Amazon is highly competitive, we all know this by now! So the big question on every Amazon seller’s mind is: how do I get more sales? While there are a lot of tips and tricks out there the number one thing at the top of everyone’s list is always get more reviews.
Reviews are what tell the Amazon algorithm that you’re a safe bet. When Amazon ranks products on a search result page the only thing they care about is whose going to make them money. It’s really that simple!
When your listing has reviews you become safe bet. And the more reviews you have the better. But we all know that getting more reviews is easier said than done. So let’s discuss a few of the top dos and don’ts for getting more Amazon reviews.
How TO Get More Amazon Reviews
Ok so reviews are important and violating Amazon’s policies is bad. This brings us to the million dollar question, literally! When you can master the art of getting more Amazon reviews you will never go hungry again.
Amazon’s might make you feel like there is nothing you can do to ask your customers for reviews. Some people just wait for organic reviews to roll in and are frustrated when their buyers don’t come back to rate and review. There are ways to actively seek out reviews while still staying within Amazon’s policies.
First and foremost: ask for reviews! You have to ask for reviews! You can’t ask for only positive reviews but you can and should ask for reviews.
1. Use a Launch List
Email is an extremely powerful tool! Selling on Amazon can be a catch 22: you need sales to get reviews but you need reviews to get sales. Putting together a launch list outside of Amazon is a great way to break up this cycle. Here’s what you need to do.
- Start building your online presence/brand.
- Collect email addresses
- Email that list to hype them up leading to the launch.
- Send them your Amazon link when you launch.
- Ask them to leave a review!
2. Use Product Inserts
Product inserts are simple and effective. Asking someone for a review right when they receive their order is great timing! It’s fresh in their mind and (hopefully) they have that Christmas morning feeling.
Package inserts asking for reviews are an easy step that can make a huge difference and as an order fulfillment company we can help. At Ship Central Fulfillment we can add in inserts without a problem. We pride ourselves on meeting and exceeding expectations so we’re here for whatever you need.
Learn more about Ship Central’s services HERE
3. Use Amazon’s Programs
Amazon offers options to pay them to get reviews. Yes it’s paid and yes it’s allowed but they make the rules so you have to play by them. Amazon understands that getting reviews can be difficult so they have two programs one for Seller Central sellers and one for Vendor Central sellers.
The Amazon Early Reviewer Program
The Amazon Early Reviewer program is for Seller Central sellers. You can basically pay Amazon $60 and they will help you get your first 5 reviews. They do this by offering buyers $3 Amazon gift cards as an incentive to leave a review.
Amazon Vine
You can use Amazon Vine as a Vendor Central seller and it uses top reviewers to post their opinions on new and pre-released products. This is a pricey program though and can cost between $2,500 to $7,500 per ASIN. The catch is that no one is actually obligated to leave a review on your product.
Request a Review
Amazon’s “Request a Review” button allows you to manually request reviews for each of your orders in Seller Central within four to 30 days of purchase. The request a review button is an extremely power feature that can help you seriously grow your reviews.
4. Minimize Chances of Bad Reviews
One of the best ways to ensure that you have a high star rating is by minimizing the bad reviews. Keep in mind it’s against Amazon policy to cherry-pick reviews. So how do you boost your rating? By having a good product! Selling good, high quality products on Amazon you’re much more likely to get more good reviews than bad. Of course you can’t please everyone but you can do your best.
In addition good customer service and fast shipping are great ways to improve your chances on getting more good and getting less bad reviews. Problems pop up and returns happen but if you respond quickly and professionally you can avoid negative reviews.
How NOT to Get More Amazon Reviews
Ok, before we get into the dos, lets cover the don’ts. If you don’t get the dos right, the worst that can happen is you’ll have fewer sales than you want (not great but not devastating either). On the other hand, if you do the don’ts Amazon can shut you down and that is devastating.
Consequences for violating Amazon’s customer review policies include:
- Immediate and permanent withdrawal of the seller’s selling privileges on Amazon and withholding of funds.
- The removal of all the product’s reviews and preventing the product from receiving future reviews or ratings.
- Permanent delisting of the product from Amazon.
- Legal action against the seller, including lawsuits and referral to civil and criminal enforcement authorities.
- Disclosing the seller’s name and other related information publicly.
So what are the dreaded don’ts to avoid? When trying to gain more reviews on Amazon DO NOT:
- Incentivize Reviews – This means paying for reviews and trading discounts, free product or giving rebates in exchange for reviews.
- Ask for Positive Reviews Only – You can ask for reviews just don’t ask for positive reviews.
- Leave Reviews on Your Own Products or Have Family/Friends Do It – Amazon knows who your close friends and family are! Creepy but true.
Yes, it’s true that some Amazon sellers will violate these rules. Some will pay for reviews, some will game the system BUT there’s always a risk involved with these methods. Plus these prohibited “strategies” can be very expensive! Spending a lot of money on reviews with the potential of having those reviews removed could mean money down the drain.
The Takeaway
Getting Amazon reviews is essential to the success of your listings but getting them the right way is even more important. There are plenty of options to legitimately build up your reviews. Do some experimenting and test out a few for yourself.
Just like many other areas of the wild west internet (*cough* SEO *cough*) bad practices and will get weeded out. So instead of trying to get away with black hat hacks, move forward with best practices that work.
Building up your Amazon reviews can take time and if you’re too busy focusing on order fulfillment and other operations that don’t add value, you’re stunting your own growth. At Ship Central we focus on everything order fulfillment so you don’t have to.