Leveraging Reviews In E-Commerce: Trends & Personalization

Trust is essential in e-commerce as you may recognize, and having the right orientation to build trust can help you understand how to best exercise your own reviews strategy. Reviews are crucial for building customer confidence, and equally important for generating customer insights. Positive reviews showcase a company’s commitment to customer satisfaction, while the overall rating reveals areas for improvement. Contemporary tactics employ pop-ups, emails, SMS and so much more to generate and showcase reviews. In this article, we’ll discuss a few effective strategies used in e-commerce to build resilient review profiles and bolster market presence.

How Reviews Could Look In 2024 & Beyond

Reviews have always been a prominent component of e-commerce, and the technology powering them has continuously evolved to shape the standard into what it is today. Much of what we’ve seen change involves some form of advancement to the user’s experience, multi-channel integration, or the adaptation of customer data for creating value. The biggest challenge is ultimately implementation, which is often the most complicated process and what really prevents us from exercising our reviews strategy.

Apps are driving change in reviews

In 2024, apps like Growave and Justuno are considered the standard as they streamline integration and often deliver the most sophisticated solutions. We highly recommend using apps as opposed to attempting to hire engineers or using simplistic alternatives. 

Review apps like Growave are often less expensive while also being more sophisticated and intuitive. These apps in general do have a tendency to be “one size fits all” solutions that lack the sort of flexibility to cater to specific merchant needs. That’s exactly why top-performing brands often require dedicated attention and lean towards apps that can deliver custom solutions for effective campaigns; like showcasing UGC, rewarding reviews, and the ability to brand on-page experiences. These apps are in many respects the driving force in reviews technology, and we are seeing them become more strategic and effective at engaging customers at key touchpoints pre and post purchase.

Personalization is on the move

Although the e-commerce industry has changed greatly in recent years, personalization at key shopper touchpoints still seems to be lacking. This seems to be counterintuitive since personalization is recognized by industry experts as one of the most effective strategies for enhancing the relevance and accuracy of marketing. It may have to do with the difficulty of exercising personalization strategies or that the technology may not have caught up yet. It is thought that AI could play a major role in synthesizing customer data and implementing personalization strategies. 

One thing is certain, understanding customer behavior and analyzing customer data is essential to a successful personalization campaign. We will most likely notice this biggest change in analytics, where AI could help automatically formulate accurate customer segments. These segments could help identify trends, formulate email copy, and develop strategies to target these groups directly. We may also notice personalization helping brands foster personal relationships by anticipating what products customers may find the most appealing. All of which will help businesses become more customer centric and intentional in their marketing.

Complete platforms and synchronized channels

Another prominent trend we are noticing is companies leaning towards more synergetic strategies that will combine reviews with their other core marketing functions. It is thought that this approach will enable businesses to develop more comprehensive approaches to the market with a greater result. This synergetic practice focuses on the customer’s journey and implies the integration of reviews at points where they can be most effective. It is believed that the ability to synchronize marketing functions produces boosts in managerial efficiency while also bolstering the utility of reviews. 

Having a synchronized marketing strategy is believed to accelerate the collection of reviews, improve their quality, and produce deeper insights; but most importantly it awards a greater degree of versatility. These features may include using automated email flows, loyalty rewards, or combining with upsell offerings and product recommendations. A perfect example of these apps in action are these Growave case studies that feature Loyalty, Instagram UGC, Wishlist, and Post-Purchase Upsell.

Defining social proof, power of social proof, and latest review strategies

New e-commerce entrants face a critical challenge: overcoming customer doubt. Social proof, the art of leveraging independent voices like reviews and success stories, combats this by showcasing genuine validation, not just self-promotion. This multifaceted strategy builds trust, a key weapon in the competitive e-commerce landscape. While reviews are amongst the most popular forms of social proof, a business will often rely on several different types of social proof at any point.

Types of Social Proof:
  • Influencer Endorsement
  • Certifications and Badges
  • Testimonials (like videos or quotes)
  • Case Studies
  • Expert Advocacy
  • Customer Reviews
  • User Generated Content
  • Customer Referrals
  • Awards and Recognition

The power of social proof

The modern consumer is an informed consumer, who constantly seeks information to base their decisions on and compares brands based on what information they can find. These shoppers are looking for value and quality, but most importantly they want to feel confident in their decision. Reviews are often the first and most prominent source of independent information available to them. While reviews are typically an online function, customers are known to seek guidance even when shopping offline. This demonstrates just how ingrained e-commerce has become in modern life.

