On October 11th, Amazon announced on Seller Central News the launch of a new tool for brand owners for communicating with customers. It allows you to contact customers that gave either a negative or a neutral review, which equates to 1 to 3 stars.
You can find the new feature under the “Brands” menu in “Customer Reviews” on the main Seller Central page. Here is a screen shot of the menu item.
This allows sellers to offer a refund to the customer, or get more information to help resolve any issues the customer may have with the product.
However, the announcement states “customers aren’t expected to change their reviews due to this outreach or any potential resolution”. This is consistent with Amazon’s policy about customer product reviews, which explicitly states it is a violation if:
“A seller asks a reviewer to change or remove their review. They might also offer a refund or other compensation to a reviewer in exchange for doing so.”
Make sure to be careful when using this tool that you don’t ask for a change to a review, since it’s clear that asking a customer to change their review is against Amazon policy.
Also, if you’re not familiar with Amazon’s Brand Registry program, which is how you become a brand owner on Amazon, you can find their official page describing the Brand Registry program here.
If you have a Seller Central account, you can see the full text of the announcement here. I will also share it below.
Note: you need to have a Seller Central account to follow the link in the body of the text below.
*Begin Amazon Announcement*
New Contact Customer feature for brand owners
We’re excited to launch a new communication tool that gives you, as a brand owner, the ability to contact your customers after they leave a 1, 2, or 3-star product review. This tool lets you choose how to engage with your customers, either by offering a full refund or requesting additional information on their orders to help resolve their issues.
Great brand owners provide exceptional customer service, especially in situations where the customer is unhappy or disappointed. We’re excited to launch a new communication tool that gives you the ability to contact customers after they leave a 1, 2, or 3-star product review. Now, you can choose what level of support you want to offer your customers by either offering a full refund or requesting additional information on their orders to help resolve their issues.
As a brand owner, you can access this new tool by going to Seller Central and clicking Customer Reviews under the Brands tab. You can view all reviews that have been left on any of your products, and filter by star rating or brand. The new Contact Customer feature is enabled for qualifying critical product reviews.
Note that sellers aren’t allowed to ask for a customer’s personal information, including email or phone number, and customers aren’t expected to change their reviews due to this outreach or any potential resolution.
For more information on the feature, go to Contact Customer.
*End Amazon Announcement*
For more information about Amazon customer review policies, you can find that page here. (Seller Central account required)
For answers to specific questions sellers may have about product reviews, see this page. (Seller Central account required)