In December 2020, Amazon removed the possibility for sellers to respond directly to customer reviews. Although it is possible to reply to comments on your store page (and ask Amazon to remove them when necessary) your ability to respond to customer comments has been disabled. But we know that research shows that customers READ REVIEWS before purchasing items!! You know how important reviews are to your success!!
Therefore, when sellers are able to show their side of the story in review comments, consumers are able to make more fully informed choices about their purchases. You’ll do everything you can (without violating Amazon’s terms of service) to increase the number of positive reviews. But….oh no! You’ve received a Negative Review on a product. NOW WHAT?
IF…..the customer experience is the DIVINING rod of seller success at Amazon, and…..
IF….you can’t respond to customer reviews
AND BECAUSE ….your rate of NEGATIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES impacts your Account Health, here are the DO’s and DON’T’s for FEEDBACK & REVIEWS:
What you SHOULD do!!
- Regularly Check FEEDBACK under your performance health dashboard.
- Contact your customers through Amazon’s Buyer-Seller Messaging Services
- If the feedback violates Amazon’s TOS, ask Amazon to remove it!
- Proactively send an email to your customers after the product is delivered. Be brief and police and ask them about their satisfaction and kindly ask them to leave feedback. (There are automation tools for this service).
Yes….that’s a 5-star review…..and you NEED to respond – after all, you sent them the wrong item, but you made it “right”. If they’re saying your customer service is great…then show them again and again and respond publicly!
But Here’s a Bad Review….
This needs a response! It’s about Late Shipment AND about product packaging! How would YOU respond to this customer?
Why Bad Reviews are VALUABLE! Collect bad reviews, and analyze them. Evaluate what needs to be improved. What are customers complaining about? Shipping Times? Packaging styles? Listing discrepancies? Product mix-ups?
What you SHOULD NEVER DO!!
- DO NOT contact buyers for marketing or promotional purposes (including via email, spam, physical mail, telephone)
- DO NOT ask nor pressure a customer to change their review
- NEVER incentivize requests for reviews
Ask yourself: Is that feedback accurate? If yes….now you know EXACTLY what needs to be fixed! So, what do you do to get Amazon Reviews in 2021? How do you tackle negative reviews? Let us know your strategies!
Has your account been suspended or are you at risk of being suspended? The experts at Axelligence can help you write a professionally customized Plan of Action to get your account reinstated as soon as possible!