admin_fortress | Mar 03, 2022
Published in How To's
Have you ever purchased an item on Amazon that had no reviews? Seems unlikely. That’s because one of the key things shoppers look for when they’re searching for a product to buy is consumer reviews. Typically, an online shopper is going to steer clear of any products that have negative reviews, so how your online reputation is managed is extremely important to the performance of your business.
No product listing on Amazon is perfect. There are always going to be some negative reviews that come in for a product — the important thing is how you as a brand handle them. Although it is quite difficult to have negative reviews removed entirely, it is possible to respond to and rectify situations where a customer was left unhappy with their purchase, which shows that a brand truly cares about its reputation and its customers.
Amazon Reviews Overview
As an Amazon seller, you always want to provide the best customer experience and service possible in order to avoid getting negative feedback. By implementing best practices that ensure timely delivery and getting items to your customers in a good condition, you’ll have a better chance of receiving a positive review and a happy customer.
Amazon reviews are not only important to sellers because of how much they influence shoppers to purchase their products, but they also impact how you rank in Amazon search results. Products that have better reviews tend to show up before the ones that have poor reviews, making those products less likely to be purchased. Bottom line — having positive reviews matters.
How to Manage Negative Amazon Reviews
Receiving a negative review is never easy and as a business owner, it’s hard not to take negative reviews personally. Although ignoring the review might seem like the easiest option, disregarding negative reviews is never a good thing and you should always aim to respond to your customers’ reviews. Negative reviews left unanswered shows negligence to the customer, and you want to show customers that you hear their concerns and that all feedback is important.
So what’s the best way to handle negative reviews on Amazon? Respond to them. And the sooner you respond to them, the better. Timeliness is important because it shows that you take initiative with customer feedback, but it’s also important because customers are able to edit their reviews within a certain time frame of the original review being posted, so there is a chance that an unhappy customer can turn into a happy one and alter their review to be more positive. Although Amazon eliminated the ability to directly respond to customer reviews publicly back in December 2020, it eventually launched an alternative known as the “Contact Customer” feature. The Contact Customer feature offers brands the opportunity to reply to negative feedback in Seller Central. All the seller needs to do is use one of the templated emails either offering a refund to the customer or asking for further information regarding their purchase experience.
Amazon Review Removal Policy
You’re probably now wondering — is there any way I can remove negative Amazon reviews? The short answer is probably not. Amazon aims to protect the integrity of the buyers and their reviews, so taking down a review simply because it is negative is considered unethical. The only real way to have a review evaluated and taken down is if the review violates Amazon’s community guidelines. To find out more about these guidelines, visit here.
While negative reviews can be — well, negative — it’s important to remember that feedback from your buyers is important to your business. By listening to feedback and closely monitoring your reviews, you can make improvements where needed and ensure that future customers are happy and satisfied.
How to Encourage More Customer Reviews
You can’t ask a customer to change their review or remove their review. So what’s another option? Encourage your future customers to leave a positive review. There are ways you can encourage a positive customer experience so that they will feel willing to leave a positive review. Remember that more positive reviews = more customers.
The first thing you should do is pretty obvious. You should put in the effort to make sure your customers are happy, that their orders are delivered on time, and that the products they buy are in good condition to encourage a happy customer to leave a satisfied review on their own. Additionally, once an item is purchased, you can reach out to the buyer via the “Request a review” feature on the Order Details page and request a review that way as well.
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At Fortress, we represent highly acclaimed brands on the Amazon marketplace and provide a full suite of in-house services, including performance marketing, brand management, reseller control, inventory management, international expansion, and more. We even handle customer service and reputation management, so responding to negative reviews and monitoring feedback would fall under our capabilities.
If you’re interested in a partnership, contact us by submitting a form below. We’d love to hear from you!