98% of customers consider and look at product reviews when making purchase decisions. But no surprise there! You probably also check reviews when shopping on a marketplace like Amazon or browsing a store’s page on social media.

Generally speaking, customers don’t trust businesses with negative reviews, or worse…no reviews at all. That’s why collecting customer feedback and working with it should be on your ongoing to-do list as a small business owner.

Read on to learn how to collect feedback in ways that are convenient for both you and your customers. And take note of our breakdown on using reviews to strengthen your relationships with customers — even negative ones!

Why Is Customer Feedback Important?

Customer feedback is crucial for businesses because it provides actionable insights and perspectives from the people who matter most: your customers.

Collecting customer feedback allows you to gain a deeper understanding of their needs, preferences, and pain points, which can help you improve your products or services.

Moreover, customer feedback is also an excellent way to build trust with potential customers. When they see positive reviews from satisfied customers, they are more likely to trust your business and make a purchase.

How to Collect Customer Feedback

Every month, 47% of internet users worldwide post reviews about businesses. Customers are generally willing to share their opinions on a product or service to help others make an informed decision based on what worked and what didn’t for them.

To harness the power of customer reviews, all you have to do is make it as easy as possible for them to let you know how they feel.

Customers are more likely to write a review if the process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. Filling out 15 different forms, or answering surveys with 50 questions? Hard pass.

Shoot for allowing a customer to leave a review in a way that takes no more than two minutes. But how do you ask a buyer to leave their feedback? Well, you’re in luck because there are many different tools at your disposal to help you go from 0 to 60 reviews in no time. These tools range in access, operating through social media, emails, SMS, and messenger applications.

Send an Email a Couple of Days After the Order Is Delivered

You can ask a customer to leave a review in an order confirmation email. However, they obviously can’t leave meaningful feedback before they actually receive their order. So often, they end up putting it off and eventually forget you even asked them to write a review.

That’s why it’s better to send a feedback request later—when you can be sure that a customer has already received their order.

If you run an Ecwid store, you can set up automated emails for collecting customer feedback. They display the product a customer bought with a button to leave a review. When the customer clicks "Leave Feedback," a new email window will open with the prefilled store email. All your customers have to do is type a quick review and hit send.

By default, this automated email is sent four weeks after the order status is changed to "Shipped." If your shipping generally takes more or less time, you can update your send time accordingly (remember to update order statuses promptly as well).

Pro tip: If you add a discount coupon for the next purchase, customers will be more willing to write a review.

Send a Thank You SMS with a Customer Review Request

If you have your customers’ phone numbers, you can send them an SMS or text them through a messenger app.

There are various SMS marketing services available for businesses, but it’s easiest (and free) to reach out to customers via popular messenger services such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Telegram.

Keep your message short, but be sure to include your store or brand name and a link to the page for collecting feedback. Don’t forget to thank customers for taking the time to leave their reviews!

If you run an Ecwid store, you can send SMS notifications using apps from the Ecwid App Market, such as SMS Notifications via Twilio.

Add a QR code to Each Order to Collect Customer Feedback

Customers can quickly scan a QR code with their smartphone and leave a review. Put a QR code on a business card or a thank-you note that you add to orders. Or, print a QR code on a sticker and put it on the order’s wrapping.

If you sell digital products, you can add QR codes to them too. For example, insert it at the end of a recipe or a tutorial video.

Make sure to include a short note to a QR code, for instance, "Scan a QR code to let us know if you liked the product." Tell your customers about using QR codes for leaving their feedback on product pages and your business’ social media profiles.

There are various QR code generators you can use for free, such as QR Code Generator, ForQRCode, or QR Code Monkey.

Call Your Clients to Gather Customer Feedback

This way of collecting customer feedback is quite interfering, but it’s also effective. However, if your first call didn’t bring any results, it’s better to send a message instead of calling again.

When talking to your customers, ask them what they like about your product and customer service. They can provide feedback on improving your store and let you know about difficulties with placing an order.

Monitor Online Customer Reviews

Monitor online customer feedback platforms such as TrustPilot, Yelp, or even Google Maps. People often leave reviews there even if customer feedback isn’t their primary purpose for using the platform.

Other popular customer feedback platforms include Angi, TripAdvisor, G2, and Consumer Reports.

It’s a good idea to browse these platforms and copy customer feedback to your website or take screenshots of a particularly detailed or positive review to post on your website. Including a link to the review source is also a good idea, so interested people can independently verify these reviews as genuine.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to display customer feedback collected via emails, review websites, SMS, etc., on your Ecwid Instant Site, you can use the Customer Testimonials section.

