Online reviews are an essential marketing component for both brick-and-mortar and ecommerce businesses. Since they provide potential customers with unbiased information about your products and services, online reviews help answer many of their questions and eliminate uncertainty about their intended purchase. Furthermore, in addition to boosting page rankings, reviews also help build customer confidence in your product and brand. However, when it’s their turn to do so, the same customers often fail to leave feedback, and so, businesses find themselves struggling to garner reviews. In today’s blog post, we’ll answer the question of how to get more customer reviews with three easy tips.

Send a Follow-Up Email

Although 70% of online shoppers consult reviews or ratings prior to buying, many of them don’t end up leaving a review, so how do you get them to write you one? By asking! Don’t be afraid to be direct. If you don’t have a physical location and can’t ask customers in person, send them an email a week or two after they have received their order asking them to review the products they just purchased.

Have a Simple Review Submission Process

Keep the review form and process simple, and avoid asking for unnecessary information. For instance, for most businesses, the customer’s name, rating, and review suffice. Some companies also ask for a title or the customer’s location. Only include those fields if they add value to the testimonial. The more straightforward the process, the more likely the customer is to complete it.

Provide an Incentive

Motivate your clients to review your products by offering them an incentive. Whether it’s a coupon code, discount on a future purchase, entry to a contest, or an exclusive sneak-peek of upcoming merchandise, it will provide them with that extra encouragement. Since the client is taking the time and energy to write a testimonial, the incentive can also serve as a token of appreciation.

How do you garner customer reviews? Tell us in the comments section below!