The Amazon Early Reviewer Program is a program that offers an effective and easy way for brands to generate their first reviews for new products by encouraging recent buyers to share their experience through customer feedback. In return, the customer receives a small reward ($ 1-3 Gift Card) from Amazon.

You may think that having positive reviews on Amazon is just a general eCommerce best practice, and this is true. Here is some statistical data to confirm:

• A product with one review is 65% more likely to be purchased than a product without any feedback.
• Approximately 1/3 of shoppers won’t buy a product that has not received at least one positive review from customers.
• Positive reviews increase sales by 20 – 30%.

However, product reviews on the Amazon marketplace also play a multifaceted role in overall brand sales performance. The reason why not only Amazon retailers but also manufacturers should be interested in gaining more positive reviews is that a great number of customers will go to Amazon for reviews even if they intend to purchase the product elsewhere. According to eCommerce statistics, 90% of consumers will check Amazon even if they’ve found their product elsewhere. So, Amazon feedback management is an important area where brands can positively impact multichannel sales.

Advantages of Using the Early Reviewer Program

Reviews greatly impact brand exposure, search ranking, and customer trust. However gathering the first reviews on new Amazon products is an uphill battle for many brands. It has become even more difficult now that Amazon has banned incentivizing product reviews. By using the Early Reviewer Program, you are sure to get trustworthy reviews to promote your product.

The Early Reviewer Program is a win-win strategy both for you and your customers as you’ll drive your sales and compete with top sellers while the customers will get more information about your products to make smarter purchasing decisions.

It’s also a beneficial strategy for Amazon itself as it enables product diversity by helping new items overcome the initial inertia in order to rank higher on the Amazon SERP. The greatest thing about this program is that it really levels the playing field for new products and those with an established sales history. This is how brands can differentiate themselves on this ultra-competitive marketplace and increase exposure and sales of their products.

Which products are eligible for the Early Reviewer Program?

• The Program is available only to U.S. brand registered Amazon sellers.
• The product to be reviewed must cost no less than $15.00.
• The product must have no more than 4 existing reviews.
• SKUs must be parent level or stand-alone; child SKUs are automatically enrolled with the parent.

The product will remain in the program for one year or until five reviews are generated. Amazon charges $ 60 per SKU for participation. Sellers can choose the products to be reviewed, but they are not allowed to choose who reviews the product.

Currently, the Early Reviewer Program is limited to the U.S. only (www.amazon.com).

How does the Early Reviewer Program work?

After the new product is enrolled into the Early Reviewer Program, Amazon will ask random buyers to write a review. Amazon Early Reviewers will be identified by a small orange badge.

All the feedback you get will be genuine, so keep in mind that the reviews you receive won’t necessarily be positive unless you are actually selling a high-quality product. You cannot influence the reviewer or the review content in any way.

It’s important to ensure that your product, listing, and customer service are impeccable before taking part in the Early Reviewer Program. Here at Weby Corp we can help your brand win in the battle for the attention of Amazon consumers by providing a full spectrum of Amazon Solutions.

The Early Reviewer Program can really jump-start product sales as the first initial reviews (assuming they are 4 or 5 stars) can boost conversion rate in Amazon Sponsored Products ads, which will speed up sales and generate more reviews, which in turn will generate even more sales leading to higher rankings and better organic placements.

So, in terms of a product’s launch strategy, using the Early Reviewer Program is almost a must for a successful start of sales.