When it comes to important-yet-simple-to-implement methods for growing your beauty and skincare brand, it doesn’t get any easier—not to mention effective—than collecting and displaying customer reviews on your ecommerce site and on social media.
Consider the following statistics from 2023 that support the importance of reviews:
- Forty-five percent of shoppers said that they wouldn’t buy an item if the brand or product didn’t have reviews.
- Reviews function as a form of word-of-mouth marketing, with 82% of potential shippers giving equal weight to both forms of recommendations.
- Ninety-eight percent of shoppers reported that they are far more likely to read reviews if they are making a first-time purchase.
- If research is being done on a new item, up to 74% of potential customers report using reviews to learn about new products.
By harnessing the power of reviews, you’ll improve your shop’s SEO rankings (search engines favour well-reviewed ecommerce sites), develop a better understanding of your customers’ purchasing habits, all while increasing the credibility of your brand, product, and the customer service you offer.
Looking for more easily-implementable tips for improving sales?
Check out: 5 High-Impact Ways to Increase Your Shop’s AOV
Install apps that encourage customer reviews
Choosing review-incentivizing apps for your beauty and skincare ecommerce business is a simple yet highly effective way to maintain existing customer loyalty while attracting new clients. The apps included in this section offer convenience and accessibility, customization options, and integration with loyalty programs while also providing valuable analytics and insight into the purchasing behaviour of your customers.
As of publication, the integrative review-focused apps listed below include a free basic plan or 14-day trial for new users.
- Loox: This app collects product reviews on auto-pilot using customizable email templates and review forms—customers are incentivized to add photos and videos to their review with a next-purchase discount.
Send a review request email after purchase (and follow up!)
One of the best ways to collect reviews is the most straightforward: simply ask! For beauty and skincare products, send customers a review request between seven and 14 days after the purchase—this gives them the opportunity to try the product and form an opinion.
Be sure to send a follow-up email reiterating your request or thanking the customer for the review. Follow-up emails are a crucial method for building business relationships, fostering trust, and improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Making use of automation via review-integration apps (such as the options listed above) will allow you to create customizable post-purchase emails that are sent out automatically at intervals of your choosing—no coding skills required!
Include a QR code that links to a review form or customer service review
Incorporating a review or customer survey call-to-action in the form of a QR code insert is a cost-effective, direct method for collecting reviews. The insert should have a clear image of your brand logo and aesthetic as well as instructions for retrieving the link (for example, “use your smartphone camera or QR scanner app to leave a review.”)
The landing page that accompanies the QR code should be optimized for smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers—the idea is to make the review process as convenient and efficient as possible. Be sure to include social media integration by displaying buttons that allow the user to share their review with their various accounts.
Incentivize customers to leave a review
What better way to encourage reviews* than to offer your customer something in return for their efforts? For a beauty and skincare brand, incentives could include sample products (or other freebies), discount codes for future purchases, or loyalty points.
Encourage customer engagement further by offering greater incentives to shoppers who post photo and video reviews. Sixty percent of shoppers report using user-generated imagery to research new products and 77% trust user-generated imagery when making decisions about purchases.
*Note the absence of the word positive to describe the review—it is considered highly unethical to offer free products or discounts in exchange for glowing reviews.
For even more ideas on customer incentivization, head on over to our guide to using “surprise and delight” marketing techniques for your beauty brand.
Keep the dialogue open by interacting with reviews
Whether you’re responding to a rave review or one that’s decidedly negative, taking the time to interact with reviewers builds trust and credibility for your brand while improving the relationship you have with your customers.
When it comes to navigating negative reviews, resist the urge to get defensive and instead try to problem solve. Use these responses as an opportunity to showcase your brand’s impeccable customer service skills and your attention-to-detail as an entrepreneur—both existing and potential customers will appreciate the level of care being offered to right the situation.
Conclusion
Growing your beauty and skincare brand relies on the collection and display of reviews—not only to improve the SEO ranking of your site but also to demonstrate the trustworthiness of your product and your dedication to customer service when problems do arise.
To make the process easier, take advantage of apps that gather and sort reviews automatically, send follow-up emails, use QR code inserts for reviews, incentivize customers, and engage with reviews to foster relationships with your client.
At Blanka, we offer hundreds of high-quality, cruelty-free beauty and skincare products and custom cosmetic formulations. Product research and development, warehousing, order fulfilment services, and merchant support are our specialty; we make it easy to build your brand so that you can focus on your beauty business. Blanka offers zero minimums, zero commitment, and zero risks—what are you waiting for?
