How to Get Reviews on Your Shopify Store

Introduction

Customer reviews are one of the most powerful conversion levers a Shopify merchant can use. Stores that display authentic, timely feedback see higher trust, better SEO, and measurable lifts in conversion rate and lifetime value. Yet many merchants struggle to collect consistent, high-quality reviews without adding more tools to an already crowded tech stack.

Short answer: The fastest way to get reviews on your Shopify store is to build a repeatable, automated system that asks customers at the right time, makes submitting feedback effortless, and rewards behaviors that benefit your brand. Combine automated post-purchase requests with on-site prompts, visual review options, and loyalty incentives to create a steady stream of authentic review content.

In this post we’ll explain why reviews matter, the psychology behind review submission, and a full set of tactics you can implement today. We’ll move from basic setups to advanced, retention-driven strategies that tie reviews into loyalty and referral efforts. Throughout, we’ll show how a single unified retention platform can replace multiple piecemeal solutions and make review collection simple and scalable—consistent with our "More Growth, Less Stack" philosophy. We’ll also point to specific ways Growave’s Reviews & UGC feature and integrations can streamline the process.

Main message: Systematic, automated review collection combined with thoughtful on-site display and incentive design creates sustainable social proof—and when reviews are integrated with loyalty and UGC workflows, they become a growth engine rather than a one-off project.

Why Reviews Matter More Than Ever

The practical benefits of collecting reviews

Reviews influence every stage of the customer journey. They reduce purchase anxiety, improve site relevance for search engines, and provide development feedback for product teams. Key business outcomes include:

• Increased conversions through social proof and trust signals.
• Higher average order value (AOV) when reviews highlight complementary products or user tips.
• Improved SEO performance from fresh, user-generated content on product pages.
• Reduced returns and fewer support tickets thanks to clearer product expectations.
• A feedback loop that informs product improvements and merchandising decisions.

The psychology behind reviews

Customers trust other customers. Reviews function as social proof and as “experience signals” that reduce perceived risk. Important psychological triggers include:

• Reciprocity: customers are likelier to leave reviews if they feel appreciated or receive a small reward.
• Authority and social consensus: a product with many reviews appears validated by a community.
• Cognitive ease: fewer friction points to leave a review increases the submission rate.
• Visual persuasion: photos and videos add credibility and make reviews more persuasive.

Understanding these drivers lets us design review flows that feel natural rather than transactional.

Foundations: Preparing Your Store to Get Reviews

Make reviewing frictionless

Every extra click, required field, or confusing UI element reduces the number of reviews you’ll receive. Aim to make the process fast, mobile-friendly, and accessible.

Key on-site design goals:

• One-click or single-form submissions that don’t require account creation.
• Clear star-rating controls and an optional comment field.
• An option to upload photos and videos from mobile devices.
• A confirmation message after submission and an optional share prompt.

Decide what types of reviews you need

Not all reviews are the same. Consider what will be most useful:

• Short star ratings for quick validation.
• Short text reviews that highlight key benefits or use cases.
• Photo and video reviews that show the product in real life.
• Structured Q&A or product-specific prompts (e.g., “Was it true to size?”) for items where details matter.

Choosing a mix helps surface the highest-impact social proof for different products.

Legal and moderation basics

Collecting reviews responsibly reduces risk and preserves trust.

Best practices:

• Disclose any incentives tied to reviews to remain transparent.
• Moderate reviews to remove spam and abusive content while preserving authenticity.
• Keep records of consent and submission times in case of disputes.
• Use filters to flag potentially fake or duplicate reviews for manual review.

Collection Tactics: Where and How to Ask

Post-purchase email requests

Email remains the most reliable channel to ask for reviews. A few principles will make these requests work:

• Timing matters: send the request after the customer has had a chance to try the product. For consumables, a shorter delay makes sense; for long-life items, wait longer.
• Keep it short and personal: a concise, friendly message with a clear CTA outperforms long templated emails.
• Make it mobile-first: most opens happen on mobile—ensure the CTA and review form display correctly.
• Include a direct link: deep-link the customer to the product review form to eliminate navigation friction.

