eCommerce Fulfillment Customer Reviews
Did you know that 90% of consumers read online customer reviews before visiting a business, and 88% trust them as much as personal recommendations? These figures prove that customer reviews are incredibly important for all businesses—but as an eCommerce seller, they’re even more crucial. In this blog, we’ll look at the impact online customer reviews can have on your business, how you can improve your online reviews, how to get more of them, and how eCommerce fulfillment can help!
7 Ways Online Ecommerce Reviews Impact Your Business
The importance of online reviews in the internet age cannot be stressed. While good reviews are of course ideal, even negative reviews provide opportunity. Here’s a look at the ways online customer reviews impact your business.
1. Driving Sales
As mentioned earlier, a whopping 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business. The Spiegel Research Center reports that “The purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than the purchase likelihood of a product with no reviews.”
2. Providing Differentiation
The eCommerce market is incredibly saturated and competitive. There are tons of online retailers selling similar products at similar price points, which means consumers have nearly endless options of who to buy from. Customer reviews can often be what pushes them to choose one company over another.
3. Building Trust
An overwhelming 96% of people are skeptical of advertising. Who do they trust? Their peers. Studies show that consumers are 92% more likely to trust their peers over advertising when it comes to purchasing decisions. Because reviews come from their peers, this helps build trust far more than an ad could. Pro Tip: Don’t create fake reviews; most people can spot them a mile away.
4. Improving SEO
A top goal of any eCommerce retailer is to rank high in a Google search. One thing Google likes is frequent updates to pages. So, an active review page helps improve search rankings. Acquiring reviews across other sites (Google Reviews, Facebook, Amazon, etc.) is also beneficial for SEO.
5. Offering Customer Insight
Online reviews give you a glimpse into what customers think about your brand or your products. Positive reviews can be reinforced through thank you emails, discounts, and special promotions, while negative reviews allow you to rectify problems and address concerns so that a customer will give you another chance (and stop poor word-of-mouth).
6. Providing Free Advertising
We all know how expensive advertising can be, and as previously mentioned, many people don’t trust it anyhow. However, online reviews offer free advertising, putting your brand name and products to people who may not have known about your company otherwise. This gives small and medium-size businesses the type of exposure they could probably never afford through traditional advertising methods.
7. Creating PR Campaigns
When you have winning online eCommerce reviews, you can use them to your advantage, highlighting them on your website, in promotional materials, in advertising, and on your social media pages.
7 Ways to Get More Online Ecommerce Reviews
Now that we’ve established the importance of online eCommerce reviews, let’s look at some strategies you can employ to get more of them!
1. Ask for a Review
Sometimes, it really is that easy. Studies show that more than 70% of consumers will leave a review if you simply just ask them to. So don’t be shy!
2. Offer an Incentive
Some people may need a little push in order to leave a review, but it shouldn’t take much. You could incentivize them with a 10% off promo code for their next purchase (this could even give you an additional sale), free shipping, or exclusive offers.
3. Engage with Feedback
People are more likely to leave reviews when they see that you actively engage with people who have left reviews in the past. This could be a simple “Thanks!” when someone leaves a positive review, and more importantly, an offer to make things right when someone leaves a negative review.
4. Send Customer Surveys
Sending the occasional customer survey is a great way to keep tabs on how you’re doing. Many eCommerce businesses use a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey to gain feedback, reward customers, and correct potential problems.
5. Send Reminder Emails
After someone receives your product and begins using it, they may forget to return to your site to leave a review. Send a reminder email thanking them for their purchase and asking them to leave a review, with a link that will send them right to your page.
6. Use In-App Messages
If you have an app, when someone is actively using it is an opportune time to ask them to review you. A simple pop-up could ask them to rate you on a scale of 1-5 (just be sure to offer a “No Thanks” option so as not to be a bother).
7. Use Third-Party Review Sites
Third-party review sites like Google, Amazon, and Facebook can be intimidating since people can say whatever they like about your company, but they can also give you a real boost if you are confident in your product. To learn more about managing them and using them to your advantage, check out this blog from Clickx.
How eCommerce Fulfillment Can Impact Your Customer Reviews
Now that you know how important customer reviews are, you may be wondering: “How does my eCommerce order fulfillment process actually affect them?”
