Seeing how social proof has become a huge part of what makes customers decide to purchase products/services or otherwise, it’s little wonder that we now have so many review sites. That said, credibility matters, which means that Shopify store owners must choose the best review apps (applications) to ensure credible social proof.
Thankfully, even these apps are equally reviewed by some platforms to help separate the real deal from ones you should bother with. It will also be helpful for you to learn how to spot fake reviews as shown here. Read on as this article will help you choose the right review app for Shopify.
Key Features to Look for in Review Apps for Shopify
These applications are a necessity for Shopify store owners, and failure to leverage them may mean the loss of a great deal of credibility. However, since choosing the right one is equally important, let’s look at some features that should inform your choice. These include the following:
Review Collection and Importation
How the app sources client feedback reveals a lot about it. Overall, the app must genuinely and automatically collect and import them. Several collection tactics could be deployed for this reason, and they include:
Email Request
This is a collection feature that uses email, as the name suggests. The automated email goes out to customers who purchased a product or service after a set time. This could be after the third day of purchase, for instance.
SMS
You could use this instead of the option above, or in addition to it. It is best to use it in addition to the other option to provide review options for various kinds of clients. This works well because many mobile-first audiences will readily use SMS. On the other hand, some customers prefer the email option.
Manual Submission
The right application should provide automated review prompts for clients. However, this does not negate manual submission by customers whenever they deem fit. So, make sure your choice provides this feature.
Importation from Other Sources
Some Shopify store owners sell their products beyond this e-commerce platform, and the right application should take this into account. This enables them to import reviews from platforms like Amazon. For varying conversations on the similarities and differences between Shopify and Amazon, you can see: https://www.reddit.com//.
Review Management
The importance of review collection cannot be overstated. However, the right application would offer more than just genuine and automated reviews. It should also offer online store owners the chance to properly manage collected reviews. More specifically, store owners can moderate, organize, and respond to reviews using it. These happen through:
Dashboard Control
It should have an interface that would not prove difficult for store owners. This is especially true for actions like:
- Viewing Submitted Reviews
- Review Filtering using Various Yardsticks – Like date, rating, and product type
- Review Approval/Rejection
This is important, especially for helping you organize and understand your reviews well. So, ensure that the dashboard offers these at the very least.
Moderation Tools
Moderation suggests greater control over reviews. This is more than just being able to organize. Additionally, you should be able to publish and un-publish reviews to meet quality standards. This also applies to deleting fake or spam reviews.
This is crucial since some reviews are inappropriate and unhelpful. As a result, you should remove them, and moderation tools make this possible.
Responding
The right app would allow for a direct reply to customer feedback. However, prioritize options that let you respond both publicly and privately.
Spam Detection
This is one way that the right review app is expected to leverage modern technology. For example, some options actively use AI-powered spam detection to automatically identify and take off spam. This could even involve flagging abusive language, fake reviews, among other suspicious content.
Customization and Display Options
The right review app suits your design preference. This is rather than one that forces you to use a general display. This should be evident in the following areas:
Design Customization
To ensure a unique feel, you should be able to:
- Incorporate brand tone and logo
- Format the appearance
- Perform language customization
- Change fonts, layout styles, and colors
These are important for achieving a cohesive and professional look, at the very least.
Photo and Video Reviews
Reviews are about creating trust and authenticity, especially from the perspective of the seller. Some formats get the job done better than others and video and photo reviews do this well.
As a result, the right app should enable users to upload short videos and photo reviews. For example, this could be a short video of the product unwrapping.
The tips we’ve looked at are important and will help you make the right choice. In addition to these, you can also look at the best review apps for Shopify according to Rogerio and ZIK Analytics for additional help. These reviews will provide a good pool of previewed apps to choose from.
Wrap Up
While the 3 tips for choosing the best review apps for Shopify that we discussed above are not exhaustive, they are very crucial. You should therefore, take them seriously when the need to choose a review app arises as a Shopify store owner.
