How to Get Real Customer Reviews for Your Online Store

Why reviews matter so much for a new store

When nobody has heard of your brand, shoppers look for proof that real people bought from you and were happy. Reviews are that proof. Research from Northwestern University's Spiegel Research Center, using data from PowerReviews, found that the purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews was 270% greater than for a product with none, and that the extra benefit of more reviews starts to shrink after those first five.

That's good news for beginners: you don't need thousands of reviews. You need your first handful, collected honestly.

Step 1: Ask every customer, at the right moment

Timing matters more than wording. Ask after the customer has actually used the product, not at checkout.

Physical products: send the request a few days after delivery, once they've had time to try it.
Digital products or services: ask shortly after they've accessed or finished it.
Follow up once. One gentle reminder a week later is plenty.

Keep the message short: thank them by name, link straight to the review form for the exact product, and make it clear that honest feedback, good or bad, is welcome. If you already send order emails, add the review request to that flow (see our email marketing basics for your first online store).

Step 2: Ask everyone, not just happy customers

The FTC's guide for marketers is clear: don't ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones. Send the same request to every buyer. Cherry-picking happy customers gives shoppers a false picture, and it's exactly the kind of practice the FTC warns against.

Step 3: Handle incentives carefully

You can offer a small thank-you, like a discount on a future order, but only under two conditions:

The incentive can't depend, explicitly or implicitly, on the review being positive. "Leave a review and get 10% off" is very different from "Leave a 5-star review and get 10% off." The second is prohibited under the FTC's 2024 rule.
The review should disclose the incentive, because it can affect how much weight readers give it.

Also check the rules of any platform where reviews appear. Some marketplaces and review sites ban incentivized reviews entirely, even with disclosure.

Step 4: Know what's off-limits

The FTC's final rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, effective October 21, 2024, prohibits businesses from:

Writing, buying or selling fake reviews, including AI-generated ones or reviews from people who never used the product.
Paying for reviews conditioned on a positive (or negative) sentiment.
Posting reviews from officers or managers without clearly disclosing the connection, and certain undisclosed reviews from employees and their relatives.
Running a "review" site you control while presenting it as independent.
Suppressing negative reviews with groundless legal threats or intimidation, or implying your displayed reviews are all or most of what you received when you've hidden low ratings.
Buying fake followers or views.

Separately, the Consumer Review Fairness Act makes it illegal to put terms in your contracts or online terms of service that stop customers from posting honest reviews, penalize them for it, or claim ownership of what they write. Check your store's terms for any "no negative reviews" language and remove it.

Step 5: Display reviews so shoppers trust them

How you show reviews matters as much as how many you have.

Put them on the product page, near the price and the buy button, not hidden in a separate tab.
Label verified buyers. Spiegel's research found that a "verified buyer" badge improved the odds of purchase by 15%.
Show critical reviews too. The same research found purchase likelihood typically peaks for ratings in the 4.0 to 4.7 range and then falls as ratings approach a perfect 5.0. A wall of flawless five-star reviews can look less believable, not more.
Allow photos. Customer photos show real products in real homes.
Reply to negative reviews calmly and publicly. Thank the customer, explain what you'll do, and take details to email. Future shoppers read your reply as much as the complaint.

You can moderate reviews, but only for legitimate reasons. Under the Consumer Review Fairness Act it's acceptable to remove reviews containing private information, harassment or obscene content, reviews unrelated to your products, or content that is clearly false. A review you simply disagree with doesn't qualify.

Step 6: Help Google and AI assistants see your ratings

Search engines and AI answer engines read structured data. Google supports Review and AggregateRating markup on product pages, which can make your pages eligible for star ratings in search results. Follow Google's guidelines: the ratings must come from real reviews that are visible on the page.

If you list products on Google Shopping, Google Merchant Center also has a product ratings program that accepts review data through a feed or an approved review aggregator. Our guide to Google Merchant Center free listings explains how to get your products there first.

Reviews also add fresh, specific language about your products, which helps with search and AI citations. For more on that, read what AEO and GEO mean for your store and how to write product descriptions that rank on Google and AI search.

A simple review routine for your first month

Turn on a review request email that goes out a few days after delivery.
Send it to every customer, with one reminder.
Show reviews on product pages with a verified-buyer label.
Reply to every negative review within a couple of days.
Add product review structured data once you have real reviews to show.

Ready to build a store where reviews, product pages and SEO work together from day one? Start your Newcomer store. And if you're still chasing your first sales, read how to get your first 100 customers and how to write an About page that builds trust.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your specific situation, check the FTC's guidance or talk to a qualified attorney.

Questions, answered.

Is it legal to offer a discount in exchange for a review?

Yes, as long as the discount doesn't depend, explicitly or implicitly, on the review being positive, and the review discloses the incentive. Some platforms ban incentivized reviews entirely, so check their rules too.

Can I delete negative reviews from my store?

Not just because they're negative. Under the Consumer Review Fairness Act you may remove reviews with private information, harassment or obscene content, unrelated content, or clearly false claims. Hiding low ratings while implying you show all reviews is prohibited by the FTC's 2024 rule.

Can friends and family review my products?

The FTC advises against asking family and friends for reviews unless they clearly disclose their personal connection in the review. Many platforms don't allow these reviews at all.

How many reviews does a new product need?

Research from Northwestern's Spiegel Research Center found purchase likelihood was 270% higher for products with five reviews than for those with none, with diminishing gains after the first five. Aim to get your first few honest reviews quickly.

Will my star ratings show up in Google?

They can. Adding Review and AggregateRating structured data to product pages, based on real reviews shown on the page, makes them eligible for review snippets. Google decides whether to show them.

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