🦋 The HEAR Framework — Handle Negative Customer Reviews.

Hey — It's Pankaj, your fellow eCommerce fan.

Welcome back to another edition of The Checkout Experience!

I woke up at 5.30 in the morning today! Candy (my pup) always wakes me up early, usually at around 6 am. She literally knocks on my door!

Anyway, how did your weekend go? I hope this week’s off to a great start.

In this week’s newsletter, I want to talk about something that often gets overlooked – the customer reviews.

Did you know that over 90% of customers read online reviews before buying? That's right – people rely heavily on the experiences of previous customers to make their buying decisions.

So, how can you use this to your advantage?

1 — Wait for 1 - 2 weeks after a customer purchased your product. Then send a follow-up email to request a review.

2 — Incentivize customers to leave a review by offering a discount for their next purchase.

3 — Respond to every review – both positive and negative. This shows that you care about their feedback.

(See marketing strategies for example👇🏻)

1 — Highlight positive reviews on your website and social media.

2 — Use the HEAR Framework — Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Resolve — to handle a negative review and turn it into a positive experience.

From the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear:

This quote reminds me that success isn't just about setting lofty goals – it's about creating effective systems and habits that help us achieve those goals.

Do you have a specific topic you would like me to cover in the next newsletter?

Feel free to reply to this email.

That's it for today. See you next Monday!

— Pankaj

P.S. If you need help starting or growing your online store, just drop me a message on my Instagram.