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As an Amazon seller, you’ve invested countless hours and endless effort into building your brand. You’ve got a fantastic product, competitive prices, and you’re ready to conquer the e-commerce world. But there’s one crucial aspect you might be overlooking – your brand’s reputation.
When it comes to selling on Amazon, your brand’s reputation is the foundation of your success. It can be the deciding factor between a flourishing business and one that’s barely staying afloat.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where a single critical review, that goes unmanaged, can be death of a product or, worse, a brand. Don’t let that be you.
So, how do you effectively manage your products’ and brand’s reputation on Amazon? First let’s start by defining what Brand Reputation Management is & How to Banish Negative Reviews on Amazon is the core.
What is Brand Reputation Management?
Brand Reputation management, in a broader sense, is the practice of shaping and influencing the public perception of a brand, business, or individual. It involves monitoring and mitigating negative press, reviews, and search results that may appear when someone looks up your brand online.
There are services that charge hefty fees to help clients maintain a positive online reputation, and this same approach of managing negative “press” applies to brands on Amazon for a fraction of the cost!
On Amazon, reputation management is all about proactively managing your product reviews, seller feedback, and limited customer messaging. It’s about keeping a pulse on the overall sentiment surrounding your brand and taking steps to ensure it stays positive.
It involves monitoring, influencing, and controlling the overall sentiment surrounding a business to ensure a positive image. On Amazon, this process is particularly critical, as customers heavily rely on reviews, ratings, and feedback when making purchasing decisions.
Successful Reputation Management boils down to understanding the basics and putting practical strategies into action.
In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of brand reputation management on Amazon, equipping you with the knowledge and tools you need to establish and maintain an outstanding reputation that makes you stand out from the crowd.
Why It’s Important to Have Proactive Reputation Management
Having proactive reputation management can actively shape the online presence of your business. It will help you build a strong customer relationship and enable you to take control of the narrative. You can address concerns promptly, and continuously improve based on valuable customer insights.
This ultimately leads to increased review counts, higher overall ratings, enhanced customer experiences, and long-term success.
1. Fostering a customer-centric culture
This is exactly what Amazon boasts and seeks from sellers. Prioritizing proactive reputation management encourages a culture of active listening, empathy, and proactive problem-solving within the organization. Training teams to deliver exceptional customer service and handle concerns effectively ensures consistent positive experiences across all touchpoints.
2. Improved overall review rating
Responding promptly and professionally to both positive and negative reviews demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction. Resolving issues proactively and following up with customers turns negative experiences into positive ones, leading to more positive reviews and higher overall ratings.
3. Increased review count
Businesses can encourage more customers to leave reviews by actively seeking feedback through various channels, simplifying the review process, and offering incentives. A higher number of reviews provides social proof and influences potential customers’ purchase decisions.
4. Increased trust and credibility
Showcasing positive reviews and testimonials on various platforms establishes trust and credibility among potential customers. Responding professionally to negative reviews and addressing concerns publicly demonstrates transparency and accountability, instilling confidence in the brand.
5. Valuable insights for improvement
Regularly analyzing customer feedback helps identify trends, common pain points, and areas for improvement. Monitoring online reviews and mentions allows businesses to gauge customer sentiment and perception, enabling continuous enhancement of offerings to stay ahead of customer expectations.
6. Increased Conversion Rates for Increased Profits
Datahawk ran a study across 33,000 products to better understand the impact of higher review counts and higher star ratings. As expected, there are several appreciable lifts in conversion rate when increasing from one half-start rating to another as well as when adding just a few more reviews when you’re just starting out.
Per their data, they strived to answer: “For every increase in star rating by 1, what is the increase in conversion rate? [Their] study found that star rating has a coefficient of 0.183. Going from an average rating of 3.0 stars to 4.0 stars can yield a +25% uplift in conversion rates, going from 4.0 stars to 4.25 grants a +7% boost, and going from 4.0 stars to 4.5 stars results in a +14% improvement.”
