How To Increase Sales With Customer Reviews

Research shows customer reviews can give an 18% uplift in sales. Additionally, 72% of customers say a positive review make them trust a business more, and 90% of customers will read online reviews.

Reviews are therefore a powerful and effective means of increasing conversions. They not only build trust with your customers but they also contain user-generated content which engages your customer base and requires minimal effort from your end.

Where does this 18% uplift come from? There are three main ways in which reviews help build your sales:

1. Reviews Increase Conversions: "Conversion Rate Optimisation"

Of the 18% uplift in sales, 11% was due to increased conversions. Conversions largely occur when your visitors trust you or your product enough to buy from you.

Reviews are significantly more trusted than manufacturer descriptions, according to a survey from eMarketer (February 2010). Reviews therefore help with the invaluable task of helping your visitors trust you, which in turn increases conversions.

2. Reviews Increase Visitors : "Search Engine Optimisation"

Conversions mean more profit. However, reviews have been shown to increase the size of the average order. This indicates an increase in the average number of visitors a website receives. Website visits are largely driven by search engine optimisation.

The additional user-generated content from customer reviews increases a websites chance of ranking well for 'long tail searches'. Long tail searches are when search users enter a long query into their search engine, i.e. a question. A user-written question is more likely to be answered through a user-written answer or review, as users will leave reviews using the same language as those searching. Hence, reviews also help your search engine optimisation, without you having to create any new content!

3. Reviews Increase Repeat Visitors

Finally, of the 18% uplift in sales, 5% of this increase came from repeat visitors. By allowing customers to review their purchases, they are back onto your website, giving you the opportunity to up-sell your current range.

Some websites use techniques such as emailing customers after their purchase or offering discount vouchers in return for leaving a review.

How can I benefit?

To benefit from this simple and efficient tool for increasing your sales, simply get in touch with our team.