Your order fulfillment process has a huge impact on your customer experience! A slow, un-engaging, and impersonal order fulfillment process creates a negative customer experience—which can lead to poor online reviews. Customers have come to expect fast shipping speeds and personalized engagement from the brands they buy from, and if you can’t provide this, they’ll likely have some not-so-nice things to say about you online. Plus, they won’t want to buy from your brand again.
On the other hand, organized, speedy, and customized fulfillment logistics will delight your customers and create a memorable customer experience. This will make them want to buy from you again, and may inspire them to post positive reviews about your brand online so their social circles and fellow online shoppers can have the same great experience.
This makes it possible to keep current customers satisfied, turning one-time buyers into long-term customers and loyal advocates for your brand. Additionally, with more positive customer reviews online, it will also be easier to attract new customers to your brand. More repeat sales and more new customers means more revenue for your business!
7 Ways to Improve Your Online Customer Reviews Through Your eCommerce Fulfillment
Here are seven steps you can take to enhance your order fulfillment process, making it possible to deliver a better customer experience that leads to more positive customer reviews:
1. Align with Shipping Speed Expectations
Online shoppers expect faster shipping speeds than ever before, and being able to deliver on them—literally—can create a better customer experience that leads to positive online reviews. So, working with a fulfillment provider who has the proper fulfillment logistics in place can ensure that your products are getting to your customers quickly. For example, The Fulfillment Lab works with DHL to provide exclusive Time Definite express services that guarantee delivery in two to three days.
2. Provide Visibility Into Your Order Fulfillment Process
It’s not enough to simply offer fast shipping speeds—you need to provide visibility into your eCommerce order fulfillment process as well. Providing updates when orders are received, being fulfilled, and shipped will keep your customers happy. That’s why at The Fulfillment Lab, orders are processed and sent with complete end-to-end visibility throughout the entire fulfillment process.
3. Be Transparent
Even with visibility into the order fulfillment process, sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Whether it’s an inventory issue or bad winter storm that keeps your products from being shipped on time, it’s important to be transparent if an order is going to be later than expected. Don’t just go radio silent and hope your customer won’t notice that their package didn’t arrive on time—they definitely will. So, send updates and be honest about what happened and what you’re doing to fix it. This transparency will go a long way with your customers.
4. Use Proper Packaging
Cutting corners by using cheap packaging and forgoing insulation can result in damaged product and unhappy customers. Be sure to use sturdy boxes that can support the weight of your item and cushioning material that will help restrict items from moving and keep them away from box edges.
5. Leverage Customized Packaging
Sending your products in customized packaging can help you create a more memorable, engaging, and exciting customer experience that drives your buyers to show off their shiny new package online—and leave you positive reviews! At The Fulfillment Lab, we’ll help you create a few customized fulfillment experiences for different market segments. Then, using analytics within our Global Fulfillment Software™, you’ll quickly be able to pinpoint which experience your clients like the most and create customized packaging that aligns.
6. Provide Good Returns Management
To keep customers coming back, it’s important to allow returns—and that requires a strong online returns management system. You'll want to provide a fair and clear return policy on your website, along with a hardcopy with your shipped product. This will help ensure you and your customer are on the same page and that there is no confusion when it comes to refunds, exchanges, return deadlines, etc.
7. Work with the Right eCommerce Fulfillment Provider
There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to running an eCommerce business, which means order fulfillment is often overlooked. Turning to the experts to handle your eCommerce fulfillment logistics can take the pressure off your internal staff and free up your time to focus on bigger-picture tasks. Plus, having a skilled and reliable fulfillment provider can improve your customer experience, therefore improving your customer reviews!
Improve Your Customer Reviews with the Help of The Fulfillment Lab!
The Fulfillment Lab can elevate your eCommerce order fulfillment process with our comprehensive, cutting-edge fulfillment services, which include:
- Reliable global order fulfillment
- 14 fulfillment centers (2 domestic and 12 international) for faster deliveries
- Expedited shipping options with delivery guaranteed in 1-3 business days
- End-to-end visibility throughout the entire eCommerce order fulfillment process
- Proprietary, easy to use fulfillment software
- Customized packaging for limitless branding potential
- Dynamic integration with every major eCommerce system
It’s time to ditch disorganized, complex fulfillment logistics that are negatively impacting your customer reviews! Ready to get on board with the future of fulfillment? Contact us today!
