The importance of testimonials in an online business
Many online merchants make the mistake of overlooking the importance of testimonials. Some even think that testimonials are nice to have for their online businesses. But studies have shown that it can increase conversions. It is a major factor in the buying habits of online customers.
Why testimonials work
The truth is that testimonials are a powerful type of social proof. It can be very persuasive. Many shoppers online are more likely to buy a product with many positive testimonials because they assume that purchasing the said product reflect an appropriate behavior.
In fact, one survey conducted by Zendesk showed that 9 out of 10 respondents admit that positive reviews can affect their purchasing decisions.
The Zendesk survey is just one of the studies that vouch for the importance of testimonials on online businesses. According to Econsultancy, sites that show positive testimonials get up to 18% increase in sales. Moreover, the likelihood of a purchase from site visitors increases to 63%.
A Reevoo study showed that products with 50 or more reviews can lead to as much a 4.6% boost in conversion rates. Brightlocal also says that nearly 9 out of 10 people trust testimonials which were written by other consumers.
How to ask for testimonials from customers
But the question that many online merchants have is—how can they ask their customers to write reviewss?
One of the best ways to do it is to send an automated email at least five days after the delivery of the product. Using an automated email app would help merchants accomplish this. Automated emails can ask customers to leave a review. Most of the time, satisfied customers would be happy to do so.
Some merchants go to the extent of offering a small discount to customers who write a review. Others give a shout out to their customers thanking them for their review.