Add a Customer Feedback Section to Your Website

As we mentioned in the introduction, most shoppers read customer feedback before purchasing. Make sure it’s as easy to find reviews on your website as it is to leave them.

There are customer feedback tools that not only showcase reviews and enable customer comments on your site but also streamline the process, freeing up your time. Stay tuned for an overview of the most popular feedback collection tools in the upcoming section.

Use Customer Feedback Software

If you want to streamline your customer feedback process, consider investing in customer feedback software. This type of software helps businesses collect and analyze customer feedback from various channels.

Using customer feedback software enables you to create a customer feedback loop where you collect feedback, analyze it, and then take action to improve your business.

Read on to explore a range of customer feedback tools tailored to meet your business needs.

7 Customer Feedback Tools

There are various customer feedback tools you can use to make the process of collecting and managing reviews easier. These tools can be integrated with your ecommerce platform to automate the feedback collection process and display reviews on your website.

For example, if you use Ecwid as your ecommerce platform, you can collect and display reviews in your Ecwid store using the following customer feedback tools from the Ecwid App Market:

HelpfulCrowd as a Customer Feedback Tool

HelpfulCrowd is a customer feedback platform that automatically collects verified product reviews, including photo and video ones. The app also allows visitors to ask questions about items on product pages.

Trustami as a Customer Feedback Platform

With Trustami, you can collect and manage ratings and reviews from more than 20 customer feedback platforms, including eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Amazon, Trusted Shops, and Google Shopping.

TargetBay as Customer Feedback Software

With TargetBay‘s customer feedback platform, you can get product/photo reviews and build forums and QA sections to better connect with customers. You can also add TargetBay trust badges to your site.

Automated Customer Reviews a Customer Feedback Tool

The Automated Customer Reviews app sends a post-purchase survey email to every customer upon product receipt.

Satisfied customers are redirected to a review site of your choice like Google, Facebook, Yelp, etc. Unsatisfied customers are directed to contact you directly via a custom feedback form to address and resolve issues promptly, preventing negative site reviews.

Smartarget Reviews as a Customer Feedback Platform

The Smartarget Reviews app lets you gather and showcase reviews on your website, customized with your preferred colors and style. Moreover, you can select the feedback you wish to display, allowing you to conceal any negative reviews.

WiserNotify as a Customer Feedback and Social Proof Tool

Like other customer feedback tools, the WiserNotify app lets you showcase customer feedback on your website. Beyond that, it offers a range of social proof features, such as purchase notifications, to enhance trust with prospective customers.

Trustpilot as Customer Feedback Software

Trustpilot is another popular customer feedback platform that allows you to collect and manage product reviews from verified customers. You can also display the Trustpilot trust badge on your website to build trust with potential customers.

Using the Trustpilot app for your Ecwid store, you can automate sending invitations to shoppers for company and product reviews.

Overall, using customer feedback tools can help streamline the process of collecting and managing reviews. These tools not only make it easier for you to gather feedback, but they also provide a professional and trustworthy platform for customers to leave their reviews.

Learn more about ways to collect customer feedback in your Ecwid store in the Help Center.

Make sure to choose a tool that best fits your needs and integrates well with your ecommerce platform for maximum efficiency. So, don’t hesitate to explore different options and find the best fit for your business.

Should You Do a Customer Feedback Survey or Interview?

To get better insight into what your customers like and dislike about your products and services, you can run customer feedback surveys.

Common Customer Feedback Questions

Use survey platforms such as SurveyMonkey, TypeForm, or Google Forms to create and share customer feedback surveys with your clients via email, social media, or on your website. These tools aid in organizing data for detailed customer feedback analysis.

Some examples of customer feedback questions include:

What made you choose our product over others? What do you like most about our product? How has our product positively impacted your [sphere relevant to your product, like health/work/hair]? Would you recommend our product to others? Is there anything you would change about our product? What are some suggestions for improving our product or customer service?

Remember to keep the questions short and specific, so customers can easily answer them without getting overwhelmed. You can also provide multiple-choice options for certain questions to make it easier for customers to respond.

A customer feedback questionnaire can help you gather targeted and specific feedback to guide your decisions for improving your store. So, don’t hesitate to ask your customers for their thoughts and opinions!

Customer Interviews for More Actionable Feedback

You can also run customer interviews with select clients to gain even more in-depth feedback and customer insights. This can involve talking to customers one-on-one or in a focus group setting.

Some tips for conducting customer interviews include:

Have a clear purpose for the interview and what you hope to learn from it. For example, you recently launched a new product and you’d like to get user feedback on its features. Keep the conversation open-ended to encourage customers to share their honest thoughts and opinions. Take note of any common themes or suggestions that come up during the interviews. These can provide valuable insights for improvement. Choose a diverse group of customers to get a range of perspectives. This can include new customers, loyal customers, and even those who have had a negative experience with your store.

