In our post about competitor analysis, we stressed the importance of product reviews on our product listings. They tell us what shoppers are looking for. In this post, we discuss how to work with product reviews—good and bad—to maximise brand success on Amazon.

Read about how to get into trouble with Amazon and how to get out of trouble with Amazon. These two posts also talk about the impact of product reviews gone wrong. We will address this a bit in our article today.

Do Product Reviews Really Matter?

People shop on Amazon for something they either can’t find in their immediate location, or because they prefer online shopping. Amazon prioritises shopper wants and needs over seller wants and needs, earning it a reputation as a consumer-friendly platform. One important aspect of seller reputation with shoppers and with the Amazon platform is the role of product reviews. (Read our previous posts about how sellers can get into trouble and how to get out of trouble with Amazon.)

Comprehensive and clearly-written product listing pages help shoppers know what to expect when they receive the product. This is especially important on Amazon because shopper interaction with a physical product is not possible. Product reviews allow shoppers to get the consumer perspective of not only the product, but the purchase experience. Having a strong logistics and customer service system in place also helps to reduce the possibilities for customer dissatisfaction.

It is important for sellers to keep an eye on the product reviews. Positive product reviews improve consumer faith in the seller, increasing the reputation of the seller on the Amazon platform. While positive reviews are certainly welcome, negative reviews can also be helpful. Sellers gain valuable insights to issues they may have overlooked in their content.

What Is A Good Product Review?

Especially for an online shopping platform, reviews can provide invaluable information for shoppers about a product from the consumer perspective. The most effective reviews are the ones that provide useful information influencing a decision to buy a product.

A good product review will state exactly what the customer (dis)liked about a product and how they interact with it. Also important in a good review is information on how the product works (for them) compared to the product description. A critical review will explain clearly how the product does not meet the customer’s expectations. So, even a well-written negative product review will allow potential shoppers to make more informed purchase decisions. They give sellers insights into how to improve their product listing pages. Feedback can also be incorporated into future design decisions.

There is an abundance of reviews along the lines of, “Great product!” “Would never buy again!”. Or even, “Did not work when I received it! Sending it back!”. These types of reviews are not so helpful, as they do not specify the “why” behind the comments. They do not help potential shoppers identify good or bad product features that would help them choose a product.

FBA-Related Product Reviews

Negative reviews may occur when a customer has an issue with the shipping, tracking, and delivery of the product. In the case of products that are fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), the seller must flag it immediately with Amazon.

Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA): the product is packaged and shipped by Amazon from the warehouse.

Any FBA-related issues can and must be resolved by Amazon. Amazon does not keep track of these issues, so the seller must communicate immediately with the platform. Amazon has the responsibility to fix the issue and remove the negative product review from the product listing page. Such a fix can be product replacement or reimbursement.

Product Review Tampering

It is important to stress that people cannot leave reviews in lieu of compensation (payment, free product(s)). You can read more about compensated reviews in this article. Product review tampering is strictly against Amazon’s policy and can result in the seller’s account being suspended or even banned. We talk more about this in a previous blog post. In 2023, Amazon blocked more than 250 million suspected fake reviews worldwide.

If a relatively new company or product attains a large number of 5-star ratings within a short period of time, there’s a good chance that the reviews are fake. Another strong indicator is if the company is not traceable off Amazon—such as not having a website or any other online presence.

Competitors can also leave negative reviews about a competing product or pay for compensated negative reviews. These are hard to prove, and sellers must tread lightly. Sometimes, a reviewer will review a wrong product or review a feature that does not exist in the sold product. In these situations, the seller can report this to Amazon for them to check. It is also important to notice what exactly these negative reviews are focusing on. Think if there is a way your product listing information can “respond” to these points. Perhaps you can improve the content of the product descriptions or even develop better A+ material to address reviewer concerns.

Vine Product Reviews

In the previous section we explain that reviewer compensation for product reviews is against Amazon policy. However, Vine product reviews are legal. What are Vine product reviews? The Amazon Vine programme is

“an invitation-only program which selects the most insightful reviewers in the Amazon store to serve as Vine Voices. Vine Voices have the unique opportunity to order items free of charge and share their product experiences with Amazon customers to help them make informed buying decisions.” (About Amazon Vine)

Amazon shoppers that consistently write helpful and insightful reviews are invited by Amazon to participate in the Amazon Vine programme. They receive products for free (or with a discount) in exchange for writing detailed and unbiased product reviews. Such a programme is extremely helpful for new brands or brands with new products/product lines with no reviews. It is especially important that the products are good, because the Vine reviews are honest, unbiased reviews.

Sellers must be registered brands to participate in the Amazon Vine programme. They pay a fee per parent ASIN (see our section on Variations in this article). An important caveat about participating in Amazon Vine is that getting a review—positive or negative—is not guaranteed. Reviewers must choose to try the product in exchange for writing a review. On a positive note, participating in the programme can potentially boost sales by 30%.

Conclusion

As we can see, the subject of product reviews is not a simple one, as there are many questions to keep in mind. What exactly constitutes a useful product review (whether it’s negatively- or positively-skewed)? How can you violate Amazon product review policies? In what way can you follow Amazon product review policies, such as with the Vine programme? Which reviews can Amazon fix/remove? How can you identify fake reviews? How can you deal with them?

Armed with these questions, sellers will be able to figure out how to deal and work with product reviews. This level of proactivity will help maximise chances for success and brand loyalty on the Amazon platform.