Review Collection Best Practices for Shopify Stores

Reviews are the backbone of e-commerce trust. But collecting them consistently — especially high-quality reviews with photos and videos — is one of the most persistent challenges Shopify merchants face. The average review request conversion rate sits around 5-10%, meaning 90-95% of your customers never leave a review at all.

The good news is that review collection is a solvable problem. With the right timing, the right incentives, and the right follow-up sequences, you can realistically double or triple your review collection rate. This guide covers the specific tactics that work in 2026, backed by what top-performing Shopify stores are actually doing.

Why Review Collection Matters (Even If You Already Have Reviews)

If you have 20+ reviews on your best sellers, you might think you are covered. But review collection is not a one-time task — it is an ongoing program, and here is why:

Recency matters. Shoppers look at review dates. A product with 200 reviews but none from the last three months looks like it might be discontinued or declining in quality. Fresh reviews signal an active, trusted product.

Volume builds confidence. The difference between 15 reviews and 150 reviews is not linear — it is a trust multiplier. Higher review counts make individual negative reviews less threatening and give visitors more data points to evaluate.

Diverse perspectives sell. Each new review potentially addresses a use case, body type, scenario, or concern that previous reviews did not cover. A diverse review library answers more prospective customer questions.

Content for optimization. The more reviews you have, the more effective your review display optimization becomes. Review summaries, photo galleries, and keyword-based filtering all improve with more review content to draw from.

Timing: When to Ask for Reviews

Timing is the single biggest factor in review collection success. Ask too early and the customer has not used the product. Ask too late and the purchase excitement has faded.

The Optimal Timeline

Day 0-2 (Post-purchase): Do not ask for a review. The customer is waiting for their order and is not ready to evaluate anything. This is the time for order confirmation and shipping notification — not review requests.

Day 7-14 (After delivery): This is the primary review request window. The customer has received the product, had time to use it, and the purchase is still fresh in their mind. For most product categories, sending your first review request 7-10 days after confirmed delivery hits the sweet spot.

Day 14-21 (Follow-up): If the customer did not respond to the first request, send a follow-up. Keep it brief and low-pressure. "We would love to hear your thoughts — even a quick star rating helps future shoppers."

Day 30+ (Photo/video request): For customers who left a text review, circle back after they have had more time with the product to request a photo or video review. They have already shown willingness to share feedback, so this request has a higher conversion rate than asking cold.

Category-Specific Adjustments

Not all products have the same evaluation timeline:

Fashion and apparel: 5-7 days after delivery. Customers know immediately if they like how something looks and fits.
Skincare and supplements: 21-30 days after delivery. Results take time, and early reviews will not reflect the product's actual performance.
Electronics and tools: 10-14 days after delivery. Customers need time to set up and use the product in real conditions.
Food and consumables: 3-5 days after delivery. The experience is immediate.

Trigger-Based Timing

Advanced review collection uses event-based triggers rather than fixed timelines:

Delivery confirmation from your shipping carrier triggers the review request countdown
Repeat purchase triggers a review request for the original product (the customer clearly liked it enough to buy again)
Support resolution triggers a review request if the support interaction was positive
Loyalty milestone (e.g., 5th order) triggers a request targeted at long-term customers whose reviews carry extra weight

Email Templates That Actually Work

The First Request

Subject line options that perform well:

"How is your [Product Name]?"
"[First Name], we would love your feedback"
"Your opinion matters — quick review?"

Template structure:

Personal greeting with the customer's first name
Product reminder — include the product image and name so they know exactly what you are asking about
The ask — be specific and make it feel easy. "Leave a quick star rating and a sentence or two about your experience."
One-click star rating — embedding a clickable star rating directly in the email dramatically increases response rates. The customer clicks a star and lands on your review form with the rating pre-filled.
Social motivation — "Your review helps other shoppers make confident decisions." This frames the action as helpful, not self-serving.

Keep it short. The entire email should be readable in 15 seconds. Long emails with multiple CTAs and marketing content bury the review request and kill response rates.

The Follow-Up

Send 5-7 days after the first request to non-responders.

Shorter than the first email. One to two sentences maximum.
Different angle. If the first email focused on helping other shoppers, the follow-up might focus on helping improve the product: "Your feedback helps us make [Product Name] even better."
Even lower barrier. "Even a quick star rating with no written review is helpful."

The Photo/Video Request

Send to customers who have already left a text review.

Acknowledge their existing review. "Thanks for your review of [Product Name] — it is helping other shoppers."
Specific request. "Would you add a quick photo showing how you use it? Photo reviews get 10x more views than text-only reviews."
Make it dead simple. Provide a direct link to add a photo to their existing review, not a form that requires re-entering their review.

Incentives: What Works and What Backfires

Effective Incentive Structures

Discount codes remain the most effective review incentive. A 10-15% discount on the next purchase provides clear value and encourages repeat buying simultaneously. Key rules:

Offer the same discount regardless of star rating. Paying for positive reviews is unethical and violates most platform terms of service.
Make the discount code automatic — do not require the customer to remember or apply it manually.
Set a reasonable expiration (30-60 days) to create mild urgency for the next purchase.

Photo/video bonuses. Offer an additional incentive for visual reviews on top of the base review incentive. For example: "Get 10% off for a review, or 20% off for a review with a photo or video."

