Either way, I am going to cover why it's good to give a review and why it's good to receive reviews and a few ways that I have found to be helpful.
First, I am a consumer. I shop. A lot. I shop on Amazon for groceries, yes, that's true. I shop for sales online at my favorite stores, once I know my size for their clothing. And we stay at hotels. I also leave reviews. The top reason I leave a review is because they have asked. I get an email in my box asking me how my product & how my transaction went. It has to be easy for me & I have to be reminded. So a few simple clicks on my part, leave my review, click publish & they have a new review.
I believe that it's important to leave facts about a product or service. Adding emotions is okay but leaving facts is a plus. For example, at a recent hotel stay, their coffee was terrible. It was old peoples coffee. Amongst the positive things that I enjoyed about my stay at their hotel, I also made note that their coffee bar, or lack there of, needed some attention. Most people don't like powdered creamer. Just sayin' folks!
Leaving a review for Amazon is much different than leaving a review for a handmade shop from Etsy. There's a lot of people involved in an Amazon transaction & it's not an emotional transaction either. Leaving a review for an Etsy shop is going to be ready by the person that thought up the product, shopped for the supplies, carefully created the product, packaged the product, took it to the post office and sent you a notice that it was on it's way. One. Person. Did. That. For. You!
I have had a couple customers of mine contact me about an issue with the product they received from me. One in particular sent a picture and said that there was a jam. In the picture, it was a few threads that needed to be trimmed from the back stitch. I emailed her back that she just needed to snip them. She was relieved and so was I. I also thanked her for contacting me privately so I could guide her and let her know that her product was okay and that it in fact wasn't flawed & it wouldn't unravel at the seam. I was thankful that she didn't leave a nasty review saying how terribly made the product was and that it was jammed, but instead we came to a solution through messaging each other and the picture she sent me.
Next, I am an Etsy shop owner in the handmade marketplace. I am always learning. I read non stop about how to improve and grow my business. My latest endeavor is focusing on how to get reviews. I can wish & hope that they will just do it on their own. But remember, I have to be reminded to leave a review, I am sure I am not the only one that needs a reminder or an incentive. I took action on how to get more reviews & it's working.
On my Etsy site, when an item is purchased the customer gets a Thank You note with a link to my lil' alice FB page to connect with me there. The consumer receives another note after I have stopped at the post office to ship them their package. In that note, I ask them to write a review once they receive their product. Once a receive a review from them, I write them a personal note saying thanks for the review along with a coupon code off of their next lil' alice purchase!
Simply ask for a review, then when they respond to your request, give them an incentive to come back.
We are all consumers. We are often thrilled with our purchases, but sometimes, there's disappointment too. We are so quick to leave negative feedback and we forget to let them know that we fell in love with our other purchases. Good or bad, leave a review. An honest one. You never know, you might get a coupon code for your next purchase!