5 Mistakes Everyone Makes with Amazon’s Early Reviewers Program (and how to avoid them!)

Even if you’ve never used the early reviews program, or sold on Amazon at all, you’ll still know the power of reviews. Amazon’s first key feature – reviews are an important indicator to customers that they’re making the right choice, that they’ll receive the product they want.

Whilst reviews do get added to your products by customers naturally over time, Amazon’s Early Reviewer program allows you to get a kickstart!

What is the Early Reviewers Program?

Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program allows Amazon sellers to pay $60 to enrol individual SKUs to be highlighted to customers after purchase for additional reviews. After a customer has purchased an enrolled product, they receive an email from Amazon offering a small reward ($1 – $10 dollar gift card) for leaving a review on the product.

Enrolled SKUs remain in the program for 12 months or when they have 5 Early Reviewer program reviews, whichever comes first.

What mistakes are being made?

Not Using It

It can seem like Amazon is always bring out a new feature to get your head around: new accounting dashboard? Posts? Seller Fulfilled Prime? – so it’s easy to skip a few. However this will be some of the best $60 you’ve ever spent – reviews not only factor hugely in product discoverability but greatly influence customer purchase decisions.

Variating First

Whilst you can enter a variation family into the early reviews program, it means that you are limited to 5 reviews for that whole variation family. To max out reviews you’re eligible for, enter your products into the Early Reviewer Program before you variate them – this will allow you to get 5 reviews per product instead. When they are entered into the Early Reviewer Program, feel free to go ahead and variate them, then in most product categories reviews will pool together within the variation!

Being Out of Stock

As mentioned above, your SKUs remain enrolled for 12 months or when you have 5 Early Reviewer program reviews, whichever comes sooner – so if you’re going to be out of stock for a long period – hold off on entering your products until you have steady stock. This will maximise your opportunity.

Not looking back

When a new program come’s out, it’s easy to say that you will integrate it into your strategy going forward. But I suggest looking back at older products you still stock – if they have under 5 reviews, enter them into the program. You never know what your next best seller will be!

Not Optimising Content First

The difference between the Early Reviewer program and the Vine program is that, with the Early Reviewer’s program customers have to choose to purchase the product naturally before they are asked for a review. Whilst this means that the review is likely to be more favorable as the customer did want the product enough to buy it, it also means customer conversion is important. Before you enter your products into the Early Reviewer program, make sure the content is optimized and has great images etc, so that enough customers choose to purchase.

What are your tips and tricks for getting the most out of the Early Reviewer Program?

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