The Seller Feedback that sellers receive is of great significance to the extent to which sellers can achieve outstanding performance through Amazon. But how well do sellers understand seller feedback?
Seller feedback is widely discussed, but also faces a lot of misunderstanding. Most sellers know that if they want to excel, they need to have a good seller feedback rating. But few sellers truly understand the significance of seller feedback, or how to encourage buyers to leave more seller feedback. Therefore, we have listed below 6 key points sellers need to know first about seller feedback.
Seller Feedback is Not a Product Review
This is a common mistake people make – mistaking product reviews for seller feedback. Both have star ratings, which are a way for buyers to write down their opinions and provide more detailed, personal experiences, but that’s where the similarities end.
Product reviews are only about the product – what the product does, what the benefits are, and so on. Product reviews should have absolutely nothing to do with the people who sell the products.
Seller feedback, as the name suggests, is only about the quality of the seller and includes 5 aspects:
Feedback Rating: This is the rating given by buyers to sellers based on the overall level of service the buyer received, with results ranging from very poor to poor, average, good, or excellent;
Did the goods arrive on time: The answer must be yes or undoubtedly yes. The result can only be that the goods arrive on time, or they do not arrive on time. If you manage orders yourself, it is your responsibility to ensure that the items arrive on time. If you use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon will be responsible for shipping;
Is the product as described by the seller: Again, this should be a relatively easy answer for the buyer. This is also feedback that is difficult to delete. Because Amazon gives a negative review to sellers who ship products that are not consistent with the description;
Was the service prompt and courteous? The answer to this question can be yes, no or no contact;
Comments or Suggestions: Buyers can leave any comments or suggestions for sellers here.
It’s important to know the difference between seller feedback and product reviews. Because buyers are often confused and leave product reviews when they should leave seller feedback. Knowing the difference between the two may help buyers remove negative reviews. If a buyer makes a mistake and leaves a product review for a seller instead of seller feedback, Amazon will typically remove it.
Sellers cannot reward buyers for seller feedback
Amazon pays particular attention to how sellers communicate with their customers. Amazon opposes sellers actively requesting buyers to leave feedback by offering various incentives.
For example, sellers cannot offer customers incentives, such as repurchase discounts, in exchange for leaving positive seller feedback. Similarly, sellers must not put additional pressure on customers to leave negative feedback – for example, only agreeing to refund the customer if the negative feedback is removed. If Amazon sees that a seller is violating its rules, it will take action against the seller, which may result in the suspension of the seller's account.
What sellers can do is politely remind buyers to leave feedback. For example, a seller could contact a customer to check that the product is in good condition and politely show them a place to leave feedback if they wish.
Negative feedback rate
This is an important parameter. Amazon uses this parameter to evaluate the performance of each seller. If the seller's negative feedback rate is 0%, they will be considered an honest seller. But if the ratio increases, Amazon will start to pay close attention to the seller's operations.
Amazon particularly likes to see complaints like "item not as described" because this is a tip-off to Amazon that the seller is completely unreliable. Once a seller’s negative feedback rate exceeds 5%, Amazon will sincerely recommend that they review their business operations in order to reduce the negative feedback rate.
Sellers can log into their seller account to view the feedback ratio they have received. After clicking "Performance", you will enter the customer satisfaction section. Sellers can see their current feedback ratio here.
Sellers can request Amazon to remove negative feedback
Any customer feedback is important, but making it public can have an immediate impact on your reputation as a seller. Negative feedback is highlighted for every potential buyer to see. If a customer sees that a seller has received feedback for selling low-quality goods, then the likelihood of them buying from them is slim. Negative feedback from sellers will affect the seller's rating and cause potential buyers to lose interest in the seller. Amazon will even take action against a seller if they get too much negative feedback for any one category of products.
If you receive negative feedback, all is not lost for you. When FeedbackWhiz notifies you of negative feedback, you should contact the customer immediately to determine the issue. The seller’s goal at this point is very clear: to ensure customer satisfaction and remove negative feedback.
Under very specific conditions, sellers can request that Amazon remove negative feedback. These conditions include:
Feedback that is vulgar or offensive: Obviously, Amazon will remove any feedback that is vulgar or offensive.
Feedback discloses details that could identify the seller: Seller privacy is sacrosanct. Therefore, any content that is detrimental to this will be removed by Amazon.
The feedback was related to issues with the delivery of sold items through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): with FBA, Amazon takes care of shipping and customer service. Therefore, any issues with shipping are Amazon's problem and they will be held responsible and have the negative feedback removed from their records.
The problem is caused by the courier's mistake: As long as the goods that the seller ultimately submits to the courier are intact, Amazon should not expect the seller to bear the consequences of the courier's mistake.
If a seller believes that their situation matches any of the above, they should contact Amazon Seller Protection to explain their reasons and provide relevant evidence. With most of these reasons and proofs, the nature of the feedback should be demonstrated to a considerable extent. Sometimes, though, arguments may arise. For example, a seller may need to contact another seller in order to conclusively prove that the problem was related to the delivery of the item.
Sellers can also ask customers to remove negative feedback
When receiving negative feedback, sellers will have the opportunity to respond to it. If done right, customers will agree to have negative feedback removed. For example, if a seller can convince a customer that the problem was not their fault but was caused by the courier, the customer may happily remove the negative feedback.
Likewise, if the seller handles the problem appropriately, such as by immediately refunding the buyer or agreeing to a replacement, the crisis can be resolved. Most buyers are reasonable and will be willing to correct the feedback they provided if they are satisfied with the seller's response. However, if the customer is really angry and refuses the seller's request, it may be a good idea to put it aside for now.
It’s important to note that Amazon guidelines prohibit sellers from outright asking customers to remove negative product reviews. However, Amazon does allow sellers to make requests to buyers to modify or remove negative seller feedback. Sellers need to resolve the issue before asking customers to remove the feedback. For example, sellers may not refund customers in order to get them to remove negative feedback. Instead, do your best to resolve the issue (showing great customer service), and then in a separate section of the email, politely explain how important the feedback is to your business. At the same time, please modify or delete the feedback only if you are satisfied with the service. This part of the statement is subtle, but its main purpose is to hint at customers to update their feedback rather than directly requesting it.
Feedbackwhiz can help sellers
A feedback management tool can play a huge role in the above process. With Feedbackwhiz, sellers can see all the customer feedback they receive in one interface.
First, the platform will update the seller when they receive negative feedback. This means sellers can take action quickly. This is very important. Because with these situations, timing is everything. Second, sellers can search all of their feedback to look for general trends. This may come into play when a seller's negative feedback rate is rising too quickly, so it is a very effective way to help sellers work to improve their business operations.
Negative feedback, this is something that sellers really need to understand. Negative feedback can greatly affect the opportunities that sellers enjoy on Amazon. But it is important for sellers not to panic after receiving a complaint. Sellers have many ways to resolve the issue as long as it is handled properly.
