Drive Sales by Adding Product Reviews on Your Website in a Click

13 min read

When was the last time you bought something online without reading reviews? Exactly. Bet your customers don’t either. That’s why adding testimonials to your website is a must for driving sales.

Product reviews, ratings, and customer testimonials allow satisfied customers to speak on behalf of your brand. This serves as social proof that your website and products are trustworthy to shoppers. The more reviews you gather, the more credible you become.

Discover more about why product reviews matter for your bottom line and how to incorporate them seamlessly into your website.

Why Product Reviews Matter

A five-star rating or positive comment from a satisfied customer can go a long way in reassuring potential buyers that your products are worth their investment. Here’s why:

Product Reviews Help Build Trust

Since customers can’t physically interact with or sample your products as they would in a brick-and-mortar store, reassuring them with social proof is vital when selling online.

92% of shoppers hesitate to buy a product without customer reviews. They may hold off on making a purchase decision until they can do more research… but once they leave your site, there’s no guarantee they’ll return.
53% of internet users stated that product reviews are the second most important attribute of an online shopping experience.

The most important attributes of the online shopping experience, according to shoppers

Customer testimonials add more social proof to your business, which makes your store look more reliable. This, in turn, increases sales, particularly for higher-priced and “risky” products.

Product Reviews Help Improve SEO

Not only do product reviews provide valuable information for potential buyers, but they also play a significant role in improving search engine optimization.

Reviews contain relevant keywords and phrases that help improve your website’s ranking on search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

Product reviews also signal user engagement, one of the vital ranking factors for Google and other search engines.

Product Reviews Help Make a Purchase Decision

Reviews are one of the most critical factors that consumers consider when making a purchase decision:

According to Statista, 45% of consumers research online before making a major purchase.
95% of users rely on reviews to evaluate the product or learn more about products.

What exactly are customers seeking in reviews? In this survey, 60% of respondents found product performance information most helpful in reviews, while 55% favored purchaser satisfaction details. Other responses included looking for an answer to a specific question or advice about use.

Information that is considered most helpful in product reviews

Reading about others’ experiences with a product can help potential buyers feel more confident in their decision, ultimately leading to more sales for your business.

Placing Product Reviews Strategically

There are several ways to incorporate testimonials on your website. One option is creating a dedicated page for customer reviews and ratings. This allows shoppers to find and read through feedback from previous customers easily.

A product page is one of the most important places to showcase your reviews. This is where potential customers are already considering making a purchase, so seeing positive feedback can help motivate them to complete the transaction.

Plus, product-specific reviews give shoppers more specific insights into the quality and usefulness of the item they are interested in.

Another effective way to showcase testimonials is to add them as quotes or snippets throughout your website. These brief yet powerful endorsements can be placed strategically on landing pages, checkout pages, or even email subscription forms.

How to Add Product Reviews to Your Website

But how do you add testimonials to your website? The first step is identifying which platform you will use to collect and display them.

One popular option is Ecwid by Lightspeed, an ecommerce platform with a built-in product review feature.

If your business needs a website, consider Ecwid. In minutes, you can swiftly create a professional site and enjoy many built-in features that make selling online easier, such as product reviews, sales reports, marketing tools, and more.

Or, if you already have a website, use Ecwid to add an online store to it. Ecwid seamlessly integrates with any site, no matter what site builder you’re using.

Meet the Product Reviews for Ecwid Stores

With Ecwid’s built-in product reviews feature, adding product reviews has never been easier. This tool enables customers to rate and review products they have purchased. Shoppers will receive an automated feedback request email encouraging them to review a product from their customer account.

Ecwid simplifies collecting feedback about your products, helping build customer trust, which, in turn, drives sales.

A review showcased on a product page within the Ecwid store

Get Control Over Reviews

With Ecwid, you can enable or disable the collection of reviews for your entire store or specific products.

If a product faces unexpected issues or is in the early stages of its launch, disabling the reviews can protect your brand’s reputation until improvements are made.

Or, if you sell gift cards or collect donations in your online store, it makes sense to disable reviews for such products.

Collect Authentic Feedback

Reviews on Ecwid can only be written by customers who have purchased a product from your store. It eliminates potential false reviews and ensures the feedback is authentic, relevant, and trustworthy.