Practical examples of email content elements:

• A warm greeting and quick thanks for the purchase.
• A single-question prompt (e.g., “How would you rate your product?”) with an easy click-to-review option.
• An indicator of how long it takes (e.g., “Takes 30 seconds”).
• Optional incentive mention if you use one.

We recommend integrating automated post-purchase messaging with your retention platform so timing and personalization are based on order status and product type. For merchants interested in a single solution to manage review requests, see how our Reviews & UGC features streamline automated outreach and onsite capture and how you can explore our plans to match your scale (see our plans).

On-site prompts and micro-interactions

Capture reviews from visitors who are already engaged on product pages or post-purchase flows:

• Inline prompts on product pages asking “Have you used this product?”.
• Exit-intent or scroll-triggered widgets that invite feedback after a certain time.
• Account dashboard nudges for repeat customers.

Make these interactions subtle and purposeful—never interruptive. When tied to a loyalty program, these prompts can also trigger points or status changes that reward reviewers.

SMS and mobile push

SMS has higher open rates than email. When used judiciously, a short SMS review request can dramatically lift response rates. Ensure consent and compliance before sending messages and keep content concise with a direct review link.

Rules for SMS:

• Send only when the customer has opted in.
• Keep the message under typical carrier limits and include a short link to a mobile-optimized review form.
• Avoid frequent messages; SMS is best used as a focused nudge.

Packaging inserts and receipts

Physical touchpoints are an underused channel:

• Include a simple card in the package with a QR code that leads to the review form.
• Add a short note on packing slips with a CTA and, when appropriate, an incentive code for future purchases.

These are especially effective for brands where unboxing is part of the experience.

Social channels and community asks

If you have an engaged social audience, ask customers to share photos or tag your brand. Encourage submissions with clear hashtags and highlight user content on product pages. Social proof captured externally can be repurposed and displayed as UGC on product listings.

Incentives and Ethics: How to Motivate Reviews Without Compromising Trust

Incentive types that work

Incentives can increase review volume but must be carefully structured to preserve credibility.

Common, effective incentives:

• Loyalty points that contribute to future discounts or perks.
• Small percentage-off coupon for next purchase.
• Entry into a product giveaway or monthly raffle.

We recommend rewarding the act of submitting feedback rather than the content of the feedback, and always disclosing when a reviewer received an incentive. Integrating your loyalty program with review collection creates ongoing value without inflating review quality.

Explore how a unified platform can attach points automatically when customers submit reviews, making it seamless to reward reviewers and increase lifetime value (learn how loyalty and reviews can work together).

What not to do

Avoid any practice that could compromise authenticity or violate platform policies:

• Never pay for positive reviews or require specific content.
• Don’t offer incentives only to reviewers who leave a high rating.
• Don’t create fake accounts or commission fabricated testimonials.

Transparency and fair moderation are essential to keeping trust intact.

Designing the Review Request Experience

Timing and cadence

Customer experience varies by product, so timing should be data-driven:

• Fast-consumption products (e.g., consumables): request within a week or two.
• High-involvement products (e.g., electronics): wait several weeks to allow use.
• Seasonal or gift items: follow a custom cadence aligned with gifting dates.

Avoid over-messaging. A single well-timed request plus one reminder usually outperforms multiple aggressive follow-ups.

Personalization increases response rates

Use order and customer data to tailor messages:

• Reference the specific product name and purchase date.
• Mention shipping status or usage tips.
• For repeat buyers, acknowledge loyalty and ask about the latest purchase.

Personalization fosters a connection and increases perceived value of the request.

Offer guided prompts

Some customers want structure. Offer suggested prompts or multiple-choice options (e.g., “How durable was this product?” with selectable responses) to reduce cognitive burden and increase completion.

Make visuals mandatory or optional based on ROI

Photo and video reviews are highly persuasive, but requiring them can reduce volume. Offer bonus loyalty points for photo/video submissions rather than making them mandatory.

Displaying Reviews: Where and How to Show Them

Product pages are your primary stage

Product pages should show a clear summary of social proof:

• Average star rating visible near the product title.
• Number of reviews displayed in a readable location.
• A preview grid of recent photo reviews or highlighted quotes.