Remember to save the customer insights gathered during interviews to streamline the customer feedback analysis later on.

Also, thank your customers for their time and feedback and follow up on any changes or improvements you make based on their input.

Should You Reward Shoppers for Leaving Customer Feedback?

Some may argue that rewarding customers for taking the time to review your product is a good tactic. Rewarding customers for leaving their feedback is definitely beneficial in the following cases:

When you just launched your store, and there are just a couple of reviews When you have loyal shoppers who forget to leave customer feedback.

We recommend giving out rewards through a points program or discount coupon towards their next purchase to encourage loyalty.

On the other hand: never post fake reviews! It’s obvious to many informed consumers when a review is not genuine, and stock pictures are easy to identify with a quick Google search. Once trust is broken between you and a customer who has found out about your fake review, it is not easily mended.

Pro tip: If you offer a discount for a review, make it clear that you’re looking for honest customer feedback, not just positive reviews, and that they will receive the discount no matter what they say.

How to Deal with Negative Feedback

With 82% of shoppers specifically seeking out negative customer feedback when thinking of making a purchase, you definitely need a system for handling negative feedback well. A good set of guidelines here can actually work in your favor: 45% of shoppers are more likely to visit a business if it responds to a negative review and makes things right.

Deleting negative reviews seems like an easy way out, but it may look suspicious if your store has only 5-star online reviews with no complaints or negative feedback at all.

Not sure how to respond to negative reviews from customers? No worries! If you receive a negative comment, there are some steps you can take to make amends: first, you need to figure out whether it’s an internet troll, a real problem, or a misunderstanding.

How to Deal with Trolling

Trolls intentionally try to provoke conflict or arguments in an online community. They intend to make other users respond emotionally, so they often post insulting comments. In this case, there is no use starting an argument or really engaging with them at all.

What you can do is ask questions to figure out whether it’s a troll or a customer who really needs help. For example: "Did we get it right…?", "Could you elaborate on…?", "What exactly did you have difficulties with?" Follow-up questions will help determine who you’re talking to and how to solve their problem.

If there is no real problem and you’re dealing with a troll, adopt a strict tone and warn them that you block users who are openly insulting without genuine cause. Then delete their messages and block them to shut out the negativity.

How to Respond to Negative Feedback from Customers

Patience, respect, and being willing to help are the main principles of dealing with negative feedback.

Sometimes people can’t explain exactly what the problem with your product or service is. That’s why start with clarifying questions and answer customers’ questions only after you understand their issue.

For example: say a shopper bought a smartphone in your store. They reach out to you saying there is a virus on the phone. After you ask a couple of questions, it turns out it was actually a series of Wi-Fi notifications that were bothering the customer.

You should never ignore a customer’s problem, even if you see they are misunderstanding how your product or service works. Show that you’re willing to help them. Put in the time and effort to genuinely try to help them fix whatever is happening, even if it turns out that it’s not your fault.

Don’t:
"You didn’t get it right and pushed the wrong button."

Do:
"I know this situation can get frustrating or upsetting. Let’s try pushing this button and see if it helps"

A customer might have a problem with services you use, for example, shipping providers. In this case, solve the problem together and update your customer on their case. For example, "We’ve reached out to the delivery service, here’s what they told us," "Yes, the order was shipped to the wrong address," or "We’re going to take care of this and get back to you soon."

Make sure customers don’t doubt your competence and put trust in your ability to make things right, and even dissatisfied shoppers can be turned into loyal customers.

Learn more: How to Handle Negative Feedback: A Practical Guide

To Sum Up: Work with Customer Feedback Regularly

Now that you know how to capture customer feedback, let’s recap what you’ve gained from this article:

Rewarding customers for leaving feedback can encourage loyalty and increase the number of reviews. Be honest with your customers about seeking their feedback, and clarify that you value their honesty above all else. Explore different tools for gathering and showcasing customer feedback; research thoroughly to select the most suitable one for your business. When responding to negative customer feedback, always remember to remain patient, respectful, and helpful. Clarify any misunderstandings and work towards a resolution together. Never ignore customer problems or shift blame onto them. Instead, take responsibility and work towards a solution.

With these tips in mind, you can effectively manage customer feedback and use it to improve your business.

Simply collecting customer feedback is not enough; strive to analyze it and work with it. Each review is an opportunity to make your online store better and more attractive to customers. Don’t pass up this opportunity! After all, by leaving online reviews, customers have already taken the time to help you along the way.

 

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