The Ecommerce world is not all fun and games. Selling products, nurturing a loyal customer base, and making steady profits sound tempting, but there’s no rose without a thorn. The journey of selling online successfully is full of obstacles.
While a positive review from a happy customer makes your day, a bad review can make you feel like all your efforts spiraled down the drain.
With over 9.7 million sellers worldwide, Amazon offers a reliable platform to boost your online business.
But every ecommerce business owner, whether they’re a fresh or seasoned seller, gets negative reviews now and again. The key isn’t to stress over an angry customer’s comment, but rather to handle it gracefully and take it as a suggestion on how you can improve your product.
4 Crucial Tips to Handle Negative Reviews On Amazon
Getting your first negative review on Amazon can feel like a nightmare. But not all is lost at this point. You can take steps to reduce and even eradicate the review.
Even if you have designed a top-notch product, reviews can drastically impact your sales.
Data reveals that reviews boost around 18% of sales. No wonder why most retailers get nervous about stumbling across bad comments.
If you find yourself in the same boat, know you aren’t alone, and there is a way out. We’ve shared a few tips to handle this unpleasant moment in your Ecommerce journey.
1. Keep Track of Your Reviews
Whether you own a brick-and-mortar retail store or sell online, it is a 24/7 job.
Your job does not end after uploading snazzy pictures of your product, writing compelling product descriptions, and following the best SEO practices.
You need to keep tabs on the activity on your product detail page. If you have an established ecommerce business, keeping an eye on the product page can be challenging for you.
In that case, you can hire an expert who handles your listings and provides accurate feedback each week.
Alternatively, software like FeedbackFive and AMZTracker can be of great help. You can use these handy tools to keep an eye on your store.
At least this way, a negative review won’t come as a surprise to you, or you would know about it right after it gets posted. This will give you time to decide what actions you’re willing to take to tackle the issue. Being proactive and acting in a timely manner is always a great strategy.
2. Respond to Negative Reviews
Ignoring what customers say about your brand will certainly not get you anywhere. As an ecommerce store owner, you must respond to consumers and resolve their pain points.
Indeed, you’ll encounter fussy and even downright unkind customers when doing your business, but not all customers have this temperament.
A few customers have a genuine concern about a product that only you can solve. So, reply to the comment as soon as you spot a bad review. You, as the business or brand owner, have the power to alleviate concerns and take their feedback seriously.
You may not have given attention to it before, but you have the option to respond to the customer comments below the shared review. The fact that you took the time to respond and actually care will look good to any other visitors who are reading through your product detail page and reviews.
You can utilize the reply feature to reach out to customers who share bad reviews. But again, there should be a specific tone you must follow when replying to a customer.
You need to be patient because your business’s or product’s reputation is at stake. You have a growing customer base that looks up to you and a brand image that you need to protect and maintain.
Therefore, responding angrily to customers is not wise. Instead, speak to them calmly. Respond as if you are genuinely concerned about their issue and will use their pain point to improve your product in the future.
Begin with an apology and reassert your commitment. You can also share your email address for the customer to talk to you privately.
Your promising comment below the negative review will positively affect other customers willing to purchase from your brand.
3. Get In Touch With the Reviewer
Privately contacting the bad reviewer sounds enticing, but it isn’t a cakewalk. On top of that, if the reviewer isn’t using their official handle when commenting, it can be pretty challenging to identify them.
You may find them easily on their social media channel if you’re in luck. But you need to be cautious when conducting your outreach.
The tone of your message should be gentle and polite. Otherwise, it may look like you’re trying to harass them for leaving a negative review.
A minor negative tone on your end can get you in trouble. Therefore, draft your message strategically beginning with a sincere apology, addressing their concern, and trying to resolve their problem is what you should focus on for the most part.
4. Remove the Bad Review
Eliminating a bad review isn’t in your hands but rather in the third party marketplaces: Amazon.
If you get in touch with the customer and resolve their problem, you can ask them for two things:
- Removing the negative review entirely
- Updating the bad review
The second option offers a more practical solution. Why? Because removing a bad review entirely will reduce the number of your reviews. However, both options will boost your rating. So, any option will come in handy for you at this point.
On the contrary, you can ask Amazon to remove your negative review. But it isn’t as straightforward. Why? Because Amazon only eliminates reviews that violate their guidelines so this is trickier. The same typically applies for Amazon seller feedback.
For instance, you will qualify for removing a review that involves no explanation for the low rating, foul language, or advertisements.
If you spot a fake review, you can report it by clicking on “Report abuse” and highlighting why you believe it’s bogus, a scam, or harassment that is using explicit language.
Wrapping Things Up
Whether you have an established Ecommerce business or are just getting started, negative reviews will most likely come. The product experience is to blame for the most part, but not all bad comments are genuine. Sometimes a customer may accidentally leave an inaccurate rating, or leave a negative review simply due to a long shipping or delivery time. In this instance, the review is irrelevant to the product specifically so Amazon may remove the review in this case.
No matter the reason, negative reviews shouldn’t bring you down. Instead, take this as an opportunity to improve your business practices and improve features your product may lack. Additionally, try responding to bad comments positively and with grace.
If any reviews violate Amazon guidelines, report them instantly. You’ll have good days and bad days when running a business; don’t let the latter drain you.
