PowerReviews Insider

I get asked all the time what is the best way to generate customer reviews. And without a doubt the simple answer is…you ask for them. In fact, our industry is littered with supporting evidence that shows a post transactional email sent a few weeks after the original shipment date that specifically asks shoppers to write a review is certainly the best way to go!

Okay, then, beyond asking for them in an email, what is the next best way to generate customer reviews? Well, I ‘m glad you asked because the next best way is as simple as the first. Just show your shoppers how important reviews are to the shopping experience you provide and your customers will follow suit and will be eager to share their thoughts too!

Our friends at REI do a fantastic job at getting that message out – that reviews are an important part of their shopping experience. In their latest catalog that just hit the streets this past week, the inside cover gently boasts the following:

We can help you accomplish your summer dreams with expert advice and a huge selection of quality gear. REI.com customer gear reviews and articles.

It goes without saying that “customer gear reviews” is a stroke of brilliance by these leaders in their space. It sends a clear message that fellow recreation enthusiasts have lots of insightful information just waiting for the eager researcher.

Using their catalog is just one of the many ways these forward thinking guys have been promoting reviews to their shoppers. Earlier this year they embarked on a huge in-store campaign alerting their shoppers that they not only had product reviews online but encouraged them to go home, use their newly purchased product and then go on line to write a review of their own.

Other great examples can be found at Jockey.com where they teach shoppers how to shop smarter by using product reviews (click on “submit a product review” banner) in their buying decision, or at Ace Hardware where they prominently dedicate and display Top Rated items on their home page or at Danskin where write a review reminder pack-ins are inserted in every shipment, the earlier and more obvious in the shopping process merchants promote reviews the more reviews they will generate.

To sum it up, clearly communicate to your shoppers the importance you place on customer reviews early and often in the shopping process. If you do that, you set the expectation that after they should write a review too – right after they make that purchase!