Once the Black Friday frenzy is upon us, consumers want to ensure they're making the best purchase decisions. The fastest, most effective way to do this is… you guessed it, reading reviews. In fact, 74% of shoppers say reviews and ratings are how they learn about products they've never bought before.
The Spiegel Research Center found that businesses can increase conversion rates by up to 270% when reviews are displayed. Shoppers trust other customers' first-hand experiences more than what you say about your own services or products, so showcasing positive feedback on your website and social channels is a powerful way to prompt action.
Positive reviews prove that people have had a positive experience with your products or services, encouraging more people to buy. And if you thought only online shoppers read reviews before they buy online, think again. While browsing in a store, 8 in 10 shoppers use their smartphones to look for product reviews.
Having a higher volume of positive reviews can give your business a competitive edge, especially during Black Friday when competition is fierce. Moreover, review signals (review quantity, diversity, and velocity) are among the top factors influencing how high your business ranks on local search rankings, helping to expose your business to new customers.
Positive reviews boost your website's search engine optimisation (SEO) as they provide fresh, user-generated content favoured by search engines. Google often displays review ratings and snippets in search results, and this leads to an increase in the number of people that click through to your site.
It's no secret that Hellopeter is South Africa's number-one most-trusted review platform. Here's how businesses can use the platform to manage and promote reviews this Black Friday.
Claim your business profile on Hellopeter so you can manage and reply to reviews as well as embed them on your own website and social media channels.
Prompt satisfied customers to leave reviews on Hellopeter. Consider automating follow-up emails asking customers for a review after every purchase or interaction. One of the easiest way for customers to write reviews is using our Hellopeter WhatsApp Chatbot. Simply share the link or number with them, whereafter they type "hi" to initiate the conversation and follow the prompts.
Engage with both positive and negative reviews. Responding to negative reviews professionally and offering solutions can mitigate their impact. With Hellopeter, you can also sync all your Google, Facebook and Hellopeter reviews into one inbox to ensure you stay on top of what customers is saying about you online. This is especially crucial during the busy holiday season.
Display positive reviews on your website and social media channels, especially during the Black Friday sales period.
Use Hellopeter's analytics tools to track review trends and sentiment over time. This can help you identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, you can take a look at what competitors are doing and what you perhaps can replicate.
Ultimately, the best way to get positive reviews is by providing exceptional customer service. Happy customers will be far more likely to give great feedback. Make sure you have enough staff on hand to handle the influx of customers, check that your website speed is fast, and that all your online payment systems work seamlessly.
Black Friday can be a highly competitive shopping event where shoppers have to make quick purchase decisions. Positive reviews often act as a deciding factor, pushing potential customers to buy. Moreover, by using Hellopeter to get the most out of your customers' feedback, you can improve not only your sales success this Black Friday but also your long-term reputation.
And, as if you needed another reason to join South Africa's largest review community, we have our own Black Friday offer for you. Get up to 30% off selected Hellopeter Business plans as well as free credits starting from a value of R12,000. Grab the deal today, and help your business beat the competition this Black Friday.