Store Ratings: The Importance of Collecting Shop Reviews in E‑commerce

Collecting shop reviews is not a new strategy for shop owners. By now, it is well known how impactful customer reviews can be on purchase decisions. Positive reviews build trust, increase conversions, and help you stand out from the competition. Shop reviews (aka service reviews) can be particularly impactful to your brand image. In this article, you’ll find proven strategies that will help you turn shop reviews into sales boosters.

Shop reviews vs. product reviews

When talking about customer reviews, we usually refer to two types:

Shop reviews
Product reviews

Although both types of reviews influence purchasing decisions, they have slightly different functions.

Shop reviews concern the entire purchase process (including afterwards) – customer service, order processing time, return policy, logistics, and packaging. These reviews are sometimes referred to as service reviews. Shop reviews are often summarised with a shop rating (known as a store rating in Google), which is the average review score.

Product reviews, on the other hand, help customers assess the quality, functionality, and compliance of the product compared to the product description on the product page. Product reviews are often summarised with a product rating, which is the average review score for this product.

Recommended reading:
Why Your Online Shop Needs Product Reviews

Let's say a customer wants to buy black Adidas sneakers. To do this, they’ll type this phrase into a search engine. Almost instantly, their eyes are filled with many product offers fitting this search term. This is when shop reviews and ratings become a key factor to help your shop stand out.

Many shops will have the same or similar prices for the same product. What’s interesting is that customers are more willing to order goods from a company with positive reviews, even if the price is not the lowest, because they want to be sure that they will receive the order on time and in good condition.

The numbers confirm this. According to the Digital Trust Report (conducted by Trusted Shops), as many as 66% of consumers value positive reviews about the store over price when making purchase decisions.

The conclusion is simple: It’s worth taking care of both the quality of the products as well as the customers' shopping experience.

Where can shop reviews be found?

Shop reviews and ratings for your business can generally be found in two main places:

Directly on your website
Directly in search engines

Shop reviews on your website

Displaying shop reviews as well as your seller rating directly on your website is extremely important. No matter how your visitors have reached your site, you’ll want to make your reputation very transparent and easy to find.

We’ll share some ideas on how to do this later in the article. What’s important to remember for now is that you don’t want to give your users a reason to leave your online shop in case they want to research your brand, so making your reviews easily accessible on your website helps build trust.

Store ratings in search engines

When it comes to search engines, using a Google reviews partner (like Trusted Shops) will increase the odds of your shop rating appearing in the search results, which is vital for making good first impressions directly in Google.

Keep in mind that you can display shop ratings organically and in Google Ads.

As of October 2024, certain brand searches in English-speaking domains (including the UK, US, Canada, India, and Australia) will trigger the search results to display a shop’s seller rating directly next to its domain in the organic results. This was restricted heavily by Google since 2019 as star ratings provided by the brand were considered too self-serving. Google only allowed star ratings to be displayed by 3^rd party review sites in organic results (this rule still applies in non-English markets).

However, it seems Google may be pivoting back to an older policy by displaying star ratings next to the shop’s domain in the SERPs once again. Google now refers to this as the “store rating” which links to the Google Customer Reviews profile for that business. This rating is based on the reviews that have been collected on various review providers that Google trusts.

In the example below, you can see a mix of star ratings appearing in the search results. Some of them are 3rd party providers (Trusted Shops and Trustpilot), but one of the ratings is also shown directly under the shop's own domain (in the 2nd position).

(Click on the image to enlarge)
Source: Party Bags & Supplies

Tip: Other review providers may appear in the results and display star ratings for your shop. That is why having a harmonised online reputation is very important. If one source has 4.5 stars and another source has a 3.2 rating, this causes confusion for the user and diminishes trust in your business. Tools like the Reputation Manager from Trusted Shops helps you collect more reviews for multiple platforms in order to have a more consistent online reputation.

Why are shop reviews so important?

Generally speaking, shop reviews cover a broader context than product reviews. They also affect the perception of the brand as a whole. In which other ways do they play an important role in an online shop’s success?

