How to Get More Reviews Using WhatsApp for an E-commerce Store?

Customer reviews are honest, unbiased opinions from buyers who have already used your products. Shoppers these days give a lot of importance to reviews from their peers. Collecting reviews is a great way to stay connected with your customers post-purchase. Requesting for product reviews for your e-commerce store can help your business in many ways. You can develop an e-commerce store with the help of a web app development company which can take into account all the current e-commerce trends. 

• Build a strong relationship

By showing the customers how much you care about their feedback, you can build a strong bond with your customers. Building a strong bond promotes repeat sales and thereby, increases the average order value per customer. The best way to build your relationship with your customer is by implementing CRM software within your business. With the help of CRM software, you can easily manage sales, do client follow-ups, and monitor sales progress swiftly. 

• Offer insights into customer preferences

Customer reviews provide valuable insights into customer preferences. This information can be used to offer personalized services to customers. They also provide insights into customer pain points which will help brands improve their products and services. 

• Improve credibility

Customer reviews are a powerful form of user-generated content that can improve your brand’s credibility. It reassures potential customers and prompts them to make quick shopping decisions. 

• Add social proof

Product reviews act as social proof of your product quality. The fact that other people have used and found value in your products is a motivating factor for new customers. 

• Act as free promotion

Reviews act as free-of-cost promotions for your brand. Customers trust peer reviews as much as personal recommendations. Unlike other promotional activities that can cost you money and time, reviews are willingly created by your customers themselves without any extra effort from your side.  

• Have a compounding effect

New customers who see the customer reviews are prompted to add their own to the list. You get hundreds of reviews for your store, in no time. 

Which are the different channels for collecting customer feedback?

Customer feedback in the form of reviews, comments, photos, and videos can be gathered through different communication channels.
 

Some of them are listed below:

Messaging apps

With over 3 billion users across the world, messaging apps like Messente can help you reach out to the maximum number of customers. Users have the freedom to respond to messages whenever they are free. The informal nature of the channel would prompt more customers to respond positively to feedback requests  

Drawbacks: 

Customers can block your number.

Emails 

Email is a popular channel for collecting feedback from customers. Review requests are sent via emails to collect ratings, text reviews, photos, and videos from customers. The entire process can be automated and used to reach huge number of customers with very little effort.

Drawbacks:  

Emails have an average of 21.33% open rate.

An average person gets more than 100 emails every day. There is a possibility that your email goes unnoticed

Emails can end up in the spam folder.

Phone calls 

It’s a direct way of reaching out to your customers. Unhappy customers can be directed toward customer care instantly. Using a business phone system it’s a direct way of reaching out to your customers. Unhappy customers can be directed toward customer care instantly.

Drawbacks:

Employing agents to handle the calls will be expensive.

If automated, the calls can sound very mechanical.

Customers can be irritated when they get random calls from brands.

Personal interviews 

Can be conducted in person or over the phone. Through customer interviews, you can ask specific questions regarding the customer’s experience with the products.

Drawbacks:

Labor-intensive and time-consuming.

The cost of conducting personal interviews is high

Surveys 

Easy and economical way of collecting customer feedback. Surveys can be used to reach out to a large number of people. Through regular surveys, you can stay current on customer trends.

Drawbacks: 

The feedback may not always be accurate and honest.

Some answers may be interpreted wrongly which may lead to data errors.

Live chat 

Can provide direct and personalized customer experience. You can also modify your responses based on customers’ replies to build a better rapport with them. Chatbots can handle live chats 24/7.

Drawbacks: 

Can be costly if employing agents.

While younger people tend to use live chat to connect with brands, older people (55 years and above) are less likely to use live chat.

You can use any of these channels or a mix of them to connect efficiently with your customers. Whichever channel you choose, it is important to understand your target audience and plan your review collection process accordingly. 

What are the benefits of WhatsApp review requests?

With more than 2 billion users across the world, WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular messaging platform today. The sheer number of active users makes it an ideal platform for brands to connect with their customers.

Apart from the popularity, what are the other features of this app that make it the perfect channel for sending review requests?

1. Conversational interface

Brands now have a secure channel for one-to-one communication with buyers. The casual conversational nature of the messages puts the customers at ease and prompts them to respond positively. 

2. Ease of sending photos and videos

WhatsApp allows customers to click pictures or record videos on the app. There is no need to install any other tools or devices for recording and sending photos/videos on WhatsApp. 

3. High open rate

WhatsApp has 98% open rate. This ensures that your messages are seen by your customers. It has very little chances of going unopened. 

4. No spam folder

Since WhatsApp does not have a spam folder like email, you can be sure that all the messages reach your customers. 

How to get more reviews using WhatsApp?

WhatsApp has opened up new ways for brands to connect with their customers. This new-age communication channel has many advantages over the other traditional channels used for collecting customer feedback.

Certain tips to help you maximize the conversion rates of your WhatsApp review requests are listed below.

Provide incentives 

Rewarding your customers for the reviews provided is an effective means of increasing the review request conversion rate. Tell your customers that they will receive incentives in the form of discount coupons once they submit the reviews. This will not only prompt them to leave a review but also promote repeat purchases.

Automate the process 

By automating the entire process of sending reviews, you can reach a huge number of buyers with very little effort.
 

Reviewbit is a Shopify review application that can help you send automated requests to collect star ratings, text reviews, photo reviews and video reviews on WhatsApp. These messages can be scheduled to be sent after the purchase, fulfillment or delivery of the products.

The reviews collected can be displayed on your storefront using Reviewbit’s eye-catching display widgets, including a customizable Twitter widget to showcase real-time customer feedback and social media mentions.

Personalized messages 

Send personalized messages to capture your customer’s attention. You can add details like the customer’s name, and product details to your WhatsApp review request to bring in personalization.

Use a tone and style that is consistent with your brand voice to create trust in your customers.

Reviewbit allows you to edit and add content that fits your brand voice.

Add reminders/follow-up messages 

Unlike email review requests where a single message is sent for collecting star ratings, text reviews, and photo reviews, with WhatsApp you can send separate messages for each.

Send follow-up messages separately at every stage to nudge hesitant customers to respond.

Reviewbit sends two follow-up messages at a set interval for star ratings, text reviews, and photo/video reviews. This increases the chances of a positive response.

Create an easy-to-use interface 

An intuitive, easy-to-use interface is a must-have for any tool designed for the masses. If the review process seems complicated half the buyers wouldn’t even attempt to complete it.

Customer satisfaction is vital for the success of any business. Interactive messages sent through WhatsApp let you engage your customers and build strong relationships like never before. You can provide incentives to your happy customers and instantly resolve the concerns of your unhappy customers through WhatsApp. Using WhatsApp as the medium of sending messages, Reviewbit has managed to provide its customers 35% conversion rate for review requests. This is no small achievement, especially when compared to the 1% conversion rate of email review requests. Use this amazing review tool to enhance your customer experience.