Customer Reviews for Online Shops

Customer reviews in your online shop increase the trust of customers and are one of the most important factors for deciding whether to buy or not. In addition to proactive customer service and incentives, positive reviews are becoming increasingly important for the success of an online shop. The question is: How do shops get positive reviews and how do you deal with negative reviews?

Why customer reviews are important for online shops

Customer reviews are not to be underestimated: In a survey of online shoppers, more than half of the respondents say they use customer reviews as a decision-making aid before making a purchase. Among 16 to 29-year-olds, the figure is a full 66%.

The power of customer reviews is further underlined by the fact that they are even given more credence than personal recommendations from friends and acquaintances.

Customer reviews in online shops have a lot of advantages:

• Customer reviews help customers find their way around.
• They create trust in the brand and the products.
• Reviews increase the chance of a purchase.
• The opinion of other customers is more credible.
• Feedback helps online shops to recognise potential for improvement.
• They increase visibility in search engines.
• Supports the development of loyal regular customers and the acquisition of new customers.

5 Tips for Positive Online Customer Reviews

The good news is that satisfied customers write reviews more often than dissatisfied customers. One of the main reasons is that they want to use the review to help other users choose a product. The second most common motive for customer reviews is the expression of their own satisfaction. These facts offer companies the chance to collect positive online customer reviews with suitable measures and thus to increase their reputation in the long term.In the following, we have summarised some tips that can help you.

Tip 1: Focus on customer service

The customer service is one of the most important criteria for a customer rating. This already starts with entering a website, continues with personal contact with service staff and ends with delivery.

• Provide customers with access to a personal contact person on various channels. Particularly effective: live shopping consultations.
• Embed service during online shopping, such as with helpful Exit-Intent Popups from uptain, which offer telephone and e-mail services, chats and WhatsApp in addition to vouchers.
• Ensure free delivery and uncomplicated returns.

Tip 2: Make sure of product quality

In addition to the service offered, the quality of the products also plays a decisive role for customer ratings. Make sure that this is always consistently high. In addition, clear product descriptions, helpful information and pictures make it easier for customers to get an informed picture of the product quality.

• Take customer reviews regarding poor quality seriously and check the product comprehensively.
• Offer the customer a replacement or a discount for the next purchase as compensation.
• If necessary, look for alternative raw materials, production sites, etc.

Tip 3: Pay attention to customer reviews in the online shop

In a survey on the topic of customer reviews for online shops, 60% of respondents said they felt their customer review did not receive any or enough attention from the company. Those who write a review take their time. The online shop should take the same time for customer reviews. This is especially essential for negative reviews.

• Respond promptly (within 24 hours).
• Thank customers for their feedback.
• Answer questions.
• Apologise for a negative customer review that is justified and assure that the error will be corrected quickly.
• Offer compensation (even for unjustified bad reviews).

Tip 4: Actively ask for reviews

If an online shop wants to increase its customer reviews, one way to do this is to actively ask customers for them. A popular option for this is to ask for them via email after the purchase. It takes 20 to 50 reviews to really increase the trust of potential customers. The motto here is: the more, the better! In addition to written feedback, visual ratings such as awarding stars are usually favoured by customers.

• Create opportunities for different rating methods.
• Keep the customer review simple and ask for little personal data.
• Provide incentives for an online customer review, such as vouchers or participation in a raffle.

Tip 5: Derive action from customer reviews

Customers don’t give a review for no reason. They reflect their experience with a product. This gives companies a great opportunity to use them to identify potential and optimise the product range, the services or the customer journey accordingly.

• Evaluate and continuously analyse customer ratings.
• Derive appropriate measures.
• Implement them and let customers know about them.

Negative customer reviews as an opportunity

Online shops are often afraid of negative reviews. However, as long as they do not dominate the overall picture of customer reviews, they are actually beneficial. Not only do they ensure that you as a company recognise possible improvements, but they also increase trust in the reviews themselves. Although your customers pay great attention to the reviews, they are equally critical of their authenticity. A negative feedback now and then is therefore even beneficial and increases the credibility of all reviews.