This bolsters the credibility of your product reviews, aiding potential buyers in making informed purchasing decisions.

Shoppers can trust that the reviews are authentic, coming solely from real customers

Moderate Your Reviews

You can check submitted reviews before publishing them, allowing you to decide whether to publish or delete them. It prevents spam, offensive, or irrelevant content from being published, ensuring that the reviews on your site remain helpful and relevant.

In case of a negative review, you, as the business owner, can reach out to the customer, address their concerns, and build brand loyalty.

Improve Customer Experience

Ecwid also ensures that your published product reviews are easily visible on the product pages. The star ratings and the total number of reviews give a quick summary of product quality and customer satisfaction.

Shoppers can see ratings in the product grid

The review section is user-friendly, with options to sort reviews by date or rating, making it easier for site visitors to find the most relevant reviews for their needs.

With these features, Ecwid simplifies the process of adding product reviews to your website and enhances the overall customer experience in your online store.

Save Time on Review Management

Adding product reviews to your Ecwid store requires no third-party tools or a lengthy setup. Enabling product reviews in your Ecwid store takes just a click!

Enabling product reviews in an Ecwid store

A feedback request email will be automatically sent to customers a month after their order status changes to “Shipped” (You can adjust the email sending time.) Or one day after the order status changes to “Delivered.”

There’s no need to send emails to each customer manually; Ecwid offers a “set it and forget it” experience.

After that, all you’ll have to do is look through reviews and publish them. Don’t worry — you won’t miss a new review, as Ecwid will notify you via email. Feel free to disable it if you’re a pro at remembering stuff!

See all the details on managing product reviews in the Ecwid Help Center.

Make Product Reviews Even More Prominent

If you use Ecwid Instant Site as a website for your business, you can add a dedicated review section on any page of your Instant Site. That’s in addition to displaying a ratings and reviews section on product pages!

Tailor the design of the review block to suit your preferences

For example, you can incorporate a reviews section on the homepage, a page narrating your business journey, or a detailed description of your product benefits.

How to Make the Most of Product Reviews

Now that you know how to collect and display product reviews, let’s discuss how to use them to the fullest extent for your business.

Incentivize Customers with a Discount

One of the most effective ways to encourage customers to leave reviews is by offering them a discount on their next purchase. This motivates customers to share their experiences and encourages them to make another purchase from your store.

At Ecwid, adding a discount coupon to your feedback request email takes a single click.

An example of a feedback request email with a discount coupon

Respond to Negative Reviews

While we all strive for only positive feedback, negative reviews are bound to happen eventually. Avoid ignoring these reviews; instead, respond to them and address the concerns.

At Ecwid, you can view customer information, such as their email, when reading new unpublished reviews. This enables you to contact the customer promptly to address and solve issues mentioned in the review.

Viewing customer information right from the review

Note Your Country’s Legislation

Sometimes, you may wish to remove a review. This could happen if a customer no longer wishes for the review to be public or if the issue mentioned has been resolved.

While you can delete reviews in your Ecwid store, make sure to check your country’s legislation on publishing and deleting reviews, as some countries require online sellers to publish all feedback.

Use Reviews to Improve Your Business

Customers are not the only ones who can use reviews to make informed decisions. Collecting product feedback allows you to monitor your business and make timely improvements.

Use reviews to gather valuable insights into your target market. For example, if you notice multiple customers mentioning a specific feature they want to see in a product, you could consider incorporating it into your future products.

Plus, responding to reviews and addressing any issues mentioned shows that you value your customers’ opinions and are committed to providing excellent service.

Use Product Reviews to Get More Orders

It only takes a couple of clicks to start collecting and publishing customer reviews on your website, but it can tremendously impact your sales.

Whether you’re in the middle of the holiday buying season, launching a new online store, or just trying to break new ground in your market, testimonials create trust, encouraging skeptical window shoppers to become happy customers.

So don’t underestimate the power of product reviews! Gather feedback from satisfied customers and showcase it on your website to continue building a strong reputation for your brand.

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About the author

Anastasia Prokofieva is a content writer at Ecwid. She writes about online marketing and promotion to make entrepreneurs’ daily routine easier and more rewarding. She also has a soft spot for cats, chocolate, and making kombucha at home.