Install Review-Safe Support

Outcome: Create a compliant support flow that solves buyer problems, reduces negative reviews, and avoids policy risk.

What to do in this lesson

Watch: start with the lesson video.
Learn: use the summary and key points to capture the operating principle.
Do: complete the action steps against one real product, SKU, campaign, supplier, or workflow.
Submit: write one action card with owner, evidence, next step, risk, status, and review date.

Watch

Hosted on Google Drive.

Lesson summary

This lesson covers the importance of reviews for Amazon sellers, Amazon’s review policies, and tactics for getting more reviews within the terms of service. Key takeaways include reviews providing social proof and customer insights to improve products, the risks of violating Amazon’s review policies, and the need to focus on offering great products and service rather than manipulating reviews.

Key points

Reviews are important for social proof and understanding customer sentiment to improve products
Amazon has strict review policies that prohibit offering discounts/rewards for reviews, asking for positive reviews, or using third-party services to manipulate reviews
Violating Amazon’s review policies carries high risks like account suspension, fund withholding, and legal action
The best approach is to focus on providing great products and customer service rather than trying to game the review system
Amazon does not allow disclosing seller information publicly outside their platform

Action checklist

Review and follow Amazon’s policies on reviews to avoid risks to your seller account
Focus on providing excellent products and customer service to organically earn positive reviews
Use customer reviews to gain insights and ideas for improving your products

Full transcript

Open transcript

Hello Titans, this is Ramon Salinas, group leader. Today we are going to talk about review acquisition, the importance of reviews, what are Amazon policies, and also what are some of the tactics you can do to get more reviews for your products. What we’re going to cover is the importance that reviews have for your Amazon business. What are the Amazon policies regarding reviews? What some general information that we need to know about reviews and also what are some of the tactics we can do within terms of service to get more reviews. Let’s talk about the importance. Some of these is very obvious but some is not. For instance, reviews are social proof for your product. Customers look at reviews to make a decision whether to purchase your product or not. This is the obvious part because we’re all buyers. But now that we’re sellers, we have to remember this. Now here are the parts that may not be as obvious. Reviews help you as a seller to understand your customer sentiment about your product. That means understanding your avatar. They are telling you through their reviews what they like, what they like, what they want you to do with your product, which is the last point here. Reviews also help you get ideas on how to improve your product or even possibly what could be a new product that can go well with the first one. Reviews are important in these two ways as social proof and also for you as a seller and brand owner to understand your customers and get ideas about your products. Now let’s talk about the Amazon review policies. There are a lot but we’re going to cover here the highlights. Get ready because there’s going to be a lot of text here. I’m going to read it all to you. You can pause the video to watch it. You can also use the Amazon help system to see here. These are the highlights of what not to do with reviews. You as a seller cannot post a review on your own product. You as a seller cannot offer a third party like a barrier financial reward in exchange for a review that includes these counts, promos, free products, they don’t want that. You as a seller cannot offer a refund or some kind of reimbursement to the buyer in exchange for a review. This includes using third party services that have now been discontinued for the most part but they still exist out there. Do not do this. This is not allowed by Amazon. What else is Amazon saying that you should not do? You should not use a third party service to offer those discounts or to offer those free products. You might say, well, by that it’s not me. It’s a service offering my product. They will connect that to you. Do not use services to do that. Don’t have a family member or an employee of your company post reviews for your products. This is not allowed. Do not ask a reviewer a buyer to change or remove their review. This is not allowed in any way much less if you’re offering some kind of a refund or compensation. This should not happen on the Amazon system. There’s more. You should not filter the reviews to avoid negative reviews to try to get them to speak with you first. This is not something that Amazon wants you to do. Also, do not create variations in your products with the purpose of manipulating reviews. There are some hacks there that people have used historically. Don’t do this. Amazon is getting increasingly better and better in detecting these type of activities that are not allowed. Also, you should not request for a positive review. This is key. You should not drive or persuade what kind of a review a buyer should leave for you. You can ask for a review. You just cannot say, leave me a good review. Leave me a positive review. Leave me a five star review. You cannot do that. Just ask for an honest review in that. Lastly, in the policies. You should not use a customer account. Use a seller. Create a separate account that is a buyer account to write or to change a review on one of your competitors. They’re having people in the past that do this on other people’s products. This is not allowed. Amazon is getting better and better at detecting all these things. Amazon has zero tolerance towards any type of violations on the review policy. That carries a lot of risk. Anybody that tries to go around any of these policies are risking a lot. What are they risking here? Immediate and permanent withdrawal from your seller selling privileges. In other words, shutting down your account, your seller’s central account. Not just that, but withholding your funds. You’re not going to have access to your account if they shut it down because of a review. They’re going to hold your funds. They might remove all the reviews in your products and prevent you from getting more reviews for those products. These are huge risks that we run sellers if we manipulate or if we do not follow the review policies. Also, they can permanently remove your product listing. They can even take legal action against you that can be losses in civil and criminal court. As you can see, these are very, very big risks. Do not run into these risks just to get a review. Offer great products, offer great customer service, and the reviews will come. Also, you are not supposed to disclose a seller’s name and other information about the seller publicly. Amazon does not like airing dirty laundry outside the Amazon system. Let’s recap. Reviews are great social proof for your product. That’s why they’re important. Reviews also help you understand your avatar, your buyer, your ideal customer. This is very, very important for you as a seller. And reviews also help you make your product better, or maybe even create an accompanying product, an accessory product to your main product. Always, always, always follow the Amazon review policies at all times. Their risks are too high. Thank you. Thank you.

Resources

Source lesson: Review Acquisition Part 1 Importance, Policies and Tactics
Resources: none attached yet.

Track: 03 — Listing, Launch & Review Engine
Module: Launch Readiness