Customers almost universally consult reviews when shopping online. These figures demonstrate just how important an effective review strategy is for businesses.

  • 98% of customers feel reviews are an essential resource
  • 79% of customers will specifically seek out websites with product reviews
  • 68% of customers desire at least 26 reviews and 71% consider how recently a review has been left
  • The most popular places include Amazon (95%), retailer websites (93%), brand websites (93%), and search engines (65%)

Source

Even when a brand employs review strategies, its authenticity may still be called into question. The quality, frequency, and depth of these reviews are all crucial factors. A well-executed review strategy will include

  • Multiple types of social proof to establish sufficient credibility
  • Along with means to enrich their quality and rates of engagement.

Strategies for collecting reviews

An effective review strategy will be able to enhance both the quality and quantity of customer reviews gathered. It will include elements of design, interaction, positioning, and employ the most modern tools. Whatever the actual strategy happens to be, it’s important to understand that these implementations must inspire action. A sound approach will seamlessly incorporate into the customer flow and integrate into your regular operations. Remember that overburdening customers can often produce the opposite effect, suggesting tactful implementation with smart targeting capabilities. It’s also thought that loyal customers are the most willing to leave a positive review, which defines the logic behind generating engagement. 

  1. Interactive Tabs or Widgets: These widgets are collapsible features that appear on the edges of the customer’s browser, and that make reviews available across all the pages of your e-commerce website. This makes it easy to both check out a store’s reviews and leave your own in a modern and interactive fashion. These tabs are considered as some of the newest types of review features.

2. Post-Purchase Emails: These emails are highly automated and can be timed, allowing customers to experience your product before leaving a review. 

3. In Emails Reviews: As part of your standard email function, this can prove to be highly effective in collecting reviews. It’s also possible to have customers leave reviews in the email itself, and to include multiple review submissions in one email.

4. Mobile Messages: Mobile shopping and capturing phone numbers is a fairly common practice, with a smooth design and message, it can prove to be effective in reaching customers in their busy lives. Nowadays you can get someone to simply reply with a single word to give instant feedback on their experience with your product or service.

5. Landing Page: As part of your e-commerce website, a dedicated landing page for reviews can provide a more comprehensive experience where customers can both read and write their own reviews.

6. Product Pages: Including review filtering options on product pages may prove to be one of your most effective features. Since these reviews are pinned to individual products, it can help you highlight your best products and create opportunities like filtering by “most popular” or anticipating shopping preferences.

7. Product Packaging: It’s becoming more and more popular to include review requests on product packaging. It’s one of the most passive ways to incorporate reviews in your operations. Modern methods utilize QR codes to transition customers to review pages.

8. Loyalty Points: Modern loyalty programs can reward points for reviews. This will help accelerate their collection and pave the way for a strong review profile. Loyalty members are also known to have a preference towards your brand, making them more likely to leave a positive review. A great example of this is to lead someone to the website from a review-capture email to redeem their gift or points via a pop-up message. Getting them to visit the website gets you one step closer to a conversion.

9. Discounts: Similar in principle to loyalty points, discounts can encourage engagement, increasing the quantity of reviews that you collect. This may also improve the quality of reviews as well, a great practice for new brands. Consider discounts for certain categories or specific products only when you know what they have purchased before for hyper-personalized offers. 

10. Free Samples: Free samples are a great way to set things on a positive footing with shoppers. A positive experience can be highly productive when collecting reviews. Consider partnering with other brands that have a story or product that goes well with your brand. This can open up other opportunities to engage with different shoppers.

11. Order History Page: Order history pages are standard components in e-commerce and are trafficked mainly by previous customers. Using these pages to collect reviews may be effective as they are perfect opportunities to target customers familiar with your brand. Post-purchase experiences should be enabled because of their positive effect on retention and word of mouth marketing.

12. Social Media: Social media is a very common marketing channel in e-commerce, and requesting reviews over social media platforms can prove to be a strong addition to your overall strategy. It may not be able to substitute your entire review strategy, but the quality of reviews you collect may be very useful. Below is an example of how you can feature your Instagram gallery in your e-commerce store.

