Amazon has discontinued their Early Reviewer Program after 3 years of operation, blocking new enrollments as of March 10, 2021 and will be ending the program on April 25, 2021. Amazon has yet to announce an alternative. With the Early Reviewer Program now off the table and no official solution in sight, what strategies can Amazon Sellers employ to generate product reviews?
What was the Early Reviewer Program?
Gaining product reviews has arguably been the most difficult piece of the Amazon puzzle, and it became more difficult after Amazon started cracking down on incentivized product reviews in late 2016. The Early Reviewer Program was the saving grace for many new products and finally offered hope of receiving reviews in a highly competitive market.
The program enrollment cost was $60 per ASIN and meant that Amazon would contact shoppers on your behalf and ask for a review. Amazon would offer a small ($1-$3) credit in exchange for an honest review. The program would continue until a new product received up to 5 reviews or was enrolled for up to one year. Reviews attained from customers not contacted by Amazon while enrolled in the program were not included in the total, which increased review potential.
Why is the Program Ending?
Amazon has not stated their official justification for the program’s elimination. One possible explanation could be that the relatively low $60 charge was no longer fiscally acceptable. The time and effort spent generating reviews for new products was likely not worth it to Amazon. Amazon may not have seen productive results from the program when compared to other successful review initiatives such as One-Tap-Reviews. The program was also criticized for incentivizing and potentially increasing the chance of biased reviews, which is exactly the behavior Amazon sought to curb in Sellers.
What now?
Amazon Sellers are staring in the face of a much longer early review process, which means a longer product launch period and potential profit loss. Luckily, alternative options do exist.
It is now more important than ever to build a well-researched product launch strategy. Collect data from a product and keyword research tool, and use it to optimize your listings and target weak competitors. Develop an Amazon PPC strategy as the final step in your product launch that will help increase your listing’s visibility. Our experts have launched thousands of products on Amazon and we are happy to offer a 2-hour free account analysis to evaluate your account’s health and determine the best strategy for your business.
We use additional strategies to increase potential reviews for our clients, such as software that automates the process of requesting a review after a purchase. We also have access to other Amazon review programs such as Vine, which is still going strong. Gaining reviews through these methods will increase the chance of your strategy’s success, and greatly improve your advertising potential and possibly lower ACOS.
How we can help
If you would like help launching a product or increasing your reviews on existing items, please reach out to our team. We will review your account and make custom recommendations to optimize your Amazon presence. We are offering a 2-hour task credit on these services to get you started.
Our experienced team has been working with Amazon review programs for as long as the programs have existed. We have the knowledge and ability to give you the best shot at earning early reviews during your product launch. Let us give you the push you need to get your new products rolling.
