A Guide to Automating Product Reviews and Boosting Customer Retention with AutomateWoo for WooCommerce

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, customer reviews are more than just testimonials; they're a powerful tool for building trust, driving conversions, and obtaining invaluable insights into your products and services. However, gathering reviews can be a time-consuming process, often requiring manual outreach and follow-up. That's where automation tools like AutomateWoo come into play.

This guide & video walk you through making an automation so that when a customer makes their first initial purchases, they'll receive an email asking for them to review the product(s) they purchased. If they leave a review, they receive a coupon that can only be used by their account, thus preventing fraud & coupon abuse.

Whether you're new to WooCommerce or looking to optimize an existing setup, this guide will provide the steps to enhance your customer engagement strategy.

Why Customer Reviews Matter for Your WooCommerce Store

The importance of customer reviews cannot be overstated. They serve multiple purposes, such as:

• Building Trust: Reviews act as social proof, assuring new customers that they can trust your products.
• Increasing Conversions: A positive review can tip the scales in your favor when a potential customer is on the fence.
• Providing Valuable Insights: Reviews can offer an unbiased look at what's working and what needs improvement in your product offerings.

AutomateWoo: The Perfect Tool for WooCommerce Automation

If you're asking, "Why AutomateWoo?", here's your answer:

• Advanced Automation Capabilities: From sending follow-up emails to abandoned cart recovery, AutomateWoo boasts over 50 event triggers.
• Customer Segmentation: Target your customer base more effectively with tailored marketing strategies.
• Integrated Email Marketing Tools: Create and send custom email campaigns directly through WooCommerce, eliminating the need for expensive marketing automation services.

Setting Up AutomateWoo for WooCommerce

Getting started with Automate Woo is straightforward:

1. Purchase the Plugin: Visit the AutomateWoo website and purchase the plugin.
2. Download and Install: After purchasing, download the plugin (a zip file) and install it via the Wordpress dashboard – Plugins -> Add New -> Upload Plugin -> Upload the zip file of AutomateWoo -> Activate the plugin.

Workflow 1: Post-Purchase Email Requesting Review

Automating your product reviews can be done in a few steps:

1. Access AutomateWoo Workflows: Navigate to the AutomateWoo Workflows section within your WooCommerce dashboard.
2. Create a New WorkflowWorkflows are the format in which your automated tasks and marketing campaigns are designed. A workflow is made up of different combinations of Triggers, Actions and Rules.: Click on Add Workflow to start setting up your automated email.
3. Choose TriggerA trigger describes a circumstance which may occur and lets you automate specific responses.: Specify what should trigger the review request, such as a product purchase or in our case, whenever an order is marked Complete. View a full list of triggers here.
4. Choose RulesImplementing a rule or two gives you the ability to tailor a workflow to your store and marketing strategies. Each rule comes with comparison statements such as is, matches any, is less than and is greater than which you can pair with the value of each rule.: In our example, we want to target new customers and their successive orders, up-to four orders. View a full list of rules here.
5. Choose ActionsActions are steps taken when your trigger has fired and the customer has met the rules criteria, like giving a discount(action) once a customer has spent (trigger) over $100 (rule) in your store.: In our case, we're going to send the customer an email asking for them to review their recent purchase. View a full list of actions here.

Using Variables

Take notice that we're using {{ customer.email }} for the To field of the email, and {{ order.items | template: 'review-rows' }} in the email body. AutomateWoo will automatically inject the user's email, and the products of their order with a link to review, respectively. These variables are available to use throughout different actions. We're going to use one for our coupon generation too. While the variable list is extensive, a short list is covered here.

Workflow 2: Rewarding Loyal Customers

So we've sent an email and the person left us a product review