8 min read
Nowadays with the increased popularity of buying products from their home, people factor in other customers’ experiences when buying products online. E-commerce sales are skyrocketing as 78% of online searches end up in purchases. Online reviews are a permeating part of the customer journey, creating a perfect opportunity for you to set your uniform business apart from the rest.
Online reviews affect revenue in a whole range of industries, from real estate and auto repair shops to medical services and attorney firms. The internet is a sounding board for recommendations and a huge majority of the population trust online reviews as much as their friends’ opinions.
According to DataMentors Director of Marketing Larisa Bedgood, today’s consumer considers online reviews as the tipping point when making an informed decision about products that seem to have little differentiation. Zendesk stated that 88% of internet browsers have been influenced by an online review when making a purchasing decision. A study from BazaarVoice also found that more than half of the e-commerce shoppers polled read reviews before buying a product.
Since your online shopper is most likely to read reviews before purchasing a product, you want to make sure that leaving a review is as easy as possible. Put review links or images in common areas of your website and double-check that leaving a review through a mobile device is as easy as possible.
Along with using your website as a gateway to getting more reviews, use an automated email system to follow up with customers after they’ve purchased products online. Send the customer an email about two weeks after their purchase (or whenever you think they will receive the product) asking them to review it.
Finally, if you have a storefront with the opportunity to talk to customers, encourage them to leave a review. People will happily leave a review if they are pleased with the product, especially if you use incentives such as complimentary items, discounts on future products, and additional loyalty points to augment their purchases.
Review sites are lead generating tools by themselves because they become helpful resources for the online shopper and give people another opportunity to learn about your business. According to Power Reviews, online recommendations help build brand credibility.
Negative reviews aren’t even necessarily bad because it gives businesses the ability to turn negative experiences into positive ones, creating more loyal customers. Bad reviews also give business owners the ability to identify areas of improvement and can be a true test of a brand’s integrity in its willingness to make things right.
Again, online reviews help you stand out from your competitors and are a great way to help you identify and connect with your potential customers. UniformMarket’s B2B Retailer Pro has a product review module that can help boost more reviews for your business. Call us for a demo today!
