The world of eCommerce is developing at an increasingly fast rate. To achieve everything that a customer now desires, requires a website which regularly adapts and adopts a variety of functions and processes. In our view, the most important development over the last few years has been the continued usage of reviews, which has become a $multi-billion industry in its own right.
Rewind back to 1995 when Amazon launched customers reviews for its products, a move which many within the industry at the time thought was a truly terrible idea. Permitting individuals to add feedback on what they had purchased would be too dangerous and appeared to many to be a recipe for total disaster. Fast forward 20 years and user opinions are one of the most vital elements of any website, especially eCommerce.
The Impact on Shopper Feedback on Aiding Choices
A survey conducted in 2017 revealed that 93% of consumers cited on-line reviews had influenced their purchasing decisions. Furthermore, the survey also revealed that 84% of consumers believe online reviews are of equal standing with the recommendations of a friend or family member. Consequently, if you do not have any kind of evaluation function within your eCommerce website, you could well be alienating around 84% of your customers.
“In the world of Internet Customer Service, it’s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away.” – Doug Warner
Search Engine Optimisation Rankings
Reviews on your website can have a big impact on your search engine optimisation ratings. In a survey, Moz Local found that online reviews contribute 10% of the total attributes that Google and other search engines use to rank your website. Additionally, every review written is seen by search engines as unique content. Because of this, your website could achieve a better Page Authority, increasing the probability of getting ranked higher.
Constructing Belief & Loyalty
A business with a lot of positive reviews from happy customers will gain a better response from potential customers. A review is effectively a window into the experiences of a third party who are already loyal and appreciative of your service. Customer loyalty will also improve if a customer obtains a service or product under the guidance of someone else’s review. Improving your reputation online can, for most businesses, directly influence your bottom line.
What if I Get a Bad Review?
This may seem counter-intuitive but all reviews have a value, whether good or bad. It is inevitable that at some point, your business will receive a bad review, however, all is not lost. A bad review shows that your feedback is real, having 100% good reviews raises questions over the validity of your customer feedback. As long as the positive reviews outweigh the unfavourable, it is not going to have an adverse effect.
“Your most unhappy customers are your most important source of learning.” Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder
Arguably, negative feedback does more to train you and the people within your business than positive does, don’t be afraid of receiving suggestions on how to improve, instead, use it to your benefit. It is important to respond to all reviews, but especially any negative ones, and try to learn about how you can improve. This will not only improve your service or product but also show potential customers that you are diligent, quick to respond, and operate fairly.
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