Furthermore, they “found that the conversion rate goes up from 5% to 19% between 1 review and 10000 reviews. On a median basis, the products with an average of 10k reviews convert twice better than those with 10 reviews. And, the better the reviews, the higher the conversion rate. It is most interesting to see that the real difference in conversion happens between 1 and 10-20 reviews (6% to 14%). As a seller, you should care to push forward your products until they get a minimum of 15 reviews.”
Set a Goal Rating, Especially If Your Rating is On-the-Bubble for the Next Half-Star Increment, e.g. 4.2 vs 4.3
Here at Adverio, we work with Sellerise to establish goal rating for products that are close enough to increase their rating by at least another half-star with minimal effort.
Per the image above, you can see one our listings has 2,226 reviews with a 4.2 Rating. While per the images below, Amazon only depicts 4 fully filled-out stars. Referring back to the image above, you can see that we only need a handful of 5-Star reviews to get us over the 4.3 hump.
Scroll down to see how our journey began with a 3.8 Rating instead of the current 4.2 Rating
Since we started our Reputation Management for this brand and product at the beginning of 2024, you can see a massive uptick in the Review Conversion Rate. Some months were near nil to now we’re able to garner upwards of 8% of orders with reviews.
This is far higher than the norm, as most products receive reviews for only a fraction of a percentage point of their total orders. See the second image below for one of our c
]ompetitors that we’ve been tracking. This
Here’s THE ONE THING You Should Do, at a minimum, Starting Today
[#1 PRO TIP] – Offering Critical Review Refunds and Returns with Finesse
A seamless and hassle-free refund and return process is crucial for maintaining a positive brand reputation on Amazon.
Amazon offers a Customer Review Portal that allows sellers to respond directly to buyers who leave critical reviews of 3 stars or less. Here’s the link to Amazon’s Brand Review Portal: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/brand-customer-reviews
From here, sellers generally have two options:
- Courtesy Refund – This is an instantaneous service that processes a refund directly to the review that left a critical review. No questions asked.
- Customer Support – Here, a seller can open a direct line of communication with the reviewer. This is more of a questions-asked customer service option. This option is not available for buyers who have opted out of communications with sellers.
Which one should you choose?
The answer can vary from seller to seller, product to product, and even review to review. Some of the sellers we work with have a more fully automated approach that triggers an instant courtesy refund for all 1, 2, and 3-star Reviews. Other sellers want to first engage with the reviewer and then process a refund accordingly. As you can imagine, there is an entire spectrum between the two schools of thought.
Regardless, there is certainly one thing that must be done regardless. Sellers must be prompt in processing refunds and contact negative reviews, as this showcases your commitment to customer satisfaction and helps build trust in your brand.
These approaches will inevitably convert some of your most critical reviews into raving fans as well as either having unfavorable reviews taken down by the reviewer, updated with comments around your customer service, or the rating can be changed to a higher level star.
For instance, we commonly see CPG brands where consumers may not like a particular flavor and are quick to belt it out via their reviews. In those cases, we recommend sellers reach out and offer a different flavor or a courtesy refund, leaving the choice to the customer. We have brands that know if a consumer likes or dislikes a certain flavor, they are likely to prefer a different flavor and can promptly offer a refund plus a replacement. The customer service options are endless if you’re willing to listen to the customer and make things as right as possible.
[RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT] Use the Best Reputation Management Tools:
Investing in reputation management tools like Sellerise can be a game-changer for streamlining and automating the process. These tools provide valuable insights into your review stats, conversion rates, and offer in-depth analysis. They can also automate the process of contacting buyers who have left negative reviews, saving you time and effort while ensuring prompt communication. It is was we use at Adverio and is trusted by top brands.
Other Strategies for Effective Brand Reputation Management on Amazon
Stay on Top of Your Seller Feedback
Closely monitor your seller feedback and actively moderate it. If an issue is related to Amazon’s fulfillment and not your product or service, don’t hesitate to request removal of the feedback through Amazon’s feedback manager. By promptly addressing and removing unfair feedback, you can maintain a positive seller reputation.
Engaging with Seller Feedback
Responding to seller feedback, whether it’s a rave review or a critical comment, is vital.
The image below shows a few ways that Amazon will automatically remove or strikethrough negative feedback. If you select “Yes” and the feedback you received meets any of these criteria, then Amazon will review and process accordingly.
