What is Amazon feedback and what is a non-positive Amazon feedback?

An Amazon feedback is one of the metrics by which sellers on the site are evaluated, both by the buying public and by Amazon itself. A feedback is given to the seller, not the product. A non-positive feedback includes the negative (1 or 2 star rating) and the neutral ones (3 star rating). Neutral feedback detracts from the total percentage of feedback that a seller gets, and it’s the reason why it is considered non-positive.

Managing Your Amazon Feedback

Managing your Amazon feedback is an important administrative task for a seller. Sellers should aim for a 98% or higher feedback rating. Staying on top of your seller feedback score means more sales, getting a higher chance of bagging that important Buy Box, being selected for ad campaigns and promos, etc. The first step is for sellers to read each and every feedback and respond appropriately, especially for those who have mentioned any issues that you can address.

There are two ways to have negative or neutral feedback removed from your account. You can reach out to customers and have them revise their feedback or you can reach out to Amazon and ask that they remove the feedback. As mentioned above, the first step is to read and understand the pain points that the customer experienced before attempting to remove the feedback.

Customer Outreach

One way to manage your neutral to negative feedback is to reach out to customers. In Feedback Manager you have the option to either contact them directly or post a public response. Your main goal is to alleviate and fully resolve the issue(s) that they raised. When you choose to contact the customer privately you must do so through Amazon’s Buyer Messages. There is a Contact Customer option in Feedback Manager, but that option uses Amazon’s pre-written template and the pre-written message implies that you’ve already resolved the issue. That means this option is NOT where you start the process, it’s the last step of the process. Use the Amazon Buyer Messages tool to find the order associated with the negative feedback and send the customer a message.

Sometimes offering your perspective as a seller can help the situation. However, the most important part of your message should be describing the steps you took to resolve the issue. You should get it front and center that you are here to help the customer. A common template for contacting a customer follows this format:

1. Address the customer by name. It’s a simply psychological trick but by saying their name and referring to their feedback you show that it’s not an automatic scripted response. The customer gets the sense that they’re talking to someone who’s going to take care of their problem.
2. Apologize. This isn’t negotiable and it’s not even about the customer being right. It’s about showing that you understand your customer has been inconvenienced. You want them to take your offered solution seriously? Start by showing that you take their complaint seriously.
3. Sympathize with Customer’s Problem. You don’t have to agree with the customer to understand their frustration. Imagine yourself in their shoes. When you expect great service but it falls below your expectations that can potentially ruin your day.
4. State You’re Solving the Problem. Don’t skip this step! Before describing the steps you took or are taking to resolve the issue, tell the customer that you’ve got their back.
5. Describe Your Solution. This is self explanatory but is the most important part of this message. Keep this part concise but informative.
6. Remind the Customer they can Update the Feedback. DO NOT ASK FOR A POSITIVE FEEDBACK. What you are allowed to do is remind the customer to take your customer service interaction into account and include a link to Amazon’s Remove Third-Party Seller Feedback page.

If you find yourself using a similar format over and over again use Amazon’s Manage Templates to save time. When contacting customers make sure to always follow the Amazon Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct. The most relevant parts of those rules for this process are that you MAY NOT do the following:

• Pay for or offer an incentive (such as coupons or free products) in exchange for providing or removing feedback or reviews
• Ask customers to write only positive reviews or ask them to remove or change a review
• Solicit reviews only from customers who had a positive experience
• Review your own products or a competitors’ products

Note that some customers have settings that automatically refuse Buyer Messages. That means you cannot reach these customers privately. For both customers that will accept or won’t accept Buyer Messages you also have the option to leave a Public Response. In the Feedback Manager you can select to leave a Public Response and follow similar steps as above. Note that a public response is visible to everyone. Use sound judgment and a polite and professional tone when using this option. In some situations it’s better to not respond at all – use your best judgement.

If you feel that you’ve resolved the customer’s issue but they still haven’t revised their feedback, head back to Feedback Manager and select the Contact Customer option. The Amazon system will send the customer this pre-written message:

Dispute Feedback

You should also identify feedback that you can ask Amazon to remove and then directly dispute it. You can use the “Dispute” button in Feedback Manager.

Dispute feedback that contains:

• Reviews about the product. A feedback is all about the seller, not the product they bought.
• Any abusive or any illegal content can and should be removed. This includes offensive, obscene, or profane language and threats.
• Pricing complaints. There shouldn’t be any feedback about the price because it is stated on the page itself.
• Any personal information – this protects both the privacy of the buyer and the seller.
• Cross promotional contents or links that allude to competitors or other websites.
• Mentions of another marketplace.
• Feedback from a competitor or other sellers.
• Multiple negative feedback from one customer.
• Feedback on delivery when Amazon fulfilled the order.
• Feedback on delivery when seller used Amazon shipping labels.

Contact Seller Maven

You can contact Seller Maven to help you dispute seller feedback. You can manage it yourself, but on average, sellers tend to get 1-3% of their disputed negative feedback removed. Seller Maven averages 15% – 25% of disputed negative feedback removed. With over 10 years’ experience, we help clients get their feedback score up closer to where they actually deserve. Schedule a call with us today and let’s review where your feedback score can be.

Attract Positive Feedback

A buyers’ feedback will have given information why they felt that your service was not positive. Address their expressed and implicit concerns, review your processes if needed, and delight your buyers with great customer service.

The top 3 reasons customers leave a Negative Feedback are:

1. Delayed shipping time
   Any person who has bought anything online will expect a product delivered within the promised delivery dates. Most customers will rely on the delivery date and plan around it, whether its a gift for a birthday, or a tool for a trip. When you fail to deliver within the promised date you potentially ruin plans that far outweigh the product’s worth and that leads to negative feedback.
2. Inaccurate and incomplete product description
   Buying a product online requires trust. The customer hasn’t seen or touched the product in real life. They trust you, the seller, to accurate describe what you’re selling. A product description includes clear pictures alongside the text. Include dimensions, materials, features, ingredients for food products, and the uses for the product you’re offering.
3. Incorrect product shipped
   Getting the wrong item is a huge disappointment for customers waiting for your product. Add the hassle the buyer needs to go through to return it and then wait to have the correct product shipped and you have a recipe for negative feedback. This is a surefire way to receive neutral if not outright negative feedback.

Getting a neutral to negative feedback sucks, but the silver lining is that it’s valuable. The feedback gives you an insight into what you can improve in your processes. When you take the time to identify pain points in logistics, clarify any product description ambiguity, and make general process improvements, you’re setting your account up for consistent positive feedback moving forward, which in turn leads to higher sales.