Keep the design clean and mobile-optimized. Avoid overwhelming shoppers with long unstructured lists.

Use review highlights and microcopy

Help customers scan reviews quickly by surfacing:

• Common themes (e.g., “Great fit,” “Quick shipping”).
• Top pros/cons derived from review text.
• Verified-purchase badges and reviewer location or details that add credibility.

These elements guide buyers without requiring them to read every review.

Visual galleries and shoppable UGC

Display customer photos in a gallery that is both inspirational and shoppable. Visual proof increases conversion and helps customers imagine the product in their context. When photos are linked back to the product page, they also support upsells and cross-sells.

Growave’s Reviews & UGC features let merchants display photo reviews in attractive, conversion-focused widgets that can be embedded on product pages and landing pages. For inspiration on layout and design choices, see our collection of customer examples (see examples of customer implementations).

Cross-selling via reviews

Use reviews to recommend related products. For example, highlight a review that mentions a complementary item and link to it. This approach turns reviews into discovery moments that increase average order value.

Moderation, Credibility, and Handling Negative Feedback

Embrace negative reviews as an asset

Negative reviews offer a chance to demonstrate excellent customer service. Public, thoughtful responses to criticism can build trust.

Best practices for negative reviews:

• Respond promptly with empathy and a solution-oriented tone.
• Offer next steps, like an exchange or troubleshooting guide.
• Invite the customer to continue the conversation privately if needed.
• Where appropriate, offer a follow-up incentive to resolve the experience.

This turns problems into signals of responsiveness and credibility.

Maintain transparent moderation policies

Publish a simple moderation policy explaining how you handle submissions. This reduces confusion if a review is removed for spam or policy violations.

Detect and manage fake or manipulated reviews

Use signals like duplicate content, reviewer behavior patterns, and rapid bursts of submissions to flag suspicious reviews. When in doubt, review submissions manually and remove clearly inauthentic entries.

Advanced Strategies: Turning Review Collection Into a Growth Engine

Integrate reviews with loyalty and VIP programs

When reviews feed into loyalty status, they drive engagement and retention. Offer incremental points for each submission and bonus points for high-value contributions (photos, long-form reviews).

Benefits of integration:

• Steady stream of UGC tied to retention objectives.
• Higher-quality submissions from engaged customers.
• A measurable link between review activity and lifetime value.

Our retention suite makes this integration straightforward so you can reward behavior automatically without juggling multiple platforms (see how reward flows can improve review rates).

Build reviewer segmentation and outreach flows

Not all reviewers are equal. Segment reviewers by behavior and value:

• High-value customers: ask for more detailed reviews and invite them to VIP programs.
• First-time reviewers: offer extra guidance and minor incentives to encourage future submissions.
• Detractors: use targeted follow-up to resolve issues and possibly turn negative experiences into positive outcomes.

Segmented outreach increases both review volume and review relevance.

Leverage post-checkout experiences

Add subtle review prompts to the post-purchase confirmation page, such as asking customers if they’d be willing to provide feedback in a week. This plants the seed and increases future response rates.

Use A/B testing to optimize copy and timing

Test subject lines, CTA phrasing, send-time, and review form layout. Even small improvements in email open and form completion rates can compound into large gains in review volume over time.

Invite product-specific feedback for improvement

For products frequently discussed in reviews, use structured questions to capture actionable data (fit, durability, comfort). Feed this data back to the product team to improve listings and product builds.

Technical Integration: How to Set Up Reviews Without Adding Complexity

Choose a unified retention platform

Many merchants feel overwhelmed by "solution fatigue"—managing separate tools for reviews, loyalty, and referrals. A unified retention platform reduces complexity, centralizes customer data, and unlocks synergistic workflows.

Benefits of a single platform approach:

• One place to manage automated review requests, loyalty rewards, and referral incentives.
• Consistent analytics and customer profiles across retention touchpoints.
• Reduced development and maintenance overhead.

