Before you spend money on a product or service, it’s good to know whether you can trust the people providing that service. And more and more people are checking up on providers before they go through with the transaction.

For example, when you go on holiday, you might check TripAdvisor first to see what other visitors made of the resort, the hotel or the food. When you get a tradesman in, you have a look at Check-a-trade or Rated People so see whether they’re trustworthy, affordable and/or reliable. And you’ll check the ratings of online sellers to make sure your product will arrive on time.

If you’re a business that works with the public, your customers and potential customers will be no different. Reviews can have a big impact on your Amazon – they can even make or break you as a seller. A study last year by searchengineland.com found that 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. So it’s essential that you’re getting great feedback and reviews.

If you’re selling on Amazon, it could be a customer review that makes the decision for someone to buy your product over the alternative. Someone who may be on the fence could be coaxed down after reading a great review or if they’ve been assured as to the quality of the product you offer.

Check out our top tips to get great reviews on Amazon

  1. Provide a great customer experience

The majority of negative reviews involve consumers feeling misled, or mis-sold about a product. It might sound obvious, but be as accurate as possible about what you are selling. Never oversell and under deliver; your customer will be disappointed and may make their disappointment known publicly.

  1. Follow up after every purchase

Amazon will ask for feedback after a purchase, but the email is generic and rather unengaging. Take advantage of the opportunity to send something altogether more personal and personable, something that displays your personality. By asking for feedback, you’re also making it clear that you genuinely care about what your customers have to say and how you can improve. Send your follow up email quickly, and make it really easy to leave reviews.

  1. Pay attention to users who have reviewed similar products

By visiting your product page, and going to ‘Customers who bought this item also bought’ and ‘Customers who viewed this item also viewed’, you can see what your competitors are doing well (and not so well). Identify where you can improve on your current product offering for customers, and how you can follow in the footsteps of those even more successful than you.

  1. Solicit Amazon’s top reviewers

Amazon has compiled a list of its top reviewers, who are valued highly for their insightful and objective evaluations of products. Many of these reviewers will hold prestigious titles like ‘top 10 reviewer’ or ‘hall of famer reviewer’. Should you receive praise from such a reviewer, this will do wonders for your reputation and credibility as a seller.

Ultimately, as is so often the case with consumers, we are still programmed to make choices based on the actions of others. On Amazon, the herd mentality is particularly prominent and for your online business, safety really does come in numbers.