5 Stars: Behind the Scenes of Amazon's Rating System

If you're a relatively new seller, you might be trying to understand how the Amazon rating system works.

For example, what's the difference between a "review" and "feedback"? Where do buyers provide ratings, and how can you get them? How does all of this impact your account health and sales revenue?

These are all great questions! In this article, we'll explain how the Amazon rating system works for both seller feedback and product reviews. We'll also cover how each of these ratings impacts you as a seller.

The 5-Star Rating Scale

Buyers can rate their experience with you as a seller (seller feedback) and/or their experience with the item you're selling (product review). Seller feedback and product review ratings are both provided on a 5-star scale, with 1-star being the worst rating. 

Both feedback and reviews are displayed on Amazon as average ratings. Buyers must provide a star rating and written text when leaving seller feedback. Amazon reviews may include videos, photos, and written text in addition to the star rating. They can also be provided as a simple product rating on the five-star scale without text.

Your feedback score appears on your seller profile. It can impact your ability to win the Buy Box, your Amazon account health, and your eligibility to participate in various Amazon programs. When providing seller feedback, buyers are asked if the item was as you described it. They are also asked if the item's packaging was sufficient, whether you were professional in interactions, whether they would buy an item from you again, and what could have improved their purchasing experience.

Your product's average review rating is displayed in Amazon's search results so shoppers can quickly compare similar offerings. A potential buyer can see all reviews for your product by clicking on the product detail page. The reviews are visible at the bottom of the page along with a breakdown of how previous buyers have ranked specific product features. Common phrases from written reviews you have received are displayed right above the actual reviews. 

Understanding the Amazon Rating System

Both feedback and reviews impact your ability to sell on Amazon. The Amazon rating system is designed to ensure that customer expectations are met, both with the actual fulfillment of each order and with the product itself.

A poor Amazon seller feedback rating can cause account health issues and may even affect your ability to sell on the platform. Amazon product ratings and written reviews affect everything from your product's position in organic search to your ability to advertise. Also, a history of poor reviews will make buyers think twice before clicking add to cart...if they even see your product in the first place.

Getting feedback and reviews is the best way to keep your seller account healthy and improve the visibility of your products. In both cases, the best way to get them is to ask for them! We've written extensively about how to get seller feedback and product reviews, but the most efficient way is to send automated requests with software that is found in the Amazon Selling Partner Appstore, such as our own FeedbackFive.

Automate Amazon Rating Requests

You can use FeedbackFive to automate requests through two different Amazon systems: Buyer-Seller Messaging or Request a Review.

Buyer-Seller Messaging allows for some customization, but it's very important to follow the Amazon Communication Guidelines and related policies when sending this type of message.

Many sellers (including 77% of our customers!) prefer to send the Request a Review message. It includes a product review request and a seller feedback request in the same message. It's also 100% compliant with Amazon policies. You can schedule the timing of the message by SKU, automatically exclude refunded orders, and much more with FeedbackFive.

FeedbackFive also includes other useful features such as the ability to monitor and export reviews, analytics for both feedback and reviews received, and product listing alerts to help you identify search-suppressed listings.

Improve Your Amazon Ratings

As you can see, both feedback and reviews play an important role for Amazon sellers. Proactively requesting and managing these ratings can help you build your seller reputation and increase sales.