In our recent research among brands selling in the UAE we found two components to improve customer experience on Amazon were often lacking. Positive reviews from local customers and answering customer questions are both key to building your brand reputation on Amazon, and will ultimately contribute to an increased conversion rate. As part of our recent Amazon UAE Benchmarking study, we reviewed brands being sold on Amazon in the Middle East across 5 different categories; Fashion & Apparel, Beauty, Electronics, Vitamins & Supplements, and Home & Kitchen to understand the customer experience they were delivering. Below we outline our findings in these two key areas.

Reviews can impact more than just Amazon sales

Negative reviews are increasingly problematic for brands selling in the Middle East. There is a strong correlation between listings having too many unauthorised sellers, particularly cross-border sellers and negative local reviews. Negative reviews can be harmful to your brand reputation, and we found that categories such as Beauty and Vitamins & Supplements were most affected by customers questioning the authenticity of products they had received. This can damage your brand reputation more broadly, and deter customers from buying your products from other sales channels too. By having Amazon Brand Registry, and working with an authorised seller such as Pattern, reviews can be cleaned up if it can be proved that it was not related to that specific product, or the product supplied was fake. Although this can be a manual and time-consuming job, further down the line it will have a huge impact on your brand image, sales conversion and search results ranking.

Brands not responding to customer questions

Another key element to providing a great customer experience on Amazon in the UAE is by answering customer questions in a timely manner, as consumers submitting them are likely to be close to making a purchase decision. This is particularly important if your products are only available on Amazon in the region, as the marketplace is the primary source of product information. Out of the 50 brands we analysed, only one brand directly replied to any questions asked on the listings, and even then this was not consistent across all of its listings. We recommend that brands address the questions themselves, rather than leaving other customers or third-party sellers to answer as this could result in inaccurate information about the product and ultimately deterring customers from completing a purchase. Customer questions also help you to understand the knowledge and information your audience is seeking about your brand and/or product. Brands should also take time to optimise their listings to include information asked for in questions to increase conversion rates. Partnering with a professional Amazon seller such as Pattern can help you to deliver an exceptional customer experience on Amazon, and increase the likelihood of customers visiting your page completing a purchase. Download the full report to see how all 50 brands performed, supported by best practise examples of listings that will help you succeed on Amazon.ae.