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Spin Customer Reviews
into Sales Gold
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There is little doubt that customer reviews help boost sales -- sometimes significantly -- on e-commerce sites. Indeed, recent studies demonstrate that customer reviews and ratings not only can increase sales but have the capacity to decrease returns and improve customer confidence in their online purchases. This holds true even when reviews of a negative nature are provided alongside glowing accounts.
Bear in mind that in the social-Web era, many users also have come to expect the sort of interaction that a review-section provides.
If you've decided that your site would benefit from the addition of reviews and ratings, how do you get started? You may need to offer an enticement to get the ball rolling. Offering site visitors something of value in exchange for their leaving a review may be just what is needed.
Another reward system involves recognition for those who share. Allowing posters the opportunity to include a brief profile of themselves for others to read serves two purposes: it lures reviewers looking to boost their credentials as experts in a particular field, and it also provides other site readers with some context in which to place a reviewer's comments.
Just because you've made a commitment to air both positive and negative reviews doesn't mean you forfeit oversight responsibility in terms of what is displayed on your site. Be vigilant in reviewing posts to weed out any that are distasteful or disrespectful.
You can create a safety net by asking that reviewers register their personal information and create a username prior to posting their remarks. Without the cloak of anonymity, posters are more likely to keep their comments constructive and civil. Assure reviewers that their personal data won't be revealed to outside parties.
Adding customer reviews can benefit your online enterprise by helping convert browsers into buyers while also creating community and a sense of buzz around your offering. While opening up your site to user input may be an intimidating proposition, you have nothing to fear so long as you are confident in what you're offering. Indeed, user comments can allow you to identify any flaws in your offering and remedy them with the help of your target audience.
Another critical benefit: Customer reviews can help with search engine optimization, because your users are supplying your site with content via important keywords and phrases -- for free! In this way, consumer reviews can serve not only as a sales and marketing tool but as an inexpensive brand-booster, as well.
Adapted from "Increase Sales with Product Reviews and Ratings," by Hostway
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