Amazon has banned sellers from offering reviews as rewards. However, you can still use the Amazon Early Reviewer Program if you can pay.
Highlights
- The Amazon Early Reviewer Program helps sellers gather genuine product feedback by offering customers small gift vouchers for unbiased reviews.
- Sellers pay $60 per SKU to enroll in the Early Reviewer Program.
- Amazon randomly invites customers who purchased enrolled products to leave reviews, offering them gift cards worth $1 to $3 per review.
- Reviews collected through the program are marked with an orange label and a 'verified purchase' tag.
- Sellers must be registered with the Amazon Brand Registry to participate.
- Customers selected for review requests must not have a history of abusive or dishonest reviews.
Why we Wrote This?
We wrote this content to clarify the program's history, eligibility criteria, and benefits. By explaining these details, we aim to help sellers make informed decisions about utilizing the reviewer program to gather genuine reviews for their products on Amazon. Additionally, we want to inform potential reviewers about their role in providing unbiased feedback and the transparency measures to ensure review authenticity.
Therefore, in this guide, we’ll discuss what is Amazon's early review program, how it works, how to join it, and its requirements.
What Is the Amazon Early Reviewer Program?
The Reviewer Program helps sellers get feedback for new products. Amazon emails customers offering a small gift voucher in return for a product review.
In 2016, Amazon faced criticism due to many fake sites. To fix this, Amazon took decisive action. They removed fake or incentivized reviews and introduced a strict new policy banning sellers from offering discounts or incentives for positive feedback.
The new rules also banned reviews from family, friends, or third-party services. Sellers who ignore these policies risk account suspension.
Since then, trust in Amazon reviews has improved, with only 6.2% of US shoppers saying they don't trust the site’s reviews.
However, without incentives, sellers struggled to get reviews for new products. So, in 2018, Amazon launched the Early Reviewer Program to help them earn genuine, trustworthy reviews – for a fee.
Although sellers can no longer offer rewards for reviews, Amazon can do it for you.
How Does the Review Program Work?
Joining the program costs $60 per SKU. Amazon then contacts customers who bought the product, asking for an honest review.
If a customer provides negative feedback, they will receive an Amazon gift card worth between $1 and $3.
The program isn't meant to drive sales, so customers won't know the potential reward when purchasing. Plus, Amazon doesn't send review requests to everyone. Only a random selection of customers is invited. Any customer is eligible as long as they don't have a history of dishonest or abusive reviews.
Feedback collected through the program is marked with an orange label and a ‘verified purchase’ tag. This shows other shoppers that the review is genuine and trustworthy.
How to Join the Amazon Early Reviewer Program?
Sellers can access the Reviewer Program Amazon in the Seller Central dashboard under the Advertising tab.
The program is open only to brand owners registered with the Amazon Brand Registry. If you are not registered yet, do a Trademark Search before registering your brand. Once registered, accessing the Early Reviewer Program portal may take up to 72 hours.
To join the Early Reviewer Program, follow these steps:
- Enroll the brand in the Amazon Brand Registry
- Prepare the CSV Template
- Upload eligible SKUs in the template. You can upload up to 100 products at once. There must be a parent-level SKU or a stand-alone SKU. SKUs for children are automatically enrolled with their parents.
- Upload the products.
- After enrolling the products, upload the template containing the eligible SKUs. By uploading the template, you agree to Amazon’s terms and conditions and to be charged $60 per SKU. Amazon will gather reviews for each SKU for up to 1 year from the enrollment date or until five reviews are collected, whichever comes first.
- Refresh the submission status.
- Check the status of your submission within the portal. The uploaded file and the number of accepted, unapproved, and total uploaded products will appear in the Submission History and Product Enrollment Details section.
How to Become a Reviewer for the Amazon Early Program?
Amazon shoppers won't know if a product they buy is in the Early Reviewer Program at the time of purchase. Amazon wants shoppers to leave genuine reviews without expecting a reward.
After purchasing, Amazon may contact them to leave a review. This process is random, and there's no way to manipulate it. Shoppers should ensure they don't have a history of leaving abusive or dishonest reviews.
Things a Seller Must Know About the Amazon Early Reviewer Program
- Products must be part of the Amazon Brand Registry.
- Products must cost at least $15.
- Products should have few or no reviews.
- Sellers can choose which products to enroll in but can't choose the reviewers.
- Sellers cannot influence the quality of the review in any way.
- The fee is $60 for each eligible SKU. Enrolling 10 SKUs will cost $600.
- Shoppers receive an Amazon.com gift card ranging from $1 to $3 for leaving an honest review.
- Amazon will collect reviews for 1 year or until five reviews are collected, whichever comes first.
Summary
The Reviewer Program offers sellers a structured and transparent approach to collecting genuine product reviews. By maintaining strict guidelines and providing incentives for unbiased feedback, Amazon aims to enhance trust and credibility in its review system. For sellers looking to establish credibility for new products and for shoppers seeking reliable insights, this program is a valuable tool for confidently dealing with the e-commerce landscape.
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FAQ
Is The Reviewer Program Legit?
Yes, the Amazon Early Reviewer Program is legitimate. It encourages customers to leave reviews by offering small rewards for verified purchases, helping to build trust and transparency in product feedback.