How to get Etsy Reviews

This article will outline how to get Etsy reviews, using a number of techniques I have used in my own Etsy shop. Please note, I only sell digital products in my Etsy shop and therefore these tips are mainly aimed at digital product sellers.

When selling online, reviews are one of the most important elements a potential customer will look at before deciding to purchase.

There are countless studies released each year that reiterate the importance of online reviews on Ecommerce platforms – just look at the many thousands of reviews on Etsy’s top 10 digital product shops.

Once the reviews start flowing in, your next decision will be whether to respond to reviews or not. I have written an article on how to respond to Etsy reviews, and steps you should take before responding to negative reviews on Etsy.

Why Etsy reviews are so important

In my opinion, Etsy is one of the most important platforms to get reviews on. Why do I say this? The Etsy seller handbook explicitly states that reviews are one of the factors that impact your Etsy customer and market experience score. Reviews will also help you to increase your conversion rate on Etsy, a factor that is monumental to the growth of your store.

This means that Etsy reviews directly affect search rankings. Shops and products with more positive reviews, are more likely to appear at the top of search, and therefore be seen by more customers, and purchased more often.

Furthermore, Etsy will show your total review count, as well as your average rating when browsing the Etsy marketplace. Immediately, before even clicking a product, shops with more reviews are given greater social proof.

Think about it, are you more likely to purchase from a shop with 5000+ reviews and a 5 star average, or a shop with 3 stars and a 3.5 star average?

If this is enough to convince you why Etsy reviews are so important, read on to see how to get Etsy reviews.

How to get Etsy reviews

Etsy can be pretty persistent in asking customers for reviews, so my number one piece of advice is to NOT over ask your customers. Being constantly hounded for reviews can be annoying, and may lead to customers complaining, or even worse – leaving a poor review.

If you have never made a digital product purchase on Etsy, I strongly recommend you make at least one. This way, you will not only learn the checkout system (to be able to help your customers when they get stuck), you will also learn how often Etsy will hound you for reviews if you don’t leave one.

Offer a digital product that exceeds customer expectations

The first, and most obvious way to get Etsy reviews, is to offer a product customers are extremely happy with. Not only should the product be of high and acceptable quality, but the customer should always feel that they got their value for money. 

When I first started my Planprintland Etsy shop, I was the first printable planner shop to offer all my planners in a variety of different colors. Not only that, I offered my products at the same prices as other shops.

My customers saw that they were getting much more value than they would have if they purchased from another shop. Many of the reviews mention this. Nowadays, other shops have caught on so most shops now offer multiple colors. It is up to you to figure out how you can provide more value than your competitors.

I also make sure to show everything that the customer will receive in my listing, so they know EXACTLY what they are purchasing. Some sellers will hide their products in fear of copycats, but this leads to a higher chance of a disappointing shopping experience.

If a customer understands what they are buying, and for what price – they are very unlikely to be unhappy with their purchase.

One of the best ways you can do this is by filling up all 10 listing slots, and including a video.

Add your Automatic Message to buyers

I have written an article about how to add an automatic message to buyers, which includes a number of examples. This message automatically gets sent to customers upon purchase of your digital products. It is a great opportunity to not only provide good customer service, but also encourage your customer to leave a review without invading their messages. You should also encourage the customer to reach out if they have any problems, which may also prevent you getting negative reviews.

Offer a valuable freebie.

For example, in my Planprintland Etsy shop, with every printable purchase, I offer a free pack of 12 files, in my trademark colors. These freebies match the purchased items in style. If the customer is already buying similar printables, chances are these freebies will be useful to the customer. Not only that, some customers only purchase one file, meaning they got 12x their expected value for free.

As a bonus, you can also use this freebie as a way of getting customers to sign up to your email list. My customers are taken to an email sign-up landing page, and will receive the freebie once they have confirmed their subscription to my mailing list.

You can learn how to build an email list on Etsy using Converkit.

It is important that you give this freebie whether the customer leaves a review or not. If you were to offer a freebie in exchange for a review, you are breaking Etsy’s terms and conditions, and may see your account being suspended or permanently terminated.

Offer great customer service

There is a reason Etsy encourages strong customer service in order to be a star seller: Good customer service works.

I do everything in my power to make sure each and every one of my customers is happy. This involves replying to all my messages first thing in the morning when I wake up, 365 days of the year.

I also have my phone with me 95% of the time, ready to reply to customers as messages come in. ‘Quick response time’ is commonly mentioned in my positive reviews. I make use of Etsy’s saved response function, so that I do not have to retype the same messages over and over.

Speed is not the only thing that is important – providing instructions, troubleshooting with customers and emailing files are something I have to do almost every day of the year.

Although It is tedious and repetitive, I always make sure that I drop everything to make sure the customer is happy. More often than not, someone who has reached out to my shops and received help from me, will go on to leave a positive review.

Send a follow up message after your order

I buy a lot of digital products from Etsy. Almost 95% of sellers will send me a message after my purchase, making sure everything is okay, and some encouraging me to leave feedback. Importantly, it should be noted that some customers may find this annoying. 

Personally, I do not do this anymore. However, when my shop was new (under 100 reviews), this is something I did to every customer. It helped me get my first Etsy review, and many after that.

There is a reason most shops will do it, and that is that it seems to work to encourage reviews. It is a great way for new shops to build their initial review base. However, you should be prepared for a little bit of backlash, should you catch someone on the wrong day.

Reach out after negative reviews

If the customer does leave a comment, you should do everything in your power to help assist with this problem. For example, if your customer comment states ‘I never received my files’ you should message them on Etsy, telling them that their files must be downloaded through the Etsy platform and that the files are not ‘sent to them’. Often this is enough to change a negative review into a positive one. 

Alternatively, if the negative review does not contain a comment, you should reach out to the customer through Etsy messages, to see if there is anything you can help with. Often the customer will just be stuck on the download process, and this again may be enough to help them change their rating to a positive one.

An example message I like to send is:

Hey [CUSTOMER NAME],

I have just seen that you are not entirely happy with your purchase. I’m sorry about this! If there is anything I can do to change your mind, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I want everyone to be satisfied with their purchase!

If reaching out to the customer does not work, you may decide to report the review to Etsy.

Frequently Asked Questions