Getting reviews on Amazon is hard and getting good reviews is even harder.

But it doesn’t have to be. 

In fact, if you put your mind to it and create a plan of action that nurtures customer relationships and actively seeks out reviews – both good and bad – you can make sure your review game is at the top of its class.

So, how exactly do you get five star Amazon reviews? 

Below, we have detailed the steps and best practices to follow to increase your chances of securing customer feedback. 

We’ve also provided three Amazon feedback request templates that can be adapted to suit your needs.

The importance of Amazon reviews

Let’s start with the fact that 90% of online consumers state that their buying choices are heavily influenced by reviews, with sellers seeing a similar correlation – the more reviews a product has, the more popular it is. 

Source

Despite sales being the hottest goal for Amazon sellers, there are other major benefits that having a slew of reviews can reap:

More visibility in Amazon searches

Amazon listens to its buyers and cares about their opinions. 

Having lots of satisfied customers (shown by the number of positive reviews you have) is therefore a pretty good indicator that your product is worthy of getting the top spot in Amazon’s search results.

Much like other consumer-focused search engines, Amazon needs to know that a product is high-quality and comes with exceptional service in order to recommend it.

And, to do this, they actively look to reviews, simply because they tend to garner a higher rate of conversions (a.k.a sales).

“Reviews matter for conversion and conversion impacts sales history”, says Pat Petriello, Head of Marketplace Strategy at CPC Strategy. “Sales history is one of the drivers for search rank. People say the amount of reviews is what drives search, but it’s really that reviews drive conversion, and conversion drives sales history and sales history is part of search”.

Boost conversion rates

Talking of conversion rates, did you know that 70% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase?

And they don’t just read one or two, either.

In fact, 68% form an opinion on a product after reading up to six online reviews.

The more reviews you have, the more likely someone is to form a positive impression of your product and buy it.

In Amazon’s technology section alone, 64% of purchases are said to be based on the reviews and ratings of each particular product.

Valuable insights into customer experience

Improving the experience your customers have with your Amazon store should be at the top of your to-do list.

After all, the more enjoyable the experience, the more likely it is that customers will come back for more (and keeping existing customers is a lot more cost-effective than acquiring new ones).

Reviews give you an insight into the thoughts of your customers, giving you the information you need to tweak your products, services, and store to better align it with your buyers’ wants and needs.

Gives you a competitive edge

Imagine for a moment that you’re searching for a new set of cooking pans on Amazon. You’ve found two products that fit the bill and you’re deciding between them.

Everything is the same, right from the price down to the number of pans in the pack and the delivery time frame.

The only difference is that one set of pans has a host of positive reviews while the other set has none at all.

Which one do you go for?

If you’re like most Amazon buyers, you’ll go for the one with the reviews because it’s the safer option.

Of course, the seller with no reviews might have just as good a product, but the addition of the customer reviews on the other just gives it the edge, by providing third-party endorsement and instilling trust.

As you can see, reviews are important when it comes to decision-time for buyers, and they can quickly give you the edge over your competitors.

How to get Amazon reviews

Now you know why customer reviews are so important on Amazon and the influence they can have on your overall success on the marketplace, let’s dig into how you can start getting more of them.

1. Email follow up sequences

Email is one of the best ways to connect with your customers after they’ve bought from you.

In fact, by landing directly in your buyers’ inboxes, you can build relationships with them and encourage them to write reviews.

The problem, however, is that these buyers are technically Amazon’s customers and not your own, meaning you won’t be handed their email addresses.

So, how do you contact Amazon shoppers without access to this information?

In short, through Amazon’s Buyer-Seller Messaging Service.

Now while Amazon themselves will ask buyers for feedback, it can’t be ignored that they are impersonal and therefore easy to ignore.

Sending personal messages is usually far more effective. 

That said, there are a few important things to note before you go in all guns blazing with this method.

More specifically, you don’t want to:

• Send too many emails, as this will overwhelm buyers.
• Continually ask for reviews as this risks annoying them and damaging your reputation.
• Put words into the mouths of your buyers – you want to hear their opinions, not what they think you want to hear. 

The ideal follow-up sequence has three separate emails, with the first one being fired off soon after the customer has bought a product:

• Email #1 should thank the customer from buying from you and let them know when their product is due to arrive or how they can access their purchase.
• Email #2 should be sent after the product has arrive with the buyer and ask them to share their thoughts via a review.
• Email #3 should be a follow-up email to the review request, reminding buyers who haven’t left a review that there’s still time to do so.

For more inspiration, take a look at the Amazon feedback request templates below.

2. Provide a good customer experience

It can’t be ignored that there are two situations when someone is most likely to leave a review:if they’ve had a really bad experience or if they’ve had a really good experience. 

To reduce the chances of any negative reviews cropping up because of bad experiences, you want to make sure your customers have the best one possible.

The most effective thing you can do here is listen. 

Read the reviews you get – both public and private – and determine if there are any trends.

