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Wall Street Journal Article about Online Reviews

When you prepare to purchase something online what’s the first thing you do? If you are like me you head right over to Amazon, search for a product and dive into the customer reviews. The Wall Street Journal today had a great article on customer reviews, some of the highlights:

  • Amazon is tightening up who can leave reviews by requiring an account to have spent at least $50 on a credit card prior to creating a review.
  • 5 star ratings aren’t necessary, the most purchased items typically fall into a 4.2 to 4.5 star range
  • Negative reviews are expected by shoppers, it’s ok to have them with all the positive reviews as it conveys legitimacy
  • Creating customer loyalty programs is a great way to encourage reviews (both positive and negative)

Adding customer reviews to your store is pretty straightforward in Shopify or Woocommerce. A popular app that we have installed on Shopify is Yotpo Reviews, they also have a plugin for Woocommerce.

Consider offering gift cards for reviews post purchase. We have setup automated emails for customers that go out 20-30 days after the order is placed and ask the customer for a review. You can mail out a gift card to Amazon, Starbucks etc, and encourage your customers to leave reviews on your site.