Loyalty points work well if you have an existing loyalty program. Points feel less transactional than direct discounts and integrate into a broader engagement strategy.

Giveaway entries are effective for building volume. "Every review enters you to win a $500 shopping spree" motivates participation without the per-review cost of discount codes.

What to Avoid

Cash payments for reviews. This crosses the line from incentivizing to purchasing and will damage your credibility if discovered.

Incentivizing only positive reviews. This is not just unethical — it is illegal in many jurisdictions. Offer the same incentive for all honest reviews regardless of rating.

Overly large incentives. A 50% discount for a review feels like a bribe. It also attracts low-quality "thanks for the discount" reviews rather than genuine feedback.

Complex redemption processes. If the customer needs to screenshot their review, email it to your support team, and wait for a manual discount code, you have already lost them. Automate everything.

Collecting Photo and Video Reviews

Visual reviews are disproportionately valuable — they influence purchase decisions more than text reviews and provide content for UGC displays across your store.

Making Visual Reviews Easy

Mobile-optimized submission. Most customers will submit photos and videos from their phone. Your review form must be mobile-first with large tap targets, camera access, and easy file upload.

Clear guidelines. Tell customers exactly what kind of photo or video is most helpful: "Show the product in use, in natural lighting. Even a 10-second video makes a difference."

Low file size requirements. Do not reject submissions because they exceed an arbitrary file size limit. Compress on your end.

Multiple formats. Accept photos, videos, and even screen recordings. The more formats you accept, the more submissions you get.

Video-Specific Tips

Video reviews take more effort to create, so you need to reduce friction aggressively:

Keep it short. Ask for 15-30 second videos, not 5-minute productions.
No editing expected. Make it clear that raw, authentic footage is exactly what you want.
Provide prompts. "What do you like most about [Product]?" or "How does it compare to what you used before?" give customers a starting point.

Platform-Specific Considerations

Shopify Email vs Dedicated Review Apps

Shopify's built-in email tools can send basic review request emails, but dedicated review apps provide significant advantages:

In-email star rating widgets that pre-fill the review form
Automated follow-up sequences based on response status
Photo and video upload integrated into the review form
Incentive automation (discount code generation and delivery)
Review moderation workflows

Whether you use Eevy AI, Judge.me, Loox, or another app, a dedicated review collection tool pays for itself through higher collection rates.

SMS Review Requests

SMS review requests have open rates 5-8x higher than email. If you have SMS marketing consent from your customers, a well-timed text message with a direct link to your review form can significantly boost collection rates.

Keep SMS requests extremely concise: "Hey [Name], how is your [Product]? Leave a quick review here: [link]"

Post-Purchase Page Requests

The order confirmation and thank-you pages are underutilized review collection opportunities. While the customer has not yet received the product, you can:

Ask them to set a reminder to review after receiving the product
Show reviews from other customers to set the expectation that reviewing is normal and valued
Pre-register them for a review request email

Managing and Responding to Reviews

Responding to Positive Reviews

Brief, personal responses to positive reviews show you are engaged and appreciative. Keep it genuine — a templated "Thank you for your review!" on every review feels automated. Reference something specific in their review.

Responding to Negative Reviews

Negative reviews are inevitable and, handled well, actually increase trust. Shoppers are suspicious of products with only positive reviews.

Respond promptly — ideally within 24-48 hours
Acknowledge the issue without being defensive
Offer a resolution — replacement, refund, or support contact
Take the conversation offline — provide a direct email or phone number for detailed resolution

A negative review followed by a thoughtful, helpful response from the brand often converts better than a generic positive review.

Review Moderation

Moderate for spam and inappropriate content, but do not delete genuine negative reviews. Your moderation policy should remove:

Spam or promotional content unrelated to your products
Reviews containing personal information (addresses, phone numbers)
Profanity or abusive language
Reviews clearly intended for a different product

Everything else — including critical feedback — should stay published. Your response to criticism is part of your brand story.

Scaling Review Collection

Automating the Entire Flow

The goal is a fully automated review collection pipeline:

Customer places an order
Shipping carrier confirms delivery
Review request email triggers automatically (Day 7-10 post-delivery)
Non-responder follow-up sends automatically (Day 14-17)
Text review responders get an automatic photo/video follow-up (Day 30+)
Incentive codes are generated and delivered automatically upon review submission
Reviews are published after automated moderation screening

Once this pipeline is running, you collect reviews consistently without any manual effort.

Multi-Product Reviews

For orders with multiple products, send separate review requests for each product — but stagger them. Asking for five reviews in one email overwhelms the customer. Send requests for different products on different days.

Conclusion

Consistent review collection is a competitive advantage that compounds over time. Every review you collect today strengthens your social proof tomorrow, provides content for optimization, and builds the trust library that converts future visitors.

Start with the basics: well-timed post-purchase emails with one-click star ratings and a low-friction review form. Then layer in photo and video requests, smart incentives, and automated follow-up sequences.

The stores that collect the most reviews are not the ones that ask the hardest. They are the ones that ask at the right time, in the right way, with the lowest possible friction. Get the system right once and it runs on autopilot.

For the collection and display side of the equation, Eevy AI offers built-in review collection flows alongside its automated display optimization — so you can focus on running your store while your review library and its conversion impact grow automatically.