This post seeks to encourage retailers to welcome reviews since they cannot do away with them. So far as they are selling online, customers will have no option than to give their opinions on their customer services and products. There are two sides of the same coin when it comes to reviews, it can be a good review or a bad one.
Every online retailer always seeks to get good reviews from their customers. However, bad reviews are bound to happen. Some retailers try to avoid bad reviews and thus do not allow customers to review their products and services.
Reviews are very important in retailing and that is what this post seeks to achieve.
Statistics on how potential customers use reviews
- 90% of consumers read reviews before visiting a business.
- 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- 72% of consumers will take an action only after reading a positive review.
- Customers are likely to spend 31% more on businesses with excellent reviews.
(https://www.invespcro.com/blog/the-importance-of-online-customer-reviews-infographic/)
Importance of Reviews
Creates trust and credibility
Establishing trust between you and customers is not an easy target to reach especially for new online retailers. Generally, consumers do not trust online shops due to stories of scam and fraud on the internet. Reviews can help you to close the trust bridge between consumers and you. Good reviews will suggest that customers can trust the quality of your service or product and that you are not going to rip them off their money without rendering the service to them.
Insight from third party
Reviews provide the potential buyer so much knowledge about your product. It also answers most questions like location, delivery, quality and quantity of product without having to ask you the retailer. Through reviews, customers are able to decide on your product before they contact you. Potential customers trust that reviews from others will be the truth and would totally rely on them for making decisions. For example, a review can suggest the quality of a leather bag, its size and what can fit into the bag.
Opportunity to correct wrongs
Online retailers love good reviews because it helps to boost their customer base. They however detest bad reviews because they think bad reviews will deter others from patronizing their services. In my judgement, bad reviews are good. It gives the retailer the opportunity to correct all their retail mistakes so that it doesn’t repeat itself.
Bad reviews can be like one bad apple that spoils the bunch but when you receive a bad review, respond swiftly, accept faults, correct them (if possible replace product or service). In doing that, potential customers will assume that it was a genuine error on your part.
