How to Get More Reviews on Amazon in 2023
Did you know that according to Fan & Fuel Digital Marketing Group, 92% of consumers might hesitate to buy something that hasn’t been reviewed? Do Amazon product reviews affect your sales? Of course, they do!
Products with good reviews appear higher in search results than those that don’t. It’s only one of several criteria, your length of time on Amazon being another, but it does make a difference. People often read reviews before choosing a product.
This article will discuss the top nine ways to get reviews. As a seller aimed at driving more revenue, I have tried all of these methods to increase my sales.
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Nine Best Ways to Get More Reviews on Amazon in 2023
There are various ways to get 4 or 5-star reviews on Amazon. Many avenues are free, and a few involve providing free merchandise or engaging third-party vendors. The key is to make a plan and follow it, gain feedback and build your business.
Amazon’s “Request a Review” Button
The simplest answer to how to get more reviews on Amazon fast and legally is to send a “request to review” to an individual buyer. According to published statistics, before introducing the feature in March 2020, the average number of reviews for an order was only 3.6. After this feature was made available, 94.7% of sellers used it, and the average number jumped to 25.9.
A request can be sent between five and 30 days after the product is delivered. The “Request a Review” button in Amazon Seller Central can do just that:
- Log into your Amazon Seller Central account and pull up the details page for each buyer order.
- Choose an order and go to its Order Details page.
- The button to request a review is at the top right corner of the page, next to the button to send a refund.
- Your request triggers an email to the buyer, asking them on your behalf to leave a product review and seller feedback. The review request is standardized, and you are in complete compliance with Amazon’s stringent review policies.
The email includes:
- Your name as the seller
- The product’s name
- An image of the product
- Star rating for the product
- Star rating for the seller
The advantages of using the Amazon “Request Review” button are ease of use, compliance with the site’s rules, and control over which buyers to approach. For example, you might not want to send a request if there were delivery problems. The buyer will receive one less reminder to send a review.
The two disadvantages of looking for feedback by relying on the “Request Review” button are that it’s time-consuming and lacks a personal touch.
Sellers often ask, “Can you buy reviews on Amazon?” While reviews are a vital key to success as a seller, you can’t legally buy reviews. There are ways to do it, such as through Deal and Coupon Clubs like Groupon and FatWallet or review trader services like Cashbackbase, but it’s against Amazon’s ToS, and buying reviews could easily result in your account being deactivated. You could even be sued for buying and posting fake reviews. Amazon works hard to find fake feedback. So, the answer to “Can you buy reviews on Amazon?” is really no.
Bulk Request Review Software
To combat the disadvantage inherent in asking for feedback on an individual transaction, you can use third-party software designed to group requests together. Software like FeedbackFive, Sellerize. Depending on your sales volume, you could save tens of hours every week with this kind of service and still get Amazon product reviews fast.
Amazon Vine Program
Many Amazon sellers want to know how to get more reviews on Amazon faster. One answer is the Vine Program. For this program, Amazon creates a select group of customers to solicit reviews. Customers invited to join “Amazon Vine Voices” earn their invitation by providing insightful feedback and writing accurate reviews. Amazon provides members with the free products vendors have provided them. In return, the customer gives dependable feedback on said products.
Not every seller qualifies for the Amazon Vine Program. Here are the requirements:
- Brand Registered Seller
- Have fewer than 30 reviews for the listing
- Your listing must have an image and product description
- You must have adequate inventory
- The product must have already been launched
- The product must be an FBA offer in New Condition and not be an “Adult” product
- You must be able to provide free products for the reviewers
Enrolling in the Amazon Vine Program is one of the best ways to get Amazon product reviews:
- Go to the Advertising Tab on Seller Central and choose “Vine.”
- Enter your ASIN and click on “Begin Enrollment.”
- After completing the enrollment form and being officially enrolled, you will send the product or products you want to be reviewed to Amazon. Currently, you can enroll up to five products at a time. The cost as of October 2021 is $200 per product.
During the first 28 days of your enrollment in the program, Amazon will start by sending the product to members who have bought and reviewed items in the same general category as your product. After 28 days, all Vine reviewers will receive your ASIN if there is inventory available.
It would be best if you were confident in your products to use this feature because reviewers won’t hold back. You will get honest reviews. In fact, Vine Reviewers might be a little tougher on you.
Use Product Inserts
Another answer to “how to get more reviews on Amazon” is product inserts.
An easy way to send personalized review requests to buyers is product insert cards or flyers. You can design an insert that reflects your company’s vibe and personality:
- Use bright colors and give clear instructions
- Make reviewing as easy as you possibly can
- You can thank the buyer for purchasing your product and tell them how much you want to hear about their buying experience
Inserting a request for review in every package you send is easy and inexpensive, but you must follow Amazon’s rules. A seller inserting a request for a positive Amazon review or an incentive in exchange for a review into product packaging or a shipping box is now strictly prohibited, and that rule is enforced.
You can’t ask for only positive reviews. However, for example, you can ask a customer to contact you rather than submit a negative review. Of course, you also can’t offer anything in exchange for a review. There was a time when you could incentivize reviews, but Amazon no longer allows it.
Results from inserts vary tremendously. However, an advantage to this approach is the ability to test and adjust. Measure your results with an insert and make changes in the design if it isn’t getting the results you want. By experimenting, you can increase the number of reviews you get.
Engage Previous Customers
When you’re launching a new product, one of the best ways to get sales fast is to blast out an announcement to any VIP email list you’ve developed. Make sure to send them a link directly to your Amazon product page rather than to your website and include a request for a review.
