Ratings and reviews are an important tool for driving more traffic and sales for apparel brands and retailers. In fact, we’ve found that once an apparel product in the PowerReviews network starts generating reviews, that product will experience an average 49.36% increase in traffic and an average 14.48% increase in conversion rate.
How can apparel brands and retailers better leverage reviews in order to increase traffic, conversion, and insights? Read on for five tips.
Capture the Voice of the Consumer
Allowing apparel shoppers to hear from other consumers gives them the confidence they need to make smart purchases. Be sure you’re sending post purchase emails to shoppers asking them to write reviews for items they’ve recently purchased, since PowerReviews data has found that about 60% of reviews originate from these emails.
In addition, remember that many apparel orders include more than one item. According to an article from Internet Retailer, the average consumer purchases 4 apparel items per order. Make it easy for shoppers to review all products they’ve purchased within a single page, rather than requiring them to navigate to individual pages to write reviews for each product.
Highlight Size and Fit Feedback
According to a survey from Body Labs, 64% of consumers say incorrect fit is the primary reason they return clothing. Avoid unnecessary returns by providing your shoppers with comprehensive information about the size and fit of your products, including the input of other shoppers. Ask your ratings and reviews provider if they offer an easy way to capture size and fit information from your consumers and display it on the product page to increase buyer confidence and help consumers make the right purchase decision.
Allow Consumers to Submit Photos and Videos
Apparel is a visual category, and items look different on different people. If you’re not already, start asking your shoppers to submit photos and videos as part of their reviews. That way, future shoppers can see what your products look like on various body types and get ideas for different ways to accessorize.
Optimize for Mobile
Shoppers are turning to reviews — whether they’re shopping online from a laptop computer or pulling out their phone prior to make a purchase in store. PowerReviews research found that 70% of consumers want to access products ratings and reviews while in-store. So be sure shoppers can easily access product information — including reviews — regardless of the device they’re using.
In addition, make sure the entire process for writing a review, from the post purchase email to the write-a-review form, is easy to complete on a mobile device. If a shopper gets hung up on any part of the process, they’re likely to abandon it completely. evo, a leading online retailer of outdoor gear and fashion apparel, switched to a mobile-friendly post purchase email template and experienced a 203% increase in reviews written on mobile year over year.
Generate Reviews Quickly
Since apparel items move on and off the shelves quickly, it’s key for apparel brands and retailers to generate reviews as quickly as possible. After all, if a shopper waits too long to write a review, the product may not be available anymore. Consider collecting information at the time of checkout by asking the customer a simple question: “Why did you buy this item?” This makes it easier for your customers to provide feedback while they’re still in your ecosystem and provides you with additional content to help drive traffic, sales, and insights.
Want to learn more about the importance of reviews for apparel brands and retailers? Download The Guide to Reviews for Apparel Brands and Retailers.
