by April Wilson

Created on: November 09, 2009

You're on the internet surfing around and looking for a particular item you want to buy that you can't find in local stores. You find the item on two different websites. One of them has customer reviews, one of them doesn't. Which are you going for?

If it's me, I'm going for the reviews. This is why customer reviews are good for your online shop. Reviews are like little testimonials which help to build trust and credibility. Human beings often work on the bandwagon effect. If they see thirty other people have made a certain buying decision and are happy with it, they're more likely to move to make that same buying decision as well. If they see no one else who has bought, they feel alone and are less likely to make the move to join the herd. Or they may wonder if you're a fly-by-night operation.

There are two types of reviews to consider. Reviews about the product, and reviews about the seller. For your particular type of business you may wish to seek to incorporate one or two of them.

1. Reviews about the product. If you've written a book or have a unique product other people don't have, i.e. it's created and manufactured by you or your company, then reviews about the product help other customers to know that yes, this is a product/book/whatever worth their time and money. It builds confidence in the customer that they aren't about to purchase junk. Product reviews are common on places like Amazon, and also on personal business sites where the business is offering a service or product that is slightly different than competitors. (For example, they aren't just selling a widget you can buy at Walmart.)

2. Reviews about the seller. When you go to places like sell.com or ebay, you're often buying something that isn't totally unique (i.e. there are more out there in other locations), or you're trying to find the best price on something, or you're wanting something used instead of brand new. In cases like this it isn't so much the product people are worried about as the reputation and honesty of the seller. Will they get what they're promised? Reviews from other people who have dealt with a particular seller or business instills confidence in potential customers that yes you are honest, and yes you provide exactly what you say and they were happy with their experience.

Into every life a few negative reviews must fall:

About negative reviews: You can't please everyone. No matter how honest you are or how great what you're selling is, someone is going to be unhappy

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