Develop a contact list from your previous customers to get feedback. There are several methods for building an email list. You get their contact information by including a postcard or request for the customer to register their purchase for warranty.
If you have an email list, use it to send offers and your Amazon page link to previous customers. Be sure to include a request for a review, but don’t ask for a positive Amazon review or an incentive in exchange for a review. Explain why reviews are important, and make sure to tell them how much you care about their customer experience.
Tip- Choosing the right product to sell goes a long way toward a successful sales launch. Semrush’s free Product Research tool for Amazon will always have your back, turning your entire product research process into a matter of a few clicks. Powered by Semrush, an award-winning tool developer well-known for its data accuracy, this tool allows aspiring Amazon sellers to:
- Find the most up-to-date information about the demand for a given product
- Discover a winning product right off the bat with the most intuitive and user-friendly Amazon product research tool
- Unwrap the most profitable products
- Estimate your costs and profits
Giveaways and Discounts for Reviewers
Instead of waiting to answer the question “how to get more reviews on Amazon” until after you’ve started selling, consider discounts and giveaways to increase initial sales and get Amazon product reviews. When you launch a product, offering discounts and free products will increase initial sales and, by virtue of volume, get you more reviews.
Offer at least a 25% discount on a new product or make it a BOGO for a limited time. Buy one, get one free offers could yield you two reviews per purchase. You could also try rebates or coupons.
Coupons work well and can provide you with contact information. Rebate clubs are popular and also provide you with contact information for future campaigns. Use any promotional technique for increasing sales when a product first launches.
Giving buyers bargains is a great way to get more product reviews on Amazon. Buyers who get a bargain are much more likely to take the time to review. People also tend to feel more positive towards something they perceive as a bargain. The concept of reciprocity takes place, too, which just means they feel a little obligated to you because you gave them a discount.
With quicker (hopefully positive) reviews, you are more likely to continue to sell your product when it returns to its regular price. The more reviews you have, the more likely buyers will decide to buy.
Work with Packaging
If you want Amazon product reviews, especially great ones, wow customers with your packaging. Put some thought and money into your packaging design. While fancy packaging is an expense, customers tend to overlook minor product flaws if their first impression is positive. An important part of any order fulfillment experience is opening the box. If the container is plain and flimsy, they won’t be impressed.
- Color - The more color you can include in the packaging, the more professional your presentation will be. Make sure the product fits into the packaging.
- Fit - Custom-fit plastic or foam inserts tell the buyer you think your product is valuable. A product in a plastic bag, rattling around in a plain box, isn’t impressive. That type of presentation means the buyer will be looking for other signs of shoddy quality.
For gift items, the packaging is especially important. The review for this Mother’s Day Package shows people pay attention to how things look. “Absolutely gorgeous and made my mother so happy for Mother’s Day... the soap smell so so good and the set up that the stuff came in were just beautiful!”
The importance of packaging can’t be overstated. Don’t forget to add a request for a review in the package.
Use Third-Party Automated Email Responders
Email programs can help get Amazon product reviews. While Amazon provides its own automated responder service, you might consider using a third-party responder service, too. Amazon places many limitations on its Seller Messaging System. You can use it to resolve delivery issues, for example, but not to send special offers, coupons, or even personalized thank you messages. You also can’t do things Amazon does for you automatically, like confirm orders or shipments.
Automated email responders or autoresponders are tools that send predesigned messages automatically to customers. Some businesses use them to respond to inquiries, but the email messages are sent in connection with a transaction for an Amazon seller.
While you can handle emails yourself, using a service has five advantages.
- Deliverability - You can spend time writing an excellent email, but if it doesn’t reach its destination, it’s wasted. Professional services like Constant Contact, iContact, etc., get much higher delivery rates.
- Bounce Management - As part of the deliverability, services provide bounce management. For example, they can measure rates at which emails are bounced back without delivery and tell you why they bounced.
- Legality Awareness - Professional email services can ensure you abide by CAN-SPAM laws. They offer recipients the ability to "unsubscribe," for example, so you are conducting campaigns legally.
- List Management - Services can divide your list into segments according to what types of emails might be appropriate. For example, you might have frequent purchaser groups or a list of people who have given good reviews.
- Reports - In a service, everything is counted and measured, from how many emails were sent to how many were bounced and how many responses were received. You get reports you can study to know what’s working and what isn’t.
Facebook Groups and Other Public Forums
Use your social media connections to advertise. By publishing the link to your Amazon product page on social media, you increase your exposure and sales. With more sales, you will get Amazon product reviews. Many sellers request reviews on the Facebook group page, and buyers are more likely to comply because they feel connected to you.
Ask Friends for Help
How to get Amazon product reviews? Asking friends and relatives to purchase your product and review it is an easy way to get good reviews. New ventures have relied on people they know to get them going throughout business history. While the accounts are legitimate and purchases are valid, the numbers may be limited. You could gain a few good reviews for your products when you need them but, if you read the Amazon guidelines, they specify that close friends and family members shouldn’t post reviews because they know you.
Get your friends and family members to advocate for your products to people they know. Even though these tactics can be shady, some sellers still consider using them. After they have purchased your merchandise, while they can’t review it themselves, they can tell others how much they like what they bought. That would be the best way to leverage your relationships with friends and family.
Conclusion
Getting more reviews on Amazon can help you succeed, so it’s important to understand how to get more reviews on the site. Putting some thought and planning into how to get Amazon product reviews is smart.
Use the tools Amazon provides but read its policies carefully so that you stay out of trouble. If you have a budget, consider using PPC (Amazon pay per click ads) and external traffic to gain product sales. The more you sell, the more reviews you get. The more good reviews you get, the more you sell.
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