This post originally appeared in Multichannel Merchant.
While good online reputation management is important for all businesses, it is particularly critical for eCommerce business owners–their online reputation is indistinguishable from their brand. For this reason, we wanted to dedicate a post to the 7 things all eCommerce businesses should do to develop and sustain a stellar online reputation.
1. Use Transparency to Your Advantage
On Sitejabber, we find that the best reviewed eCommerce businesses do not fear their weaknesses. Instead, these businesses make their weaknesses clear upfront and even use them as marketing tactics. For example, if you’re a small business, you might explain that you’re a mom-and-pop shop and do your best to get orders out on time, but sometimes things can take a bit longer. You can then ask them to please excuse the delay upfront. That way, should you get your shipment out on time, the customer is pleasantly surprised and are in any case likely charmed by the idea of supporting a small business. eCommerce stores on Sitejabber have found that being even a little more transparent upfront yields customers that are more forgiving, loyal and likely to write positive reviews.
2. Don’t Wait to Develop Your Online Reputation
Bad reviews are not a death sentence for your brand or your business. But the better prepared your business is, the less damage bad reviews can inflict. Instead of waiting for a bad review to appear and then scrambling to control the damage, well-prepared eCommerce businesses get out in front of negative reviews by claiming and developing their review pages as soon as they launch their site. They tell their business’s unique story through text, photos and videos and invite customers to review them. Having a well-developed online profile on reputable review platforms can be a valuable tool to generate new business, but also should your business receive one or more negative reviews, they can be read in the broader context of your business.
3. Never Stop Asking for Feedback
We find that even savvy eCommerce businesses will collect a number of reviews initially to set up their online review presence, but then they stop, thinking they’ve checked the “reviews” box and can move on to other things. However, this is wrong for three reasons: (1) just the act of asking for feedback signals to your customers that you care and can engender greater loyalty, (2) actively collecting feedback allows you the chance to resolve issues with unhappy customers before they cut and paste their complaint all over the web, and (3) by listening to fans and critics alike you can equip yourself with knowledge you need to continually improve your business and stay one step ahead of competitors.
4. Cultivate Brand Advocates
Happy customers are a significant resource for all businesses, but this can be particularly true for eCommerce sites. One great review can be read by thousands of potential customers and can result in significantly more business. And having a large number of reviews can be a tremendously effective tool for earning the trust of prospective customers and improving conversion rates. Also, be sure to encourage your best customers to engage with other customers and prospective customers as they can be your best sales people (the Q&A section of your Sitejabber review page is a great place for this).
5. Respond to Every Review
On Sitejabber, eCommerce businesses that respond to every review have an 86% higher rating than those that do not. We recommend publicly thanking all reviewers regardless of how they’ve rated your business because it both communicates to existing and potential customers that you care and makes it clear that not just doing damage control when you respond to a negative review. Smart consumers identify engaged, customer-centric businesses and reward them with more business.
6. Address Bad Reviews Promptly and Professionally
Even with an unreasonable customer, with the right response it’s possible to prevent damage to your reputation and even improve it. By engaging a reviewer and establishing a human connection, you can often not only improve the situation, but change the customer’s mind. Frequently, a polite and thoughtful public response to negative feedback can result in the reviewer giving your business a second chance. If you feel like you can resolve a customer’s complaint, also send a private message offering the resolution. Once the customer’s concern has been satisfied, politely ask the customer to reconsider their review–one study found 95% of unhappy customers will return if an issue is resolved quickly and efficiently. And don’t forget, your public responses will be read by other potential customers who will see your professionalism and commitment to providing customers the best possible experience, even if you’re not able to reach a resolution.
7. Don’t Get Trapped Into Paying $$$$
For eCommerce business owners, the basics of managing your reputation on review sites should be free–review collection, responding to reviews, an SEO optimized review page in Google, trust seals, review widgets, customer service, etc. Avoid services that try to charge you for these services or charge to remove reviews or otherwise promise to “manage your reputation” for money. Not only will paying for these services trap you into paying ever increasing fees, if your customers discover that you’re paying for this stuff, it can discredit the reputation you’ve worked so hard to build. These services’ pricing and services are not aligned with the success of your business.