Reviews are undoubtedly an important component of e-commerce, and with Growave you can craft your review strategy in combination with other crucial e-commerce functions. Growave enables merchants to integrate reviews into features like loyalty programs or email flows. Further, the data produced from multiple apps will help identify important trends that can paint a more complete picture, enabling your business to leverage key findings.

Personalization with Reviews

One of the most common mistakes we’ve seen in e-commerce has to do with arbitrary strategies, irrelevant recommendations, and a general lack of customer insight. Personalization is becoming increasingly relevant as a process of refining scope and better targeting consumer demand. One of the most reliable sources of customer insight happens to be the customers themselves, which highlights the value of reviews or feedback as a consistent information source. Being able to capture key points of information can completely change your overall marketing strategy/voice and as a result, boost its relevance and precision. 

Reviews are relevant in the personalization process on several different fronts. 

  • The first is the gathering of highly relevant information, which is most notable when a business is without options. 
  • The second is the showcase of reviews as a form of social proof, which can work to build trust and authority. 
  • The third is the segmentation of customers into groups, which could identify customer trends, and help build effective marketing campaigns based on a direct source.
  • The final benefit has to do with organizational processes, whereas findings can help improve the customer’s experience by focusing on their pain points and working to resolve issues in your overall services.

“Personalization is a process of studying customer data and refining your e-commerce function to an individual level based on data or feedback.”

Segmentation Discussion (Fueling LTV and AOV)

Segmentation is a process of clustering customers based on common characteristics such as behavior, issues, or interests. It is a process of taking actual data derived from customers to identify opportunities or issues in your e-commerce function. Customer segments have the potential to guide not only how you communicate with your core audience but also fundamentally change your marketing strategy. Segments can inform you on how to brand your products, your customer interests, issues they may experience, or how to optimize your product recommendations. Segments can also be used across channels and your website for the most effective targeting.

Lifetime Value: LTV primarily involves how well your brand and product align with our core demographic. Through segmentation, you can study customer preferences, refine your strategy, and deliver highly influential content. By acutely understanding your customers you can consistently deliver engaging product recommendations, resolve pressing issues, and sustain customer interest for longer periods. It is possible to also leverage customer insights in your loyalty programs and email marketing, making those strategies more effective. 

Average Order Value: Customer segments can help identify customers who are most open to upselling, find products that are most receptive, and identify customers who are most reactive to discounts. By incorporating your findings into the customer journey, such as post-purchase, it’s possible to find the perfect product at the perfect price point, presented at key points such as arriving on site or adding an item to the cart, which would result in growth in AOV. Just by understanding what products are favored by your customers, it is possible to construct bundles, recommend products, or feature them at the right moments.

Reviews or rather customer trust, are a precursor to loyalty. With tools like this loyalty program app, brands are able to craft highly engaging rewards that can retain their most important customers. These loyalty members can easily become your biggest advocates while also diminishing your costs of acquisition through important metrics like LTV. With the addition of the data produced by customer feedback and segments, you can adjust your loyalty program for maximum effect.

How to craft a complete review strategy with Growave

Growave is a complete marketing solution that delivers so much more than just a reviews app. Implementing a complete review strategy has never been easier. Growave has everything you need to control your reviews program, while also creating routes to engage users. Growave has helped ordinary businesses accumulate thousands of high-quality reviews.

Growave’s Capabilities:

  • Collapsible pop-up tab for reviews
  • Craft automated review request emails
  • Create a reviews landing page
  • Reward loyalty points, free samples, discounts for reviews
  • Integrate UGC into your e-commerce website
  • Incorporate product page reviews
  • Verified customer badges
  • Collect photo reviews
  • Generate high-quality reviews from loyalty members
  • Create customer review forms for high-quality insight
  • Manage and analyze reviews
  • Utilize Q&A features to engage customers
  • Integrate additional apps like Klaviyo, PageFly, or Gorgias
  • Import/Export reviews

Conclusion

Thankfully, we are never without options when it comes to e-commerce. The industry is populated with wonderful solutions that can help us achieve our goals. Whatever your circumstances happen to be, there is always the opportunity to build a strong review profile, which could be transformative for your business. Hopefully, this article has given enough context into reviews for e-commerce to be able to implement your own approach. If you’re looking for a complete marketing solution with advanced review features, feel free to reach out and chat with a Shopify expert at Growave.