Amazon has strict rules for how to collect reviews. For example, you are not allowed to pay for reviews using money or products. It is, however, completely legitimate to politely ask for Customer Reviews and Seller Feedback, as it helps improve Amazon’s customer experience.

Read: Are all Amazon reviews worth the same?

Send automated emails to your Amazon customers.

There are several software programs based on Amazon API, which can automate emails and monitor your product listings and reviews. The good news is that you can tailor your messages and decide when and how many emails you want to send. Oftentimes, these tools have a more user-friendly interface than Amazon itself, and because they are authorized by Amazon, they usually have direct access to all data on your Seller Account. The bad news is that buying these software programs is an added expense on top of your existing Amazon expenses.

Send automated emails to all other customers.

If you’ve read our previous post, you will know that ‘Verified Purchase’ is the stamp of approval given to Customer Reviews written by customers who have recently made a purchase from you on Amazon. However, it is still possible for customers to leave a review on your product even if they have used another seller or webshop ex. your own personal webshop. On the flip side, you can encourage all your customers to leave reviews on your Amazon account. Of course, this is only possible if these customers also have an active Amazon account. The benefit of this strategy is that you can fully control the content of emails when they are outside Amazon, whereas Amazon messages ex. do not allow links that direct users off the platform. Just keep in mind that Verified Purchase reviews still have more impact on your rating.

Read: What is Seller Feedback and Customer Reviews – and why is it important?

… What should the email contain?

As we have mentioned a few times already, Amazon has a long list of rules dictating what you can and cannot do. You can find them here. We will discuss these more in-depth in a later post.

Even if the order is made on Amazon, it is still important that you maintain your own voice; if the tone on your webshop is informal and humorous or perhaps more muted and professional, your Amazon account should reflect that too. Additionally, it is important to remember that when you are asking customers to leave a review, you are asking them for their time on top of their money – always make sure to show your appreciation. Keep in mind that you cannot request that customers give you 4 or 5 stars. Instead, ask for their honest opinion. Here are some examples:

”We would love to hear what you think” ”Your feedback will help us be the best we can be” ”You will help other Amazon shoppers making confident decisions” “if you have time to leave a review” – once again, it all depends on your voice as a seller. However, politeness, respect for your customers’ time as well as an emphasis on genuine feedback should always be a priority.

Another thing to note is that cultural differences between markets can be a factor on Amazon. No one knows your customers as well as you do, and you probably already have a strategy for how to best communicate with people in different markets. Consider how different Amazon markets fit into this strategy ex. German speakers tend to be more formal than Danish speakers and the American market is more ‘intimate’ than the British market which has more emphasis on pleasantries. At be-ahead, we have colleagues who are German, Italian, and American-English native speakers to ensure that we communicate convincingly in all markets and avoid any Google-Translate-mishaps. We are also connected with translators in French and Spanish.