• Review Storm Approaching

    By ZonSupport | Posted on September 18, 2017| Blog

    A review storm is approaching. With thousands of so called bot reviews hitting Amazon since July it is clear that Amazon will again react with more changes.

    Mainstream media has now picked up on this so it also becomes a PR issue that Amazon must manage. This now places significant time pressure on them to take action.

    Amazon have been investing massively in AI (Artificial Intelligence) for almost 5 years and you can be very sure their own bots are collecting a massive amount of data on all reviews, not just these fake ones. Star Wars in real life? Yes!

    So, if you’ve been playing in the twilight zone with friends of friends and other “arm’s length” review strategies there is a high chance that you may get caught in this action. It’s also inevitable that other sellers who have never done anything at all to garner reviews since the beginning of time will also get caught in this storm as well.

    Getting reviews is a cornerstone of building your Amazon business. There are two schools of thought:

    1. Play by the rules hoping that in the fullness of time a level playing field will emerge

    2. Dabble on the side and apologize if caught

    If you are active generating reviews then be sensible about it. A brand new listing with daily reviews complete with pictures and 200 word content look fake…mostly because they are! So, if you want to stand out, go right ahead. Sure, Amazon Vine reviewer’s are known for writing very long reviews, but they are labelled so customers know their source.

    Step back and look at the benefits of your product. What need does it solve? What is the biggest concern a customer has when buying it?

    You want two lines of text, not two paragraphs. Resist the urge to cram the review with every feature of your product – they need to be written from a user’s view point.

    There are now many analytical progams available that look for inconsistencies in reviews. Here’s one worth checking out: https://reviewmeta.com/

    Take a look at all the data points they use for assessing reviews. Great insights of what not to do!

    It is quite clear that to be successful on Amazon, you need to start building a database of customers you can call on when you are launching a new product. Start now, by whatever means to ensure that you have some degree of control over your destiny.

    If you are already in urgent need, go carefully. Make time your friend. Take a month, get into social media and start building a following. Then fish for a few. Two reviews in a week is a lot! Keep it all in perspective…

    You need to play a long game on Amazon and try not to be too reactive. Remember, it’s their platform and you are the guest. So, best take extra care not to upset your host as you need them more than they need you:) 

    As always, ask us anything. If we don’t know, we’ll know someone who does!

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