Building trust: Customers looking for specific products often come across businesses they are not familiar with. In such cases, shop reviews will serve as proof of the store's reliability and professionalism.
Influence on purchase decisions: According to the Digital Trust Report, 70% of European consumers always or almost always read reviews before making a purchase.
Creating a positive brand image: Social proof is one of the most effective sales strategies. Customers who leave a review for your store become brand ambassadors, vouching for your quality and reliability.
Competitive advantage: This is especially important for brands that are not very well-known yet and offer products that are also available in other stores. Consumers are more likely to use the offer of a company with better store ratings if the price is not a big differentiator.
Feedback: Shop reviews are primarily a source of valuable feedback, not just a marketing tool to build trust.

How to use shop reviews to increase sales

We’ve touched on the topic of store ratings in Google. Let’s look at some other ways that shop reviews can boost your sales.

Shutterstock/Vector Stock Pro

Show off your shop reviews and ratings on your website

It’s logical that an effective product page has product reviews there. However, it’s also worth showing off your shop reviews throughout your website.

It begins on your homepage, but many of these tips can apply to your product pages as well as other website pages.

In the example below, the bottom section of the homepage is dedicated to social proof. Not only do they highlight some of their best reviews in the middle of the page, but the Trustbadge widget in the bottom-right corner of the screen can be found across the website, reminding users of the shop’s stellar service rating and online reputation.

(Click on the image to enlarge)
Source: myShop

Use reviews in online marketing

Your homepage isn’t the only place to highlight your shop reviews and store ratings. Whether it’s online advertising, social media, or newsletters, you can use your reviews to enrich some of your other content.

In the example below, this marketing email utilises shop reviews to convince freemium users to subscribe to their service:

Is your audience active on social media? Sometimes a simple post of a glowing review can inspire trust (and clicks!).

(Background image: Shutterstock/Oliver Hoffmann)

The Trusted Shops Social Media Creator tool makes it easy to take your best reviews and turn them into visually appealing social media posts.

Shop reviews and SEO

Getting your stars to appear in Google search results is one thing, but collecting shop reviews can also boost your site’s rankings in search engines.

First, having a constant influx of shop reviews means you’re “updating” the page with new, unique content, which is appreciated by Google.

Secondly, authentic reviews collected using a Google-recognised platform are a sign that your website is trustworthy and reliable. This factor is of great importance to Google. The more trustworthy the website is, the better the chance of the shop ranking higher in the search results.

Monitoring and responding to feedback

Regular monitoring of customer reviews is the key to building a positive image and customer trust. Thanks to platforms that automatically collect reviews, you can constantly monitor what customers think about your store and quickly respond to their comments. Responding to reviews can also convince undecided customers to make a purchase.

Thanking users for positive ones builds loyalty, while responding to negative comments in a professional way can also boost your brand image. If you approach the problem thoughtfully, stay calm, and offer a solution, customers will be more likely to give your store a second chance. New visitors will also appreciate the fact that you don’t leave shoppers hanging when something occasionally goes wrong.

Analysing opinions and implementing changes

Shop reviews are also a source of valuable information about what is working well in your business and what could be improved. What's more, you may often not be aware that a particular aspect of your store's operations may be a problem for customers. That's why feedback from unbiased shoppers is so important.

If, for example, many reviews indicate that your clothing sizes are inaccurate, it is worth including this information somewhere on the product page (e.g. product description, size chart image, etc.). Have customers been complaining about slow delivery? Consider using a different logistics company.

Conclusion

Using shop reviews correctly can significantly affect the success of your e-commerce. They not only build trust and strengthen your brand image, but also contribute to a real increase in conversions and sales. Proper feedback management allows you to get ahead of the competition and make customers more willing to return to your store.

Want to learn how to effectively collect and manage reviews to fully leverage their potential? Trusted Shops offers proven solutions that will help you increase the number of reviews, improve your store's reputation, and build customer loyalty.