Why optimizing your review requests matters
Review request sequences are one of the best ways to improve your review response conversion rate. A single email is easy to miss, but a series of follow-ups keeps your request fresh in the minds of your customers. If you’re only sending one request, it’s likely that you are missing out on valuable reviews.
Stamped review requests outperform the industry standard, achieving a 6.5% review response rate compared to the typical 1-3%, with top customers consistently seeing a 20% response rate. Part of that is our data layers and advanced in-email form, part of that are the strategies we’ve learned from working with 75,000+ DTC brands over the years. Needless to say, we know exactly what it takes to build out impactful sequences.
In this post, we’ll cover how to cut through the noise in your customers’ inboxes by designing review request sequences that are personalized, sent at the right time, and use the right messaging.
How to optimize your review request sequence
Intervals
We can’t emphasize it enough: timing matters. Stamped lets you control when and how review requests are sent after an order is placed or fulfilled. You can also choose the delivery timing.
There’s a reason why a majority of merchants (95%) send review requests after fulfillment, not after order. It’s important that your customer has received their order and experienced its value, otherwise many reviews will be about things like slow shipping. We looked at the performance data of 5,000+ customers and found that the ideal time for a review request is 10 days after fulfillment.
| Days after fulfillment | Average response rate |
| 0-10 | 3.5% |
| 10-15 | 2.5% |
| 15-30 | 2.9% |
| 30-60 | 2.5% |
| 60+ | 2.9% |
Follow-up emails, which we strongly recommend adding, should ideally be sent seven days later.
As the data shows, the review response rate drops as more time passes after a purchase. It’s important to send review requests close to the time of purchase, but not to send them immediately after purchase as your product's value should be fresh in your customers' minds, but they also need enough time to fully experience it. This time to value might vary depending on your industry and product type; for example, customers will see the impact of a beauty product immediately, whereas a supplement might take longer.
You also want to make sure that your review requests are being sent at the right time of day. The optimal time is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., but feel free to experiment and find what works best for your store.
💡 Check out this help article for a step-by-step guide on how to set your delay interval.
Frequency
While many brands that are new to Reviews send only one review request to avoid muddying their channels, it typically isn't the most effective strategy. Sending multiple emails in a review request sequence leads to incremental improvements in response rates. We looked at over 5,000 merchants with a positive recent review rate and found that three follow-up requests yielded the best results.
| 1 email | 2.2% response rate |
| 2 emails | 3.2% response rate |
| 3 emails | 3.6% response rate |
| 4 emails | 4.1% response rate |
The value of reviews cannot be understated: they collect useful feedback and positively impact your net conversion rate when displayed onsite. If your brand is only sending one review request, consider increasing the frequency. For those worried about the impact of email frequency on user unsubscribing rates, we found no definitive correlation between the two rates.
💡 Check out this help article to learn how to change your review request frequency.
Subject lines
The more customers who open and respond to your review requests, the more reviews you can display on your site and distribution channels. But first, you have to convince your customers to actually click on your emails—that’s where a captivating subject line can help.
When it comes to getting the most out of your subject lines, personalization is key. First name liquid variable is used by the majority of brands with a >6% response rate. Including your customer’s name in the review request is a great way to catch their eye when they are skimming through their inbox.
Additionally, subject lines that are about the review request (ex. “we need your feedback”) perform better than generic “thanks for your purchase” messaging.
Other impactful customization strategies include:
- Be brief: keep your subject line short so it's easily readable on any device.
- Be direct: reference the review or the ask in the subject line so those who are waiting for this email are more likely to open it.
- Include an offer: incentivizing a review can increase the open and response rate. If you are including an offer, mention it in the subject line to maximize opens.
Notice how these strategies are employed in examples of top-performing review request subject lines:
- Rate Your Recent Purchase, We’d Love to Hear From You!
- How did we do?
- We’d love feedback on your recent [brand name] purchase
- Get 30 loyalty points for leaving a review!
- Hey [customer name] - please leave us a review!
- How are you liking your new [brand name]?
- Get a 20% discount by reviewing your recent [brand name] purchase
- How’d the [product name] work?
- Hey [customer name], we’d love feedback on your recent [brand name] purchase
- What do you think?
Make sure that you vary subject lines and body text on follow-up emails. Repeated use of the same copy will likely decrease open rates.
💡 Check out this blog article for even more subject line inspiration.
Email Content
A compelling subject line can boost your open rate, but the body of your review request is going to lock in the conversion. Similar to subject lines, there are several strategies you can implement to make sure that your emails are strong enough to bring in reviews:
- Be brief: get straight to the point so your customer doesn't stop reading before seeing your review request.
- Keep the request above the fold: ensure that it's visible as soon as the email is opened.
- Reiterate your offer: emphasize any incentives offered in return for a review.
- Make it easy: reduce the cognitive lift for your customers so they are more likely to complete the review.
- Express gratitude: using Stamped, create a "thank you" page for customers after they leave a review.
Stamped offers several prebuilt email templates with different formatting to match your branding. The top preferred templates are our default template (43% of brands use this), boxed (19%), and minimalist (19%). Every one of these templates features an embedded review form to simplify the process for your customers.
While it is less commonly used, you can also create your own layout using HTML, CSS, and Liquid coding.
💡 Check out this blog article for tips to cut through the BFCM clutter and get better reviews during the holiday season.
Boost your review response rate with Stamped Reviews
Optimizing your review request sequences is crucial to boosting your review response rates. A well-timed, personalized sequence ensures that your emails stand out and remain top-of-mind for your customers, rather than getting lost in their inboxes.
With Stamped Reviews, you can take your request sequences to the next level and push your response rates well above the industry average. Boost your revenue with high-converting product reviews, NPS, photo & video reviews, Instagram Shoppable Gallery, Community Q&A, Checkout Reviews, and more. Book a demo with one of our sales reps to get started today.