Is there a problem that keeps cropping up? Do customers continue to comment on the same thing? Is there an issue with delivery that can be easily fixed?

Take the information you have from your customers and start implementing necessary changes to make your products better and improve the experience your buyers have with you.

On top of listening, an extremely effective way you can provide a stellar customer experience is to streamline your order management process and make your order fulfilment more efficient with clear transparency of the status of an order to a customer. 

So, how do you improve these processes?

It’s simple really. Look at your opportunities with inventory and order management software.

More specifically, learn more about the benefits of Amazon inventory management software to improve your processes and grow your business on the marketplace.

3. Ask for reviews

It sounds so simple, but asking is one of the most effective ways you can get more reviews.

How are your customers supposed to know that you’d love a review from them if you don’t tell them?

But how exactly do you ask? Besides email that is.

One way is through social media.

Put a call out on your social media channels to ask buyers for reviews or, even better, get personal.

If you see a customer talking about your product online, respond to them and ask them if they’d mind leaving a review on Amazon.

4. Keep it simple

The most important thing of all is to keep it simple.

Consumers today are busier than ever, and you want to make the review process as quick and as painless as possible for them.

If they have to jump through hoops to do you a favor, chances are they’re not going to do it.

Instead, keep your emails short and give them clear instructions on how they can navigate to your Amazon page and leave a review.

How to get more 5-star Amazon reviews

Getting Amazon reviews is all well and good, but you should ideally be aiming for as many 5 star reviews as possible.

After all, the better the reviews, the better the conversions, right?

If you’re ready to double down on your review game and gun for those ever-coveted 5-star reviews, here’s how to go about it.

1. Focus on quality

This goes without saying.

Fueled by the feedback from your customers, your products should be the highest quality they can be, and the service you provide your buyers should be nothing less than great.

The more attention to detail you pay when it comes to how your product is perceived, the higher your chances are of getting a 5-star review.

And, remember:people love to share their great experiences.

2. Respond to all reviews

It can be tempting to only respond to negative reviews, because we have a tendency to want to defend ourselves and our business.

The same energy, however, should be put into responding to positive reviews. In fact, not responding will give customers the impression that you don’t care that they’ve had a positive experience.

Believe it or not, going out of your way to respond to customers who have left a positive review will encourage even more customers to provide feedback.

3. Get your wording right

By framing your “ask” as genuinely wanting to know how your customer found their experience, you’re showing a deeper interest. As a result (and because you showed an interest), your customer is likely to reciprocate by leaving a review.

There are plenty of customers who would willingly give you a 5-star review, but if you go about it in the wrong way you can quickly ruin the chances of that actually happening.

Amazon feedback request template

While we’ve covered some of the best practices for securing five star Amazon reviews, we’ve also provided some feedback template request emails that you can send through Amazon’s Seller-Buyer Messaging Service. 

Amazon feedback request template #1

As previously mentioned, this email should be sent once the item has been delivered – ideally within two to three days so that the purchase is still front of mind.

So, what should this first Amazon review request look like?

Hi [[Customer’s First Name]],

It’s [[Your Name]] from [[Your Brand]] here.

Thanks so much again for purchasing the [[Product Name]].

Our records show that it was delivered a few days ago and I was hoping you’d be able to share your honest opinion on whether it met your expectations.

If you have a minute to spare, we’d really appreciate it if you could review your purchase here:

[[Product Review Link Stars]]

If there was anything at all wrong with your order, please do let us know directly so that we can get it sorted as quickly as possible!

Sincerely,

[[Brand Name]]

Amazon feedback request template #2

Still haven’t received feedback?

Send a follow up request between 7-14 days after the customer received their product.

Hi [[Customer’s First Name]],

It’s [[Your Name]] from [[Your Brand]] again. Last email, I promise!

Now that you’ve had some time to make use of your [[Product Name]], I was hoping you might be able to share your feedback. 

Your opinion really does go a long way in helping to inform customer’s like yourself about what it is they’re buying, so if you were able to leave a review it would much appreciated!

[[Product Review Link Stars]]

Again, if there was any problems with your order, please do let us know directly so that we can resolve it.

Best Wishes,

[[Your Brand]]

It’s important that you’re monitoring the performance of these review request emails and make appropriate changes if needed.

In fact, it may suit your business better to keep your feedback request as straight to the point as possible, like the example below.

Alternative Amazon feedback request template

Hi [[Customer’s First Name]],

Thanks again for your purchase of [[Product Name]].

Did it meet your expectations?

If so, we’d love it if you could provide your feedback below.

[[Product Review Link Stars]]

If anything is wrong with your order, please contact us directly and we’ll resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Kind Regards,

[[Brand Name]]

Building success on the back of reviews

Not only do Amazon reviews help to increase your visibility in Amazon searches and boost conversions, but they can also help you improve your business by getting the lowdown on what your customers think and feel.

This insight is invaluable.

As a result, you should constantly be striving to get more reviews by reaching out to buyers, making it as easy as possible for them to share their thoughts, and by showing you really do care about their experience with your brand and products.