Customer Reviews: Are You Still Satisfied with Just Them?

If you think customer reviews are of paramount importance for your e-commerce platform, you’re not wrong. It’s estimated that nearly 95% of internet users scrutinize customer reviews on marketplaces like Amazon or eBay. It’s logical: customer reviews are there, on the same web page, ready to inform the prospect about the slightest product specifics. So, why look elsewhere?

In reality, customer reviews present in the “reviews” section of direct-to-consumer platforms leave prospects skeptical. Even if it extends their pre-purchase information search process, internet users “don’t hesitate to leave” “a website to seek external content. What” explains this phenomenon, and how can you control what “is said about your product or service outside” your DtoC e-shop? Trustt explains how to consolidate your target audience’s trust through a 360° reassurance strategy!

Why Internet Users Look Elsewhere When They Search for Consumer Reviews

“I have 150 reviews on my product page. That will reassure my potential customers, who will jump on my product!”

This is what many e-commerce owners think. At the risk of disappointing, few consumers react this way. Even if they are interested in your product or service, their first reaction will rather be… To open a new tab and start a Google search!

Why? Simply because today, consumers no longer trust the reviews present on e-commerce platforms. Aware of the business and marketing issues behind customer reviews, internet users are increasingly doubting the authenticity and completeness of review lists present on a product page. How can one be sure that negative reviews haven’t been removed, leaving only positive testimonials online? How to know if these reviews are verified and written by real customers?

Of course, many companies have already grasped the importance of consolidating this trust and credibility of their customer reviews. For this, they opt for external platforms that certify these customer feedbacks: Avis Vérifiés, Trustpilot… However, this solution is not enough to fully satisfy your target audience and provide them with the information they’re looking for. Internet users need content, details on all aspects of the product or service: what were the results, how was the post-purchase experience, where are the before/after photos, video reviews showing the product in action… Simple “Very good products!” don’t provide relevant information, even though they are very positive feedback.

Consequently, internet users are fleeing consumer reviews from most online stores and taking refuge in their search engine pages. They are in search of high-quality, authentic customer feedback, detailed, which elaborates on every aspect of the user experience.

Text, image, video… The consumer review of tomorrow is fun, relevant, and echoes the needs of potential customers. Your target audience doesn’t yet find this type of content in the reviews on your product pages. So they go looking for it elsewhere, on other websites or on social networks.

Fortunately, companies can use a solution like Trustt to stand out and control their e-reputation on various review platforms (Trustpilot, Tripadvisor, Sephora…) and on social networks.

UGC, This Manna for Pre-Purchase Research

Social networks are the best source of information for internet users who want to research before making a purchase. Indeed, content creators, whether they are average consumers or influencers, express themselves in an exhaustive and sincere manner. Potential consumers of the product or service in question will be able to identify with these brand ambassadors, whose activity they probably follow regularly. The audience will thus follow the recommendations of these ambassadors, whom they feel they know and trust, as if one of their close friends was giving them their opinion on a purchase experience.

Of course, publications generated as part of paid partnerships alter this trust. Internet users, aware of the hidden business strategy behind this sponsorship, may turn away from the company and its products. It is therefore crucial for brands to consolidate their natural e-reputation and their “earned media”, while maintaining some control over the content naturally generated by content creators on social networks.

Easier said than done, right? Think again: the Trustt SaaS solution allows brands to identify the most qualified panel of ambassadors with one click by analyzing millions of data points on their profiles and those of their audiences. Consequently, the ambassadors and their audiences are right in the target and are very likely to appreciate the products or services that brands offer through their ambassador program. Whether they are standard consumers or social media stars, these users create quality content to recommend the product or service they enjoyed to their followers. Creating an affinity audience and generating valuable UGC for your offer can be done in two clicks with the Trustt solution!

In addition to guiding prospects towards products that best meet customers’ needs – and thus enhancing their satisfaction – UGC is a powerful weapon in terms of search engine optimization. Indeed, Google places more trust in a company with good visibility on social networks. The company’s e-commerce platform is therefore more likely to have good ranking in SERP results.

UGC collected with Trustt by the brands Kookapi (petfood) and Seasonly (skincare)

Generate Differentiating Consumer Reviews

Should we therefore neglect collecting customer reviews on the product pages of our e-shop? Certainly not! These experience feedbacks remain the first that your target consults, even if they usually only take a quick glance at them. The strategy should therefore be to capture the attention of internet users on your page through consumer reviews that stand out and deliver real, sincere, and unfiltered information. Here are some best practices that lead to real results in terms of improving the quality of your consumer reviews:

Obtain Unique Written Reviews

It can’t be stressed enough: whether positive or negative, consumer reviews must be rich and constructive! It is therefore crucial to obtain feedback that scrutinizes all the characteristics of the product or service.

Imposing a word count to reach is not the ideal solution: the user may not know what to write and lose the motivation to leave a review. It’s more about guiding and educating them on writing a relevant testimonial. Trustt reviews, for example, are segmented so that the internet user fills in point by point what they liked or disliked about the product. What was its effectiveness, how was the sensory experience if it’s a cosmetic product, the comfort if it’s a pair of shoes, the ergonomics, the ease of booking if it’s a tourist experience? We also ask who the user would recommend this offer to, and what their usage tips would be.

Providing information about the person leaving the “review” is also a strong point of Trustt reviews. This allows readers to directly identify with the person who provided their feedback, and thus know if the latter has the same expectations and consumption criteria.

Trustt Review Left by a User of the Philips One Blade Pro Razor

Leveraging the Power of Images (Swatches and Before/After Photos)

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when making a purchase decision! To add credibility to customer reviews and prove their authenticity, there’s nothing better than showing that consumers have actually used the product in real conditions and that the results have indeed been achieved. Trustt reviews are enhanced with swatches and before/after photos: in this sense, even if prospects don’t want to sift through dozens of written reviews, the photos catch their eye and demonstrate the effectiveness of products or services in a second!

Before/After Photos Demonstrate the Product’s Effectiveness

Moving to Video Reviews

Text reviews, photo demonstrations… Between the two, there’s the video review! It’s a bit like the Rolls-Royce of consumer reviews: this format is perfect for communicating the right amount of information about the product, like a written review, but retains the visual dimension of before/after photos. In addition, the fun and entertaining aspect of a video appeals to internet users and “enlivens” the information search for potential customers. This puts them in a better position to proceed with the purchase.

If you still doubt the usefulness of video reviews, remember: “More than 73% of content consumed on the Internet is video content” according to Cisco.

Trustt video reviews are distinct from the experience feedback naturally provided by influencers on YouTube. Similar to text reviews, they are segmented and adapted by brands according to the ambassador’s expertise in order to obtain qualitative and high value-added experience feedback. Interactive, human, and educational, video reviews inform the prospect about everything they want to know.

No need for searches on external platforms: the next step is adding to cart!

Example of a Trustt Video Review