At the end of 2019, the order details section of Seller Central was changed to remove the contact information for most buyers. It now only displays the buyer's name and location, so sellers will find it more difficult to contact buyers outside of Amazon's system.
However, the order details do include the availability of the buyer's request for review. When a delivery is confirmed or the estimated delivery date has passed, you should now see a "Request Comment" button. Once it is displayed, don't hesitate to use it. It's built into Amazon's system, so there's no danger in requesting reviews in this way.
The current review policy says more about violations than about acceptable ways to get reviews on Amazon. But there's a long-running and completely safe way to get reviews, and that's the Amazon Vine program. It used to be only open to merchants, and it was expensive.
However, after a federal investigation in 2019, sellers enrolled in Brand Registry can also use Vine. To use it, sellers need to gift the product to Amazon reviewers. Of course, there is no guarantee of a positive review.
Participating reviewers are referred to as Vine Voices. These are experienced and vetted Amazon users with no previous track record of review bias. Instead of a "Verified Purchase" badge, they review products for free and keep them, and their reviews are marked with "Vine Voice."
Amazon's Early Reviewer Program, which offers up to 5 reviews for $60**, was shut down in April 2021, but the Vine program is similar. The main difference is that the Early Reviewer Program does not require sellers to give away products.
As of September 2019, buyers can leave a star rating for a product without adding any reviews. This new "one-click" rating type is included in the total ratings displayed below the product title and also in the rating distribution table at the top of the review section.
This new, simpler way of scoring should encourage more Amazon customers to leave reviews and may be beneficial to sellers. To help educate buyers, attach a diagram on your product insert or packing slip. Show them that they only need to click on the rating and don't need to write lengthy reviews. Don't go against Amazon's policies by focusing too much on positive reviews, but recognize that the power of advice comes from explaining what to do.
There's a downside to the new one-click ratings, when you scroll through and read all the reviews of a product, you won't see those ratings and you won't know why buyers are leaving low ratings. For example, this may be due to delivery rather than the product itself, which is often the reason for removal. However, you can't fix it without seeing what the customer has to say.
Let people know how to get your product for free to test, creating a solid pool of testers that you can turn to again and again.
Urge them to promote your product to friends and family through word of mouth so they don't feel compelled to review your product. Too hard, and they may be reluctant to leave a review and reject you in the future. It's a risky approach, but using it in person still works.
Have random acquaintances give your friends a try or keep your product. If they know you, testers need to disclose this in their comments. But there is no such obligation on the part of people who are not related to you, whether they purchased the item or not.
You can ask people you meet at fairs and ** fairs to test and review your products. It doesn't matter if they're testers, reviewers, influencers, or other attendees, because you don't know them, you can ask for comments.
Keep in mind that, like all Amazon reviews that are not related to orders on Amazon, these reviews will not be "verified purchase" reviews and therefore may not be as important in the review ranking algorithm.
Later, they can buy directly on Amazon and get their money back to get a real buying experience.
Find organizations such as charities, clubs, and community groups that need your product and are willing to share their members' experiences.
For example, local gardening clubs, playgroups, and sports teams all need equipment and resources that may match your product.
Donate products to them to generate goodwill and let people know that your products are available on Amazon and that you need more reviews. If appropriate, you can also ask them to claim more of your products through public wish lists on Amazon and other gift registries they use.