All about reviews on Etsy

It will not come as a revelation that store reviews play a key role in building a reputation, as

a) form an opinion about you among potential customers;
b) increase the rating on the platform and the visibility of the store in the general search results;
c) are a strong marketing tool.

Therefore, getting feedback on Etsy is one of the top priorities for every seller. We hope that the recommendations in this article will help you understand the issue and take your brand’s sales to a whole new level.

Basic principles

Etsy has several rules for reviews that are designed to ensure that they are fair and accurate:

Reviews must be based on the fact of purchase or experience of using the product/service. This means that they cannot be written from gossip or based on bias.

It is forbidden to manipulate reviews, including falsifying them, buying them, or putting pressure on customers to write positive reviews.

Important! The seller is not allowed to ask for a POSITIVE review. However, it is not forbidden to ask for an honest impression. If you offer any bonuses or incentives for commenting, it must be disclosed honestly and objectively.

Etsy has the right to delete reviews that violate the platform’s rules: reviews with foul language, containing confidential data or offensive language.

Sellers have the right to respond to reviews. But this applies only to NEGATIVE reviews. At the same time, after the official response from the brand, the client will no longer be able to change the previously written text or the number of stars.

The platform gives 100 days for customers to share their impressions. The days start counting from the estimated date of delivery of the product or from the moment of download (for digital products).

Also, during the aforementioned 100 days, customers can change their feedback. Etsy gives them the opportunity to gain user experience. For example, an order arrived on time, in a complete set, and the customer liked everything – he gives five stars. But after 2 weeks, it turns out that the product does not meet the declared quality (something fell off, paint peeled off, seams came apart, etc.) – the person has the right to change the review to negative to warn the seller and other buyers about this fact.

How to get positive customer feedback

In fact, a seller doesn’t have many tools to solve this problem. Or rather, only two:

1. Postcards to the order containing a request to share their impressions of the purchase (you can also add discount coupons, which will increase the chance of customer loyalty).

2. A direct appeal with a request to spend a few minutes and help the store become better and develop.

It’s important to remember that people leave reviews only when they have experienced some kind of emotion. That is, it’s not enough that the product simply matches the description and the delivery is made on time. Therefore, a great option would be to add some unexpected cute gifts to the order: pins, magnets, pens, sweets – something that will cause a wow effect but will not affect the cost.

Packaging is also important – try to make it as high-quality and interesting as possible, even for inexpensive products. Brand the box, add interesting content (glitter, foam hearts, foam balls, etc.).

Often, it is not the product itself that causes the negative feedback, but the seller’s attitude (personalized service). For example, in the example below, a customer complains that he had to wait a very long time for a response from the store.

Take this fact into account and try to provide active customer support both during and after the purchase.

Working with negativity

Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t guess why a customer gives a low rating. For example, they liked the product (absolutely beautiful!), but the person rated it 4 stars without an explanatory comment.

The key in such situations is to remain calm and resist the temptation to write an emotional response. Remember that even a negative review can be an opportunity to improve your business and draw attention to areas that need to be improved.

If the customer makes specific complaints, offer a solution. It can be a refund, an exchange of goods, or a discount on the next purchase.

Tip. Don’t rush to officially respond to negative reviews on the product page right away. As we wrote above, after you respond, the customer cannot change the review. Therefore, it is better to try to reach an agreement through personal communication and resolve the misunderstandings that have arisen.

Summary. Etsy reviews are an integral part of successful brand promotion. You can encourage them both by creating a wow effect from the purchase and by asking for them directly.

Provide quality products, excellent service, and proactive support. Remember that it’s important to respect your customers’ opinions and create a positive customer experience that will inspire them to leave feedback.