Guest Post: How to Use Amazon Reviews to Improve Your Listings

Here are a few common issues with Amazon listings that we often see in negative reviews:

• Missing/inaccurate feature
• Item not as described
• Product is confusing or difficult to use
• Misleading or incorrect images

You can use this information to optimize Amazon listing content that provides the details shoppers rely on. For example, if several reviews mention that the color of the product you sell is inaccurate, you can update your listing accordingly, perhaps by including Pantone color codes to help customers get a better idea of what to expect when your product arrives. The last thing you want is a negative unboxing experience; your goal is to ensure that buyers are excited to receive your product. 

You can also monitor reviews for competitive ASINs to find common complaints and issues with similar products. Use that information in your listing content to highlight areas where your product outshines the competition. 

Use Amazon Reviews to Find Keyword Opportunities

Getting your products in front of the right audience is an ongoing challenge, especially if you sell items in a competitive category. Your Amazon product reviews offer valuable insight into what buyers like about your products, what they were looking for, and improvements you could make.

Gather your positive reviews and look for commonalities or use a word cloud generator to find common words or phrases. You can also find frequently used phrases on the Amazon product page for your product at the beginning of the reviews section. If the product has at least 10 reviews, you'll see a section that says "Read reviews that mention." 

These keywords show you what buyers love about your product. Are you speaking the same language as your customers? If you spot keywords that you’re not currently using in your listing that may add value and help your product get discovered by the right audience, you can use that information to make updates to help others find your listing.

These keywords and phrases can also boost your off-Amazon efforts, whether you have a personal eCommerce site, a social media presence, or advertising campaigns.

Improve Your Amazon Product Listing

Now that you’ve gathered key information from your reviews, it’s time to use it! Start with any obvious weak points from your negative reviews. Is your listing missing important product details or feature information? Think about how to incorporate those details to ensure that shoppers have all the information they need to make a purchase decision. This is especially true for items that include size variations, such as apparel or home décor. The last thing buyers want is to receive a shirt that doesn’t fit or a lamp that is the wrong size for their space.

Having an accurate listing increases the odds that you will have fewer negative reviews in the future, because your listing sets buyer expectations for everything from product quality to ease of use. If your reviews mention that the product is confusing or difficult to use, consider ways to include more detailed information. Are your product instructions easy for buyers to access and understand? Could you create detailed images or add a video to your product listing to provide additional context?

Once you’ve addressed any major issues mentioned in your reviews, it’s time to start incorporating relevant keywords you discovered while evaluating customer reviews. Make sure you are including detailed information about your product and features to help shoppers understand what to expect. 

If you're brand registered, enhance your listing with A+ Content to fully communicate the value of your product. Make sure your images support your listing content. A good way to test this is to enlist the help of a friend or employee. Ask them to review your listing and all listing content by comparing it with your product to ensure that you are providing all the necessary information for shoppers. Often times it’s easy to get lost in the details, so getting perspective from someone else can really help your product listing shine. (And if you'd rather trust this to an expert, the Emmazon team would be happy to help!)

Your images and listing copy impact your reviews because they set the buyer's expectation of your product. Making sure that your product listing is accurate and easy to understand can help you provide a positive experience for buyers.

Monitor Reviews with Minimal Effort

Tracking reviews manually can be time-consuming, especially when you have a growing catalog of products. You can track Amazon reviews automatically with FeedbackFive. The product review management features make it easy to see how your ASINs (and your competitors' ASINs) are performing over time. 

You can even opt in for individual notifications or a daily summary of new reviews via email or text. Seeing your reviews in real time keeps you in the loop about how customers perceive your products and helps alert you of any issues that might need to be addressed with your product listings.

In Conclusion: Ignore Reviews at Your Own Peril

In eCommerce, it's rare that you have the opportunity to interact directly with your customers. Reviews, whether good or bad, give you unique insights that you can and should use to create stronger Amazon listings, better products, and a growing business.