WWW.STARTUPCPG.COM/SPOTLIGHT BLOG REPORT
The Importance OF RATINGS & REVIEWS Erin Fasano is the Managing Editor of Startup CPG’s Spotlight and the Founder of Starryside Company, a brand on a mission to save creativity through drinks and snacks that ensure kids creativity lasts. For this story, she sat down with members of the community to talk all things Ratings & Reviews: Leon Lewis, Founder of Daybreak Growth Partners, Fernando Campos – Cofounder of MarketplaceOps.com, and Corey Scholibo, a serial social entrepreneur, currently launching Wile.
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n April 2021, a new beauty brand launched on Sephora's website — and changed the way people viewed reviews forever. This brand had sourced fake product reviews before the product was available to buy, and the story circulated for days. It made me wonder: why would a founder ever buy reviews? Are good product reviews really worth the risk?
REVIEWS HAVE A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON YOUR BRAND’S SUCCESS The one thing all three of the pros I talked to agreed on is that ratings and reviews matter – a lot. Whether they actually influence the Amazon algorithm itself or not seemed to be up for debate, but one thing is clear: the more high quality ratings & reviews you have on Amazon (and any other online marketplace), the more likely you are to drive a click to your listing and get an opportunity to convert a sale. That conversion is a critical measure for your brand, both for your bottom line and the future ranking of your listing in the search results on the marketplace. Plus, as Scholibo notes, strong Ratings & Reviews on your listings help you build your "moat" and protect your
brand from look-a-like, fast followers who might try to capitalize on your great idea with copycat products.
SO HOW DO YOU GET REVIEWS? And how do you avoid doing things that will get you in trouble — either with consumers who find out you have fake reviews, or with the online marketplaces themselves? »L everage your existing con-
sumers. Reach out to your own email list, SMS list, and social following and ask them to find you on Amazon. You can simply ask them to leave you a review after they make their purchase. »T ry a coupon. In order to get users to try you on Amazon, Lewis recommends trying a coupon to drive trial. You will naturally get more ratings and reviews as you move more product – plus, the coupon will help you drive that coveted conversion, which will improve your overall sales velocity and ranking in search results. »M ake Amazon a part of your Influencer Program. Have influencers talk about how they found your product on Amazon, how
