Young Entrepreneur Council — November 20, 2019 Many e-commerce businesses consider Amazon to be “the” place to be. However, Amazon shoppers want to see proof that your product works as intended in the form of customer reviews. So what can you do if you don’t have any reviews yet? To find out more, the Young Entrepreneur Council members answered the following question:
What is a good way for businesses to encourage purchases on Amazon, even if they have very few — or no — online reviews?
1. Work With Influencers
We are all skeptical of unfamiliar products. That’s why user reviews are so important. They add credibility to a product. If you launched a product on Amazon and don’t have any reviews, consider working with an influencer in a related space. He or she can share your product and recommend it to their audience giving you the credibility and customer introduction that you need to make the sale. – Shaun Conrad, My Accounting Course
2. Treat Your Amazon Page as a Website Landing Page
Too many sellers don’t take their product pages seriously. Treat yours just as you would a landing page on your own website. Create a content-rich page with professional product pictures, in-action videos, user testimonials and offer comparisons. Spend time crafting your description to pre-emptively answer the questions customers are likely to ask. The more information you include, the better. – Jordan Conrad, Writing Explained
3. Leverage Other Channels
You need a funnel that will lead to Amazon from other places so build up a customer base in Amazon by using your own marketing efforts. Drive traffic via ads or email newsletter and combine it with a smart strategy. For example, you can make one or two products available only on Amazon. Finally, ask people to leave a review after they make a purchase. This way, you’ll make things work. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
4. Offer a Free or Discounted Product
Offer to give your product away discounted or for free for a limited time in return for an (honest) review on Amazon. This will encourage consumers to purchase your product and the reviews generated will, in turn, help build your trust as a brand in the marketplace. Also be sure to include a great description of features, pictures of the product and videos demonstrating its use. – Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
5. Use Sponsored Products
It’s a service that Amazon offers that pushes your product listings close to the top. You only pay when someone clicks on your product, and new users get a discount. Reviews are important, but until you get more of them, this service is a solid alternative. – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
6. Invest in Quality Videos
Investing in some quality videos of your product that you can upload to Amazon is a great selling point. It allows visitors to understand what sets your product apart from your competitors, all while getting a sense of who you and your brand is. – Rana Gujral, Behavioral Signals
7. Prepare a Launch List
We have a “VIP list” of our customers who have signed up to get an 80% discount on our future products. Each time we launch a product on Amazon, these people get an email about it first and get a hefty discount. This allows us to get a huge amount of reviews in the first few weeks. Not only is this social proof for other customers but it also increases our rankings in the Amazon search results. – Karl Kangur, Above House
8. Write In-Depth Descriptions
If you want people on Amazon to take a chance on your product, you have to eliminate all question marks. Upload multiple photos of your product and go in-depth on your description. From the size, to how it is built, to its functionality, give your customers a ton of knowledge to make their decision easier. – Zach Binder, Bell + Ivy
9. Join Amazon Launchpad
Amazon Launchpad is not for every product, but it’s worth checking out. This program allows you to access a lot of benefits at launch including A plus content, marketing support, featured placements, and access to special offline and online (Prime Day) events to promote your product. It really helped our product launch in both Europe and the USA. Lastly, the program is free. – Andy Karuza, FenSens
10. Offer a Money-Back Guarantee
Amazon has the option to refund consumers if they are not happy with a product, but sometimes their customer support is less than satisfactory. If you want to encourage consumers to buy your product on Amazon, make sure you offer a money-back guarantee through your business. – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
11. Humanize Your Brand
Consumers today want to connect with the brands they spend money on. So, even if you don’t have customer reviews, you can leverage this emotional need by humanizing your brand and making your customers feel special. Introduce yourself and include a picture to show the person behind the business. Share the story of your brand’s inception. People love a success story, so use it to your advantage. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
12. Show User-Generated Content
User-generated content acts as social proof. When Amazon users see photos of your real-life customers loving your products, they’ll be more likely to purchase. You can get more user-generated content by asking your customers to share their photos on Instagram with your branded hashtag. Many customers will be happy to take a photo in exchange for being featured on your website or Instagram page. – David Henzel, LTVPlus
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