Contents
Once the sales start rolling in on your digital product store on Etsy, reviews are almost guaranteed to follow. Many new sellers are asking how to respond to Etsy reviews.
The process for replying to reviews is simple. However, the decision on whether to respond or not may change depending on a number of varying factors. Reviews are extremely important for the health of your shop, and they are not something that should be taken lightly.
If you are having trouble gaining reviews despite sales, I have written an article on how to get more reviews on Etsy.
Important Information About Responding to Etsy Reviews
Before you respond to a review on Etsy, it is extremely important to understand a number of important aspects that may influence your decision to respond, or the steps you take before responding. As stated in the Etsy handbook, “The buyer is able to edit their review within 100 days of the estimated delivery date if they choose to do so, and if you haven’t responded to the review.”
What does this mean for you as a digital product seller? If you only sell digital products, the first factor to note is that this 100 days is from purchase date (unless you select made to order).
This means that your customer can add a review, or edit an existing review for up to 100 days after making a purchase. In my personal experience after 100,000+ sales over two Etsy shops, it is very rare that a customer will leave a review later than 14 days (if they do end up leaving one).
The second important piece of information to take out of this statement, is that once you respond to a review on Etsy, the customer is unable to edit or delete their review, and it will be locked on your store indefinitely.
Essentially, this means that you should only reply to a review if you are willing to have this review displayed in your shop forever. There are a number of steps you should take first, if you are thinking about responding to a negative review on Etsy. Subsequently, you should also be putting yourself in your customers shoes before responding to good reviews on Etsy.
You also have the option of reporting the review to Etsy, if you believe the review violates any of Etsy’s review polices.
How To Respond To Etsy Reviews On A Computer
The process for replying to a review is simple, once you know how to do so. To respond to a review on Etsy:
- On Etsy.com, navigate to Shop Manager.
- Select your shop name under Sales Channels.
- Click on your reviews, or scroll down to the bottom of your stores page
- Find the review and select Post a public response.
How To Respond To Etsy Reviews On The Etsy Seller App
You can also respond to reviews on then Etsy seller app (The App with the Blue Icon). To do so:
- Select the ‘More’ tab down the bottom right of the application
- Select Reviews
- Navigate to the review you wish to reply to
- Select ‘Public Reply’
Tips for Replying to Reviews on Etsy
Before replying to a review, the first question you should be asking yourself is: Should I be replying to this review? In a lot of cases, the answer will be no. Put yourself in your customers shoes: You have just made a review (either positive or negative) – how would you expect or prefer to be responded to.
Personally, I do not reply to positive reviews. I, like many customers, find it annoying to receive another unnecessary notification, log into etsy to see what it is, and realize it is just a notification that took up some of my time. I have written an article about when to reply to positive reviews.
Subsequently, you should also be wary about responding to negative reviews. Again, I have written an article about when to reply to negative feedback on Etsy, which includes the steps you should be taking before responding. If you do decide to respond to reviews, remember to:
- Keep the replies short and simple
- Reply in a professional manner. Remember that this response will be publicly available for anyone to see
- Address any concerns and how you will or have attempted to fix these concerns
- Focus on the review, not the reviewer
- Make sure to read and abide by Etsy’s Seller Policy
The decision on whether to reply or not to a review shouldn’t be taken lightly, especially when negative feedback is involved. Reviews are one the the biggest factors that lead to an increased conversion rate. If you feel as if you must reply to reviews, be sure to take a deep breath, and take some time before leafing your response. Negative feedback is never fun to receive, but it can be used to help grow and improve your store.