What is important, as already described, is the appropriate reaction to it. The wording should be appropriately personal, professional and adapted to the tone of the company. It is always important to remember: anyone can read the response.

Customer reviews on rating portals

Rating portals are almost indispensable for online shops today. These are special websites that collect customer reviews of products, services, but also employers and make them available to the public.

Customer reviews are displayed in text form or a star ranking on the provider’s website. The advantage is that entries are checked and can be retrieved centrally. The consumer has the opportunity to get a holistic picture of a shop. Trust in well-known rating portals, such as eKomi or Trusted Shop, is high. Furthermore, the seals can be integrated on one’s own website.

At the same time, customer reviews in rating portals can influence search engine rankings. Trusted Shops, for example, is even a direct partner of Google and thus reviews are directly displayed in the search results. For this reason, it is recommended to position oneself on several rating portals so that different rating pages are listed for corresponding search queries.

There are more than 400 of these portals in Germany. Among the best known are:

The other side of the coin is that customer reviews are rarely objective, but mostly subjective. Many individual and personal factors as well as emotions flow into the rating. This can eat away at the holistic picture.

Before an online shop presents itself on a rating portal, quality and performance must be ensured first. A well thought-out strategy ensures the right use of such tools and can thus sustainably ensure more trust and credibility and thus more sales.

Customer reviews create trust

Customer reviews are a central instrument of image building. A strategically well thought-out reputation management should be part of every company that presents itself on the internet. Dealing professionally with customer reviews, whether positive or negative, is just as important as a smart presence in the well-known review portals. Used correctly, customer reviews bring online shops a lot of advantages. Provided that their own basics, such as quality and performance, are right.

Frequently asked questions about customer reviews

What is a customer review?

A customer review is public feedback in which a buyer describes their experience with a product, a service or a shop, either as written text or as a star rating. Reviews serve other shoppers as a decision-making aid: in a survey of online shoppers, more than half said they consult them before buying, rising to 66% among 16 to 29-year-olds.

Which rating portals are relevant for online shops?

Rating portals are websites that collect customer reviews of products, services and employers and publish them; Germany alone has more than 400. Trust in well-known portals such as eKomi or Trusted Shops is high, and their seals can be embedded in your own shop. Trusted Shops is a direct Google partner, so reviews appear in search results. Position yourself on several portals.

How do online shops get more positive customer reviews?

Five measures help. Focus on customer service across several channels, from personal contacts and live shopping consultations to free delivery and simple returns. Keep product quality consistently high and product descriptions clear. Pay attention to incoming reviews and respond to them. Ask customers actively for a review after purchase. And derive concrete improvements from the feedback you receive.

How can online shops actively ask customers for reviews?

The simplest route is an email after purchase. Keep the review itself simple and request little personal data, and offer several rating methods, since visual formats such as awarding stars are usually preferred. Incentives like vouchers or entry into a raffle raise participation. It takes 20 to 50 reviews to noticeably increase the trust of potential customers.

How should online shops respond to customer reviews?

Respond promptly, within 24 hours. Thank customers for their feedback, answer any questions, and where a negative review is justified, apologise and confirm that the error will be corrected quickly; compensation is worthwhile even for unjustified criticism. This matters because 60% of respondents in one survey felt their review received no or insufficient attention from the company.

Are negative customer reviews harmful for online shops?

Not as long as they do not dominate the overall picture. Occasional negative feedback increases the credibility of all your reviews, because shoppers pay close attention to reviews but are equally critical of their authenticity. Negative reviews also reveal where you can improve. What counts is the reaction: personal, professional and in the company’s tone, since anyone can read it.

Why are customer reviews important for online shops?

Customer reviews are one of the strongest purchase criteria and are given more credence than personal recommendations from friends and acquaintances. They help shoppers find their way around, build trust in the brand and products, and raise the chance of a purchase. They also increase visibility in search engines, reveal potential for improvement and support both regular customer development and new customer acquisition.