Reviews act as social proof, reassuring potential customers that others have purchased, appreciated, and recommended your product or service. But if you’re just getting started launching a new brand or a new product line, knowing how to get more reviews can be a challenge.
Product reviews influence what people buy and where they shop. According to a Brightlocal survey, “in 2026, 41% of consumers ’always’ read reviews when browsing for businesses.” The same survey found that “47% of consumers won’t use a business that has fewer than 20 reviews.”
Read on to learn about the ins and outs of ecommerce reviews, which types to focus on, and how to get more reviews for your business.
What are customer reviews?
Customer reviews are personal accounts of customers’ experiences with your business. This firsthand customer feedback can be about your products, purchasing process, delivery, and customer service interactions. Reviews can be detailed anecdotes, images and videos of your product in action, and simple star ratings.
Whether from happy customers or disappointed ones, reviews matter because they help potential customers make more informed purchasing decisions. What makes them especially valuable is their authenticity and spontaneity. They provide valuable data on what’s working and where there’s room to improve.
Types of customer reviews
Here are the most common types of customer reviews to focus your efforts on collecting:
Marketplace reviews
Marketplace reviews appear on multi-vendor platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Target Plus, which carry products from multiple brands and merchants within a shared storefront.
For Shopify users, the native Shop app hosts its own marketplace review system. Shop product reviews integrate directly with your online store and partner apps through cross-channel review syncing, allowing supported reviews to appear across Shop product pages, your online store, and on partner reviewing apps. You can also automate requests for customer reviews to send one to 180 days after product delivery. Reviews include a 1 to 5 rating, up to 1,000 characters for comments, and a “Verified by Shop” badge for added credibility.
Third-party reviews
Services like Yotpo, Loox, Okendo, Stamped, Klaviyo Reviews, Junip, Fera, and Reviews.io function solely as resources for businesses to gather reviews. Judge.me serves as both a review-collection program and a review site where consumers can see what people have to say about businesses on the app.
These platforms all enable you to easily automate review requests and integrate with Shopify Flow, so you’re notified of new reviews as soon as they happen.
Online store reviews
Online store reviews appear directly on a business’s own website, through built-in forms where shoppers can review the brand or products directly on the website. Some brands feature their most positive reviews on their homepage for immediate social proof, while others include them on product pages to reinforce purchase decisions.
Social media reviews
Reviews posted on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are visible to followers, subscribers, and other interested viewers. A survey conducted by AMC Global found that half of the participants consider social media a trusted source for product reviews. Their value lies in accessibility, and many incorporate elements of visual storytelling.
Social media reviews can come in a variety of different forms, like comments on posts, star ratings, and videos from customers and content creators.
Local reviews
Local reviews are left by customers of a business’s physical storefront and are especially valuable for brick-and-mortar locations and in-person service businesses. They show up on major search engines like Google, as well as platforms like Yelp. For example, a customer Googling Canyon Coffee can find reviews from visitors of the specialty roaster’s bicoastal locations. These write-ups may include positive feedback on coffee quality, which can lead to more in-person visits as well as online sales.
How to get more reviews for your business
- Incentivize engagement
- Repost your reviews
- Be transparent about review significance
- Engage with reviewers
- Streamline the reviewing process
Here are some strategies to get more reviews that promote your business and provide valuable feedback:
Incentivize engagement
Show reviewers you value their willingness to leave reviews for your business by offering a small incentive to motivate participation.
“Incentives are great,” Elavi co-founder Michelle Razavi says on Shopify Masters. “We use this one platform called Junip for reviews, and we offer $5 off your next order in exchange for a review.”
You can also offer customers free shipping, discount codes for their next order, points if you have a loyalty program, or partial refunds if your product has a low repeat purchase rate.
If you’re selling on a marketplace, make sure to check the rules around encouraging reviews. The Shop marketplace, for instance, has a policy against offering compensation in exchange for reviews (including discounts and free products).
Repost your reviews
Promoting reviews on social media not only provides social proof of your customer experience, it also shows that your business values feedback. By demonstrating an appreciation for commentary and criticism, you encourage new customers to leave more reviews, sharing their experiences.
“For our first six months of launch, I would say what moved the needle the most is sharing screenshots of reviews,” Michelle says. “I think it’s just like a human thing where people have opinions, and they want to be heard,” Michelle says, “and the fact that we share that online creates this flywheel effect.”
Be transparent about review significance
Be clear about why you’re asking customers to review their purchase. Explain how their feedback helps improve your business and guides other customers. “It’s also great to be really transparent and clarify that these reviews really help us out,” Michelle says. “It helps us get better if there’s something you like or you don’t like.”
This kind of transparency makes the request feel more collaborative than transactional, reinforcing that a review is more than a score or a blurb; it’s feedback that can make a real difference.
Engage with reviewers
When customers write reviews or mention your business on social media, taking the time to respond to their feedback shows brand integrity to both them and other shoppers. Thanking satisfied customers for positive reviews shows gratitude for their time and support, while engaging with negative reviews from unhappy customers is an opportunity to show care and accountability.
Shopify makes it easy to respond to reviews as soon as they come in. Set up triggers in Shopify Flow to get notified immediately whenever customers leave new reviews. You can also make these triggers specific to positive or negative reviews, so you can prioritize and promptly respond to customer concerns.
Streamline the reviewing process
Get more reviews by making the feedback process as easy as possible for customers. Include QR codes in your packaging with direct links to your preferred review collection source. Offer multiple avenues for reviewing, so customers have options for where they can offer their opinions in case they miss your request elsewhere.
Use Shopify Messaging to create a custom automation that sends review requests to customers immediately after they’ve received their product. You can also set up a similar automation in the Shop App that notifies customers to leave reviews anywhere from one to 180 days after delivery. If you use a partnered review service, set up automation within those platforms as well.
How to get more reviews FAQ
How do I get more reviews for my business?
To collect reviews for your business, share standout reviews on social media to show you value customer feedback. You can also offer incentives to customers in order to get reviews—just be sure it’s in line with guidelines if you’re selling on a marketplace. Be direct in your outreach and make it easy by offering multiple accessible review platforms.
Is 4.7 a good Google rating?
A Google rating of 4.7 is great. While it may seem counterintuitive, having a rating of 4.7 can actually look better to customers than a perfect 5 because, according to a Power Reviews survey, many customers feel skeptical of businesses with perfect ratings.
What platforms do people check for reviews?
People look for reviews on a variety of different platforms depending on things like their age and shopping preferences. Commonly used sources include Google Reviews, Amazon, YouTube, the Shop app, and brand websites. Customers often browse reviews from a combination of platforms when making purchasing decisions.