Here’s what it looks like when Amazon deems the critical feedback is regarding their fulfillment not a fault by the seller.
While you can’t when them all, it’s a best practice to submit all negative feedback for review. Here’s what Amazon will say after they complete their review and are unable to remove or strike through the feedback:
Don’t forget, when customers take the time to leave positive feedback, be sure to acknowledge their satisfaction and express your gratitude for their support.
Garner the Most Amazon Compliant Reviews Currently Offered by Amazon Vine,speaks to an additional little-known hack for the Amazon Vine Program and more ways to Achive Optimal pricing regardless of your product’s lifecycle stage
Encourage and Incentivize Reviews
Don’t be afraid to ask satisfied customers off Amazon to leave reviews for your products. Implement email campaigns or include inserts in your packaging that politely request feedback. You can even consider offering incentives, such as discounts or loyalty points, to motivate customers to share their experiences. Just be sure to comply with Amazon’s guidelines on incentivizing reviews to maintain the integrity of your brand’s status on Amazon.
It Goes Without Saying – Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
Your brand’s reputation is only as strong as the customer service you provide. Ensure that you respond to inquiries and complaints in a timely and respectful manner. Go above and beyond to resolve issues and make your customers feel valued and heard. By consistently delivering top-notch customer service, you’ll foster trust and loyalty, which translates into positive reviews and an unshakable reputation.
Amazon Transparency Program
Another way to enhance your brand’s reputation on Amazon is through the Amazon Transparency Program. This program helps guarantee that your customers receive a genuine product, enhancing their shopping experience and loyalty. It also provides an easy method of garnering reviews, as customers who purchase through the Transparency Program are more likely to leave feedback.
https://brandservices.amazon.com/transparency
The Amazon Transparency Program is an initiative designed to combat counterfeiting and protect brands on the Amazon marketplace. It provides a unique code on each unit of a product, which allows Amazon, brands, and customers to authenticate the genuineness of the item.
Brands participating in the Transparency Program, demonstrate their commitment to providing genuine, high-quality products to their customers. This commitment to quality assurance enhances the brand’s reputation and sets them apart from competitors who may be selling counterfeit or inferior products.
When customers receive authentic products through the Transparency Program, their trust in the brand grows. They feel confident in their purchase and are more likely to become repeat customers. This increased trust and loyalty contribute to a positive brand reputation and can lead to higher sales and customer retention.
By integrating the Amazon Transparency Program into their overall brand reputation management strategy, brands can strengthen their image, build customer trust, and drive long-term success on the platform. The program’s ability to prevent counterfeits, prompt reviews, and protect intellectual property makes it a valuable tool for any brand looking to establish and maintain a positive reputation on Amazon.
Implementing these strategies and consistently monitoring and managing your brand’s reputation on Amazon, can build a strong and trustworthy image that attracts customers and drives long-term success. Your brand’s reputation is a valuable asset that requires ongoing attention and proactive management.
Don’t Go It Alone
At Adverio, we take pride in mastering the art of Brand Reputation Management on Amazon. We know exactly what it takes to build and maintain a stellar reputation that sets your brand apart from the competition.
If you’re ready to take your Amazon business to new heights, we’re here to help. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you effectively manage your brand’s reputation and achieve success on Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs) – How to Banish Negative Reviews on Amazon
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What strategies can help combat negative reviews on Amazon?
Implement proactive customer service, respond promptly to feedback, and encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews to offset negativity. -
How can I respond to negative reviews effectively?
Acknowledge the issue, provide solutions, and remain professional. Always express gratitude for the feedback to show improvement intentions. -
Can I remove negative reviews from my Amazon listings?
No, sellers cannot directly remove reviews. Focus on addressing concerns and requesting honest feedback to build a positive reputation. -
How do I encourage positive reviews from customers?
Ask for reviews post-purchase through follow-up emails, offer excellent service, and create a seamless buying experience that delights customers. -
Why are negative reviews harmful to my Amazon business?
Negative reviews can decrease product visibility, lower conversion rates, and harm your overall seller rating, impacting sales and customer trust.