What your reviews tell you about your Amazon business

- Written by Ellen Sipp-Paris, eComEngine

Every Amazon seller understands the urgent need to get more product reviews. It’s no secret that items with plenty of positive reviews receive more sales and better placement on Amazon’s selling platform.

But in the mad dash to boost your review numbers, it’s easy to forget about the wealth of information that they actually contain. One of the easiest — of the frustratingly few, might we add — ways to touch base with Amazon shoppers is to read their reviews about your products. Customers are telling you exactly what they like and what they want to see changed, plus plenty more.

In this article, we’ll share five things your Amazon reviews are saying about your business and how you can benefit from listening.

Image by Freepik

It’s very common to have a handful of “superstar” products be responsible for most of your product reviews and revenue. If you’re lucky enough to be in this position, stay on guard so you don’t squander it! This means:

1. Keeping these popular items in stock. Do everything possible to avoid the dreaded stockout spiral, which can tank your reviews and Best Seller rankings in the blink of an eye.
2. Reading your review comments. After you take a moment to celebrate your 4- and 5-star review victories, try to learn from your 1- and 2-star failures. Is there some winning formula that can be replicated with your struggling products? Perhaps it’s as simple as improving your image quality.
3. Monitoring your average review ratings. If you notice a rapid decline, don’t hesitate to find out what went wrong. Was there a fulfillment issue with Amazon or a problem with a supplier? Has a new competitor emerged and taken over the market? Come up with a plan of action as you don’t want to suddenly be stuck with negative reviews and excess inventory.
4. Ramping up your Amazon ads. Products that are retail-ready (those with at least 15 positive reviews and a 3.5-star rating) are naturally going to fare better on the ad front. Don’t waste valuable ad dollars on products that aren’t set up to succeed. Effective advertising campaigns are always rooted in a smart review strategy.