Before buying, we ask relatives or friends if they have dealt with a particular brand. We decide to buy products or use services that our favorite creators recommend on their Instagram account (even if we know it's an advertising collaboration). We check reviews of restaurants on TripAdvisor, of hotels on Booking, of services on Booksy, and of all sorts of business systems and software on Capterra, of B2B companies on Clutch. The power of social proof is no less important when it comes to online stores and their offerings - and sometimes, it should be said, even more so.
After all, when shopping online, customers are even more worried about making the wrong decision - they won't receive the product, they will receive damaged or incorrect goods, they will have problems with returns, exchanges or complaints, they will have to wait a long time for a refund... These types of situations are not pleasant for anyone. So, wanting to avoid them, we look for brands that collect positive reviews and feedback from their customers. In this article, we show you how you can use the power of social proof in your eCommerce.
Reviews and opinions - why is it a must-have in an online store?
Customers who browse products in an online store do not have the opportunity to touch, see or try them in person - for this reason, in today's highly dynamic and competitive online shopping world, reviews and testimonials are an essential part of a successful shopping experience. They are a sure indispensable guide to guaranteeing quality: not only of the product itself, but also, for example, the efforts and delivery, or other processes carried out in the online store. Reviews offer potential buyers a behind-the-scenes look, allowing them to evaluate a product based on the real-life experiences of others. This is an important source of information to avoid disappointment and make an informed choice.
Where is it a good idea to post reviews and feedback on an online store?
When considering how to structure the use of reviews and testimonials in an online store, it's a good idea to start by choosing the places (touchpoints) that a user is most likely to encounter during their shopping experience. We've highlighted the most popular such places below, but keep in mind that it's best to research the purchase path typical of your ideal customer and, based on that, choose the right places to share other customers' experiences.
Product card
If you don't yet have a section on the pages of the various products available in your online store with a few reviews from verified customers, you should definitely fix this mistake. After all, this is the basic and easiest way in which you can use reviews and testimonials to support reaching more customers within your sales funnel - because you will show potential future customers that other people have had positive experiences with your products. This is important because, more often than not, your audience will end up right on the tab of your chosen product as part of a redirect from, for example, social media ads or a newsletter. Providing them with social proof here can therefore effectively encourage them to make a purchase. For more tips on product page design, see one of our blog articles.
Homepage
For the customer, it is important not only the opinion of other store users about a particular product, but also the brand itself. If you have managed to get reviews focusing on this aspect (e.g. contact with the store, speed of solving problems, liking the idea of the brand, etc.), it is worth putting them on the homepage. This is especially important if you are currently working hard on your site's search engine positioning or directing some advertising to the homepage as part of building recognition and image. In this way, you place emphasis on gaining customers' trust in your store from the very beginning, which you reinforce through reviews on product pages.
Social media
It's also worth ensuring that product reviews and testimonials are part of your social media communication strategy - and regularly appear in the form of posts on your Facebook profile or feed or stories on Instagram (in this case, sharing testimonials in which the brand has been mentioned is also great). After all, for the majority of Internet users and online shoppers, social media is one of the main points of contact with a brand - from it they get information about what's new in the online store, promotions and discounts offered, events planned or share their experiences on it, building their own (and potentially someone else's) shopping experience.
What's more, perhaps posting reviews will lead to comments from equally satisfied users, which will significantly increase the value of the post, reinforcing your message. Remember that you can also use reviews in your Facebook or Instagram advertising campaigns.
Newsletter
If you're running a newsletter, you're certainly using it to inform customers about products available for purchase from your online store, especially when there's an upcoming special occasion or promotion you have planned. But beyond just informing, are you also taking care to convince the customer to buy? Including reviews or testimonials - in text form or, for example, in video (in which there is a lot of potential nowadays) - can boost your message, and at the same time will provide a unique variety to the emails you have been sending so far
How to handle reviews and feedback on the site?
How do you solicit feedback from customers, which you will be able to use in your online store, social media or newsletter? The best way to do this is to implement automated mailings, in which we encourage customers to leave reviews or at least rate the products they have purchased. This is undoubtedly the best way to get authentic feedback from customers who have had direct experience with the product. To encourage consumers to write reviews, for example, you may decide to award a discount or loyalty points, which will provide additional motivation to share their opinion. When dealing with consumers, it's always a good idea to remember to "give something in return."
Once you've solicited reviews, be sure to choose reviews that are diverse in terms of ratings when posting on product cards, as a large number of identical ratings can arouse suspicion (especially these days, when you can come across fake eCommerce review entities online). In this way, you will build users' trust and the feeling that you are honest with them.
Of course, it's not always the case that we collect reviews ourselves and choose from them those that are most valuable to us - sometimes reviews will appear on our channels, Google business card or external portals (such as Opineo) without our influence. So in this regard, it is important that you respond to all the reviews you receive - both positive and negative. This is how you show that your customers' opinions matter to you, and that caring about their shopping experience is a priority. Investing in social media monitoring software (such as Newspoint, Brand24 or SentiOne) will help in this regard.
Opinions and reviews - what else can you do?
Reviews and testimonials on websites (including in blog articles, woven in as one element), on social media or in newsletters are an absolute must in today's highly competitive times, when the consumer's attention on the Internet has to be fought for in various ways. However, you can also look for additional strategies for collecting and sharing reviews to ensure the best possible social proof for your products or services.
When choosing custom strategies, however, you need to remember to match them to your target audience and their expectations. In this regard, it is especially worthwhile to check what activities your competitors are opting for.
Wybierając niestandardowe strategie trzeba jednak pamiętać o tym, by dopasować je do grupy docelowej i jej oczekiwań. Warto w tym zakresie szczególnie sprawdzić, na jakie działania decyduje się Twoja konkurencja.
Reviews and ratings in eCommerce - summary
No one these days can deny that reviews and ratings are of colossal importance when it comes to shopping. This importance increases significantly if we don't have the opportunity to see the product in person, if its purchase involves a considerable cost, or if its features may not actually work - that is, in the case of online shopping. This topic becomes even more important at a time when the Omnibus Directive is in force, forcing us to verify that the issued opinion about a product or service comes from a real user - which allows us to trust opinions posted on the Internet more than we used to. So it's worth looking for opportunities in your online store to use reviews and testimonials at various stages of the purchase path to provide your audience with the best possible social proof.
