings have a significant influence on the likelihood of getting the Buy Box.
At the other end of the spectrum, below-average statistics with a proportion of negative reviews of over 25 % can lead to the suspension of the seller account.
How you can improve your seller ratings
Now that you know what a seller rating is, I would like to go into how you can improve your seller ratings.
Monitor the performance of your account
If you as a seller are not up to date with your reviews, you are depriving yourself of the opportunity to optimize your reputation on the marketplace. Seller reviews give you an important indication of how good your customers' selling experience is and are therefore an important measure that can be crucial for the successful management of your business on Amazon.
The seller's statistics are visible to the customer and extend from the day of the first sale to the present day. If you get a few bad reviews at the beginning, you can also risk your success as a seller in the long term.
Very important: To maximize the probability of receiving the Buy Box, the proportion of positive reviews should be over 97 %. Below this, the chance of winning the bid is significantly lower.
Deal with bad feedback appropriately
Negative feedback can be a challenge, but with the right approach you can either eliminate it or embrace it and improve your products or service. Everyone gets negative feedback, so it's important to embrace it as part of your everyday life on Amazon.
In the event of a negative evaluation, the following requirements must be met in order to eliminate the feedback:
- The evaluation contains personal data
- The complete commentary is a product review
- The customer complains about shipping or customer service and these tasks were fulfilled by Amazon as part of the FBA program
If one of these cases occurs, Amazon will remove the review upon request.
Pay attention to questions and give useful answers
When it comes to customer questions, there is hardly any time off for Amazon sellers. Since customer satisfaction is Amazon's top priority, you as a seller must meet the same standards. The more responsive you are to your customers, the more positive your seller reviews will be. Happy customers will be grateful if you can answer questions and solve problems.
