Review generation is the process of encouraging customer feedback after a purchase.
A study by the International Journal of Management Science and Information Technology describes the value of customer reviews to consumers: Reviews influence how potential customers evaluate your products and your brand. For online stores, every product review adds social proof that can help shoppers assess quality, customer satisfaction, and whether your business delivers on its promises.
Here’s how to build a consistent review generation process, practical strategies for collecting more reviews and photo and video submissions, and why it’s important to respond to both glowing reviews and negative ones.
What is review generation?
Review generation is the process of getting more reviews by asking customers to share their experiences after they use your product or service. These requests typically arrive by email, SMS, or in-app prompts, linking to a review form where customers can submit star ratings, written comments, and sometimes photos or videos. The goal is to create a steady stream of authentic feedback and shore up a positive online presence for your business.
Automated review generation tools handle many tasks that may have required more hands-on effort in the past. Once more customer reviews roll in, review generation apps also provide valuable customer insights, revealing opportunities to improve products or customer experience.
Review generation strategies
- Automate post-purchase review requests
- Offer incentives transparently
- Supplement with photo and video content
- Prioritize authentic feedback
- Use positive reviews across marketing channels
- Turn negative reviews into insights
- Respond to the reviews you generate
The goal of review generation is to create a steady stream of authentic reviews that strengthen your online reputation and provide actionable customer insights.
Here are some strategies to build your own review engine:
Automate post-purchase review requests
After an order is marked as delivered, review generation software automatically sends an email, SMS message, or in-app prompt asking the customer to leave a review. This removes the need for manual follow-ups and ensures every customer receives the same opportunity to provide feedback.
Brands using Shopify can use Shop product reviews to send automated review requests to customers after product delivery. Third-party tools like Junip, Judge.me, Okendo, and Loox offer additional features such as custom email templates, photo and video reviews, and advanced analytics.
Shopify Flow can also automate review-related workflows when connected to supported apps.
Offer incentives transparently
Offering a reward, such as store credit, free products, or discounts on future purchases, can encourage customers to leave reviews.
Michelle Razavi, founder of protein brownie company Elavi, says on Shopify Masters that she offers customers a $5 credit toward their next purchase and explicitly tells them that reviews help the business. Claudia Snow, cofounder of coffee concentrate company Kloo, says on Shopify Masters that she offers free products in exchange for customers’ time and feedback.
When using this approach, it’s important to be transparent that the incentive is offered in exchange for honest feedback—not only for positive reviews. The Federal Trade Commission’s online customer reviews guide states that incentives must not be conditioned, explicitly or implicitly, on the review being positive.
Supplement with photo and video content
Written reviews provide valuable social proof, and photos and videos add another layer of context by showing how customers use products in real life. Visual reviews can answer practical questions about fit, texture, size, and appearance that are difficult to convey with text alone.
Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu, founder of The Turmeric Co., wanted to turn written testimonials into customer stories to use across product pages and marketing campaigns. “We incorporated the ability to track the reviews coming in, and then we implemented a process to reach back out to that customer, engage with them, and ask if they’d be willing to do a video piece,” he says on Shopify Masters. The team asked satisfied customers if they’d be willing to share more about their review and their experience using the product.
Many Shopify review apps, including Loox, Okendo, and Stamped, are designed to help business owners collect photo and video reviews.
Prioritize authentic feedback
Authenticity means requesting feedback from all customers, rather than filtering for only favorable responses. Google’s review policies prohibit selectively soliciting reviews based on whether you expect positive feedback; this practice, commonly known as review gating, is banned by the FTC. By inviting every customer to share their experience, you create a more credible body of reviews and a more trustworthy online reputation.
Verified reviews help distinguish feedback from confirmed purchasers, giving potential customers more confidence that the comments reflect actual product use rather than incentivized opinions or spam. Shopify merchants can use Shop Product Reviews to collect reviews tied to completed orders. Eligible reviews can display a “Verified by Shop” badge, while apps like Judge.me, Junip, and Okendo offer similar purchase-verification features.
Use positive reviews across marketing channels
You can incorporate customer quotes, ratings, and photos into email campaigns, paid ads, landing pages, and social media content. Reusing this material allows business owners to extend the impact of a single review across multiple parts of the customer journey.
Many review platforms provide widgets and integrations that make this process easier. For example, apps like Yotpo and Klaviyo Reviews allow merchants to pull customer testimonials directly into email templates and on-site content, reducing the need to manually copy and format reviews.
Reviews used in marketing must comply with the Consumer Review Fairness Act, as well as the FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, according to the FTC.
Turn negative reviews into insights
Not every review will be glowing, and negative feedback can provide insights into how your business can improve. Complaints about sizing, packaging, shipping delays, or product performance can reveal patterns that may not be obvious through internal data alone. When multiple customers raise the same issue, it can point to a specific operational or product problem.
Respond to the reviews you generate
Responding to Google reviews is part of online reputation management—it signals that your business is actively engaged with customers. As you generate reviews, you’ll receive both positive and negative feedback. Responding to all of it can have a meaningful impact on current and potential customers.
According to research from BrightLocal, 42% of consumers say they won’t buy from a business that totally ignores their reviews and 89% believe businesses have a duty to respond to customer feedback.
Businesses can thank customers for positive feedback, acknowledge shortcomings, clarify misunderstandings, and document recurring complaints for their operations team. Responding thoughtfully to critical feedback demonstrates that your business is paying attention. Business owners can acknowledge the issue, explain how they are addressing it, and use those lessons to improve future customer experiences.
Over time, this feedback loop helps brands refine products and customer service while maintaining a more responsive and credible online presence.
Review generation FAQ
What is review generation?
Review generation is the process of systematically asking customers to share feedback after they purchase and receive a product. Those responses can include star ratings, written comments, and photo or video submissions. You can use review generation software to automatically send review requests by email, SMS, or in-app prompts rather than collecting feedback manually.
Is review gating illegal?
Yes, according to the Federal Trade Commission, review gating is illegal. Review gating is the practice of asking customers for feedback privately and only encouraging those with positive experiences to post public reviews.
How do you generate reviews?
Generate reviews by automating requests after a customer receives their order. Most review platforms allow merchants to schedule emails or SMS messages that include a direct link to a review form. Customers can then submit a star rating, written comments, and, in some cases, photos or videos.