We design Growave to be a merchant-first retention suite that replaces multiple disparate tools—delivering more growth with less stack and trusted by 15,000+ brands with a 4.8-star rating on Shopify.

Implementing review flows with minimal development

Look for solutions that offer plug-and-play widgets and prebuilt workflows:

• Use embeddable widgets to display review content without code.
• Set up automated email flows tied to order status and behavior.
• Enable point rewards and referral triggers from the same dashboard.

If you prefer hands-on setup, install the platform via the marketplace to get started quickly. Install Growave from the Shopify marketplace to add reviews and loyalty features to your store (install Growave from the marketplace). Note: this sentence is an explicit call to action to install the platform.

Data privacy and exportability

Ensure your review system allows export of review data for analytics and compliance. Keep reviewer metadata to analyze sentiment and identify product issues while respecting customer privacy laws.

Measuring what matters

Track core metrics to understand the ROI of your review program:

• Review submission rate (reviews per 100 orders).
• Percentage of reviews with photos or video.
• Conversion uplift on pages with reviews vs. without.
• Average order value change influenced by review-driven cross-sells.
• Repeat purchase rate for customers who leave reviews.

Set targets for each metric and iterate based on results.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Low response rates

If requests aren’t converting:

• Reassess timing: customers may need more or less time to try the product.
• Shorten and personalize the request.
• Add a low-friction review option (e.g., 1-click star rating).
• Offer a small loyalty point incentive that’s immediately redeemable.

Too many negative reviews

Negative reviews can be normal for honest products. Focus on:

• Rapidly addressing and resolving complaints.
• Identifying systematic product issues via review analysis.
• Highlighting positive feedback and curated testimonials to balance perception.

Fake reviews or spam

If suspicious activity appears:

• Implement automated fraud detection and manual review processes.
• Require verified-purchase badges to highlight authentic buyers.
• Remove clearly inauthentic posts and communicate your moderation policy.

Reviews not showing up on product pages

Often caused by UI placement or caching:

• Ensure widgets are properly embedded and configured for each product template.
• Clear cache and preview changes in production.
• Verify that review metadata is being indexed for SEO if you rely on structured data snippets.

If technical help is needed, consult platform documentation or support to resolve display issues.

How Growave Helps: Practical Workflows

Automated review request flow

A typical workflow powered by a unified retention platform:

• Trigger: order is marked “delivered” or a custom fulfillment event.
• Wait period: configurable based on product type or customer segment.
• Message: personalized email with one-click rating and optional photo upload.
• Reward: automatic loyalty points granted upon submission.
• Display: review appears on product page after moderation or verification.

This flow ties reviews directly into retention and LTV objectives and removes manual steps.

Visual UGC pipeline

Collecting photos and videos can be automated:

• Request photo/video submissions in the same post-purchase email.
• Offer bonus points for visual content and highlight tips for taking great photos.
• Curate and tag submissions for easy display on product pages and marketing channels.

This creates a continuous stream of visual content without separate tools.

Cross-functional insights

Because reviews, loyalty, and referrals live in the same platform, you can answer questions like:

• Do customers who leave reviews have higher repeat purchase rates?
• Which reviews correlate with higher AOV?
• Which reviewer segments generate the most referrals?

These insights let you invest in the highest-impact tactics.

For examples of how other merchants have structured visual reviews and loyalty-driven flows, check our customer inspiration collection (view examples of customer implementations).

Getting Started: A Practical 30-Day Plan to Ramp Up Reviews

Week 1: Foundation and low-friction collection

• Add review widgets to your product pages and make sure submission is mobile-friendly.
• Create a simple post-purchase email template and set a delivery timing based on product type.
• Enable photo upload capability and test the flow yourself.

Week 2: Automate and incentivize

• Activate automated review requests and set a single friendly reminder.
• Attach modest loyalty points for any review and extra points for photo/video submissions.
• Monitor submission rates and initial feedback.

Week 3: Improve display and social proof

• Curate top reviews and place them prominently on high-traffic product pages.
• Create a visual gallery of customer photos and add a “Raves from Customers” section on homepage or product pages.
• Begin A/B testing subject lines and CTA text in review request emails.

Week 4: Analyze and iterate

• Review metrics: submission rate, photo submission percentage, conversion lift.
• Respond publicly to negative reviews and follow up privately where appropriate.
• Expand successful flows to additional product lines and scale incentives as needed.

If you want to get started with a single platform that can handle reviews, loyalty, and UGC without adding multiple standalone solutions, explore our available plans and start a 14-day free trial to evaluate the fit (explore available plans).

Measuring Success and Reporting

Core KPIs to track

• Review volume: total reviews and reviews per product.
• Visual content share: percentage of reviews with photos or videos.
• Conversion rate on pages with reviews vs. without.
• Average rating and rating distribution over time.
• LTV and repeat purchase rate for reviewers vs. non-reviewers.
• Referral and loyalty redemption linked to review activity.

How to attribute impact

Use UTM parameters and landing page experiments to determine how much lift reviews provide to specific campaigns. For organic SEO impact, monitor organic traffic and keyword rankings for product pages before and after adding reviews and UGC.

Regular reporting cadence

Create weekly dashboards to monitor growth and monthly deep-dives to identify opportunities for product improvements or UX changes.

Troubleshooting: Common Implementation Issues and Fixes

• Reviews not appearing on new products: ensure review widget is enabled for the new product templates and that submission metadata references the correct product ID.
• Photo uploads failing on mobile: confirm image size limits are reasonable and that the form accepts common mobile file types.
• Low photo submission rates: increase the photo reward, provide tips for taking photos, and show examples of previously submitted images to lower the barrier.
• Negative review spike after a product update: investigate product changes, roll back if needed, and proactively communicate fixes to customers.

If you encounter technical hurdles, support teams at retention platforms typically assist with theme integration and display troubleshooting.

Long-Term Strategies for Review Growth

Build a culture of feedback

Encourage internal teams to see reviews as a product feedback channel. Involve customer support and product teams in review analysis and set goals for actionable changes based on review trends.

Turn top reviewers into brand advocates

Identify frequent and high-quality reviewers and invite them into VIP programs, product testing groups, or private communities. These advocates can provide deep feedback and authentic promotion.

Use reviews in cross-channel content

Repurpose top reviews into social ads, email snippets, and landing page copy. Visual reviews are especially powerful on paid social and influencer content.

Continuous optimization

Make review collection a continual process, not a one-time project. Iterate on timing, incentives, display, and outreach copy based on measured performance.

Conclusion

Reviews are more than praise—they’re a strategic asset that builds trust, improves SEO, and feeds product and marketing decisions. The most successful Shopify merchants treat review collection as a system: optimized timing, low-friction submission, thoughtful incentives, and prominent display. When review collection is linked to loyalty and UGC pipelines, it transforms into a sustainable growth engine rather than a maintenance headache.

We believe retention should drive growth with minimal complexity—More Growth, Less Stack. Growave brings reviews, loyalty, and visual UGC together so merchants can collect meaningful social proof without juggling multiple solutions. To explore how this unified approach fits your store, choose a plan and start your 14-day free trial on our pricing page to begin. (start a free trial)

FAQ

How soon after purchase should I ask for a review?

Timing depends on the product. For consumables, ask within one to two weeks; for durable goods, wait several weeks to let customers test performance. Consider product-specific triggers and use a couple of timing variants to see what works best.

Should I offer incentives for reviews?

Yes, but structure incentives carefully. Reward the act of leaving a review with loyalty points or small discounts, and never reward only positive feedback. Always disclose incentives to maintain transparency.

How do I increase photo and video reviews?

Make it easy and attractive: offer bonus loyalty points for visual submissions, include tips for taking photos, allow mobile uploads in one click, and show inspiring examples on your site.

Can I manage reviews without adding more tools to my store?

Absolutely. A unified retention platform that combines reviews, loyalty, and UGC reduces the number of separate solutions you need to manage. If you want to compare plans and see what’s included, explore our plan options and start a trial (explore plans).

For merchants who prefer to install from the Shopify marketplace, you can add our retention suite directly to your store to get started immediately (install Growave from the marketplace).