When it comes to Amazon product listing creation and optimization, there are many tools available to help you do the job right. But, out of all the keyword tools and listing tools out there, one tool is by far the most underutilized and underappreciated – The customer product review.
Product reviews are raw, and often emotional experiences that buyers have shared about a particular product. Nothing offers such direct insight into the mind of the buyer as do product reviews. Sometimes they are positive, and sometimes they are negative, and sometimes, they are just downright hilarious.
As an Amazon optimization expert, I spend a lot of time reading reviews for products on Amazon. I find that if you want to really understand a product’s strengths and weaknesses, you HAVE to read the reviews of the product you are researching, as well as the reviews of competitors for the product.
Things you can learn from reviews include:
- Alternative uses for a product. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was working with a client who sells cloth diapers. After reading some competitor reviews, I discovered that people were actually using cloth diapers as masks because medical masks were so hard to find! Who knew? We decided not to go with that particular product positioning strategy, but it was useful information, nonetheless.
- Features that are most important to customers. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when launching a new product is to assume that you know what the customer will like best about your product. If you read reviews of competitors, you will often discover that what the buyer likes about the product and what the brand wants the buyer to like about the product are two different things. I always try to align my product positioning with the pain points and/or selling points that buyers mention most often in their reviews.
- Areas of improvement for your product or listing. If you want to have a successful product, you’ve got to listen to your buyers. Regularly reading your own customer reviews will show you areas where you can improve the product, and/or simply make better clarifications in your listing. When working for a clothing manufacturer a while back, we had chosen to describe some yoga pants as “thick and soft”. Even though we felt this was true, buyers continually complained that they were too thin. We decided to change tactics and describe them as “lightweight and cool for summer wear”. After this, sales increased and the negative reviews disappeared. Nothing changed with the product. It was all in matching the messaging with customers’ expectations.
- Some people have an incredible sense of humor. Just like one of James Halliday’s Easter Eggs in the Oasis, you will occasionally come across a review that will literally have you ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing, for those who don’t like text abbreviations). For me, finding one of these really hilarious reviews is what keeps things light when I’m tediously scouring through pages of reviews. If you want to see some examples, check out this amazing list or hilarious reviews compiled by Bored Panda.
To sum up, if you aren’t reading customer reviews, you need to start. If you need help interpreting your customer reviews, please feel free to reach out to us at KCS Marketing. We love customer reviews and we love helping clients gain a competitive edge by leveraging these reviews for better product positioning and better sales.