Stands on shop counters enabling customers to leave Google business reviews are improving the online reputations of local shops, analysis by Better Retailing can reveal.

Earlier this year, Better Retailing’s sister title, RN magazine, announced it would be giving away 50 personal­ised Google Review display stands to readers. The £30 counter-mount­ed units contained NFC technology, so that when a customer taps their phone on the stand, it sends them to leave a review for the store online.

A month on from win­ning RN readers receiving their stands, analysis re­vealed the average store re­ceived 363% more reviews per month than before. More than 95% of reviews received in the period were five-star and the average site showed an improvement in their rating equivalent to a 13.7% increase year on year.

Surge in positive feedback

The best-performing stores saw 10 times as many customers leave positive feedback as in their average month.

The higher a store’s Google reviews, the more likely it is to appear first when shoppers are search­ing for convenience stores or goods in their local area, helping to attract new customers.

Last year, research on convenience stores in the US by analyst SOCi showed that every one-star increase a site’s Google review rating improved ‘conversions’ by 44%.

Conversions are when a browser on your store’s profile loads up directions to your store, calls your store’s number or clicks through to more informa­tion about your store.

Massive difference

After receiving a stand, Ranvir King, owner of Abbey Road Post Office in Smethwick, West Midlands, received 18 re­views, compared with an average of one per month beforehand.

Describing the impact, King told Better Retailing: “It’s been incredibly helpful, we always ask people to leave a review, but life’s busy and as soon as they leave the shop, they forget.

“This has helped us cap­ture more of those people. As a post office, people might be spending five-to-10 minutes in store, so it’s a perfect opportunity to get their reviews.

“We’ve now got lanyards as well so we can encour­age customers who have enjoyed our service to leave us a review.”

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“Google reviews make a massive difference,” King continued. “When have you ever booked a hotel without looking at the reviews first?

“For people visiting the area, or for those who have just moved in, it’s the same for shoppers when they are trying to work out where to shop or what post office to use.

“It’s hard to track the impact. People don’t walk in and tell you they found you on Google, but you can look at your customer mix.

“We know around 75% of our visitors are regulars. When you see that chang­ing, it suggests something you’re doing is making a difference.”

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