Amazon Marketplace Review Strategies: Product Inserts | Part 1

Getting reviews on Amazon is getting harder and harder to do. Yet, they are essential in the sale cycle: you need reviews to get the sales, and you need the sales to get reviews. Amazon does offer some programs like Vine to get you started, but these can either be expensive or not be enough. 

One of the great ways to ask for reviews, build brand awareness and increase repeat purchases is to use product inserts. They present a fantastic opportunity of creating an exceptional customer experience. Vendor Central users might find these very useful as the communication between brands on Vendor Central and buyers is essentially non-existent. These can be a bit tricky to create to comply with Amazon’s Terms of Service, so we’re sharing the DOs and the DON’Ts below. 

 

 

Goals

The first thing you want to do when creating the product inserts is to determine your goal and what you want to achieve with the product inserts. Below are some examples of what your goals might be: 

• Educate your customer on how to use your product best
• Provide a warranty
• Engage socially
• Build customer reviews and feedback
• Provide discounts for slow-moving products, or seasonal inventory

You can most certainly mix and match some of the goals above, but it’s not recommended that you try to achieve all of these as it might leave the customer overwhelmed, and you won’t have the desired effect. 

Add Value to Your Customer

When you start thinking about your own product inserts, keep only one thing in mind: be customer-oriented and provide value to your customers! Yes, inserts are a great way for asking for a review but focus on creating the product insert a great experience for the customer, and the reviews will come. According to Jungle Scout’s report, we know that Amazon is the largest marketplace in the USA, with 3 billion visits per month.

Just imagine half of these sellers sending inserts and asking for reviews only: what do you think are the odds of actually getting those reviews? 

According to the same report, getting product reviews on Amazon is the biggest challenge for 52% of sellers. 

You want to stand out, and you want to be different: so invest a bit of time during the creative process to ensure that your inserts provide value to your customers, not you as the seller. 

Here are some ideas on how you can accomplish this. 

• Remind your buyers of the benefits of the product
  • To reduce consumer regret and product returns, remind your customers why they purchased the product (benefits and product features).

• Offer support 

• • Assist if there are any difficulties, concerns, or expectations that have not been met.
  • If you have technical capabilities, you can create a quiz or add-ons on your website, with a direct QR code that would direct your customers to that link, for customers to choose their next product, for example: 
    • What type of skin do you have? (for beauty products)
    • What is the best perfume for you?  (for fragrances)
    • Additional coloring book prints ( if you’re selling crayons or similar) 

• Include a small treat

• • This makes the customer feel appreciated, and it gives them a reason to tell others about your excellent service, increasing the likelihood of a repeat purchase.
  • Examples of what you could add:
    • Ideas or instructions on how to use your products
    • Extended warranty if they register their product
    • Discounts for slow-moving products
    • Discounts for seasonal inventory

Neutrally ask for a review on Amazon.

A package insert could be an effective way to encourage customers to leave a review on Amazon for your product. Asking your customers for a review is allowed. In fact, it is encouraged. 

What is not allowed is asking for a positive review or offering any incentives in exchange. This is a violation of Amazon’s terms of service and may result in the suspension of your account. 

Additionally, you must encourage honest reviews – not just positive ones. You are not permitted to direct someone to Amazon if they liked it and to your own customer service channel if they were dissatisfied. Also, do not solicit specific feedback or reviews in the product insert (5-star rating, a positive review, etc.)

Most importantly, whatever you do, do not attempt to divert transactions or buyers away from Amazon. To be on the safe side, avoid including any URL on your inserts in general.

As mentioned above, it’s ok to ask about customers’ satisfaction levels, direct them on how to follow up through Amazon if they are unsatisfied, and ask for reviews. This is why it’s crucial that you think about and determine the goal of your inserts so that you can word it and design it so that it brings value to the customers and at the same time so that it does not break the Amazon rules. 

Real-Life Examples and Analysis

We’ve examined some real-life examples by various brands that use product inserts and highlighted the good and the bad about them. Visit our Product Insert Analysis and use these as examples and BellaVix comments to come up with your own! We removed the brand names and logos to maintain their identity. 

In Conclusion: 

Product inserts are a great way to increase brand recognition and connect with consumers. Packaging inserts have the ability to be a vital component of delivering a memorable customer experience. They can be achieving multiple marketing objectives and engaging directly with your Amazon community.

The most important aspects are not violating Amazon’s Terms of Service, keeping the cards clear, emphasizing the advantages of your product, and providing directions for customers to leave a review.

Since there are no hard and fast rules or pre-made models for product inserts, make a few different versions and test which ones convert the best.

Product inserts do not have to be overly complex. Essentially, you want to ensure that you:

• Stick to the rules. ( Read the Customer product reviews policies on Amazon help pages) 
• Remind customers of why they purchased your product (highlight the benefits)
• Request that they leave a review and include instructions on how to do so.
• Maintain a simple, easy-to-read, and brand-consistent design.

If you have additional questions or want us to help you on your Amazon journey, don’t hesitate to contact the BellaVix Team.

 

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