Mastering the Art of Getting Reviews on Amazon

As an Amazon seller, you understand the vital role that product reviews play in your business. Positive reviews can significantly impact customer’s decisions, increase conversions, and improve your ranking on the platform. 

However, acquiring reviews can be challenging due to Amazon’s strict policies. As a result, the chances of obtaining reviews are very limited, and in some cases, almost impossible.

Friends & Family

The cheapest way to get reviews is definitely through friends and family. You can often tell them personally which product to buy and even write a review for them to post. You then give them a refund privately, so that Amazon does not even suspect that it is an “ordered” purchase.

However, there are quite a few negative sides of “friends & family” purchases:

1. Such reviews do not comply with Amazon’s terms and conditions and may result in account suspension.
2. To submit a review on Amazon, the person submitting the review must have made at least one purchase worth at least EUR 30 in the last 12 months (this condition varies from marketplace to marketplace).
3. If more purchases and reviews come from the same IP address, there is a high probability that the review will not be published at all.
4. Most of the time, you can find acquaintances who will help you out in the same country where you live. But trying to get one on a different continent is usually much more difficult.

What is Amazon Vine? 

That’s why there’s Amazon Vine. This is an Amazon’s program that helps sellers get honest and unbiased reviews from trusted customers.

Amazon Vine is made up of reviewers who can join the program by invitation only. It invites the most trusted reviewers on Amazon, called Vine Voices, to share their reviews of new products. 

By participating in Vine, sellers can provide free units of their products to Vine Voices for review. 

Vine program helps build product awareness, boosts sales for slow-starting ASINs, and facilitates informed decision-making for customers.

Prerequisites for Participation

Before you can enroll in Amazon Vine, there are several prerequisites to meet:

• You must be a Professional Selling Partner.
• You must be identified as a brand owner.
• You must have eligible FBA offers.
• You must be an authorized brand representative in the Amazon Brand Registry for the item you wish to enroll.

There are also prerequisites which a products must meet:

• Be of a brand that you are authorized to represent in the Amazon Brand Registry
• Have fewer than 30 reviews on the product detail page
• Have a buyable FBA offer in “New” condition
• Not be an adult product, digital, or heavy and bulky item
• Have already launched at the time of enrollment
• Have available inventory
• Have an image and a description

Enrolling a Product in Vine 

To enroll a product in Vine, follow these steps:

1. Access Vine in Seller Central by clicking on “Advertising” and then selecting “Amazon Vine.”
2. Enter the ASIN of the product you wish to enroll and click “Begin enrollment.” Ensure the product meets the eligibility requirements.
3. Verify the product information on the enrollment details page. You can enroll any eligible variations for a product family.
4. If enrolling a standalone ASIN, enter the number of units you want to enroll. For a product set, select the variations you wish to enroll.
5. Review the enrollment fee and the program’s Terms and Conditions.
6. Click “Enroll” to complete the enrollment.

Managing and Tracking Your Vine Products

Once you have enrolled products in Vine, you can manage them using the Vine Dashboard. This dashboard provides an overview of your enrollments, including the number of units available for Vine Voices to request, the number of claimed units, and the published Vine reviews. You can track the progress of your enrollments, cancel them if needed, and view any blockers encountered.

You can use Vine Dashboard also to track Vine reviews. By entering the SKU or ASIN, you can access the Vine Reviews tab and see the number of reviews submitted by Vine Voices. 

To read the published Vine reviews, click on the product title, which will direct you to the product’s detail page on Amazon’s website.

Vine Enrollment Fee

Amazon charges 170 EUR / 200 USD enrollment fee per parent ASIN. The fee is charged once per parent ASIN, seven days after the publication date of the first Vine review. 

However, if no reviews are received within 90 days of making the product available to Vine Voices, the fee will not be charged.

Is Amazon Vine worth it?

Amazon Vine is an invaluable program for Amazon sellers seeking to gather genuine reviews from trusted reviewers. By following the enrollment process and understanding the program’s guidelines, you can leverage Amazon Vine to enhance your product visibility, increase sales, and provide customers with valuable insights. 

Products with quality reviews have a much higher chance of converting better than products with no reviews or only a few of them.

At Amazoniac Agency, we highly recommend participation in the Vine program. We will be happy to talk you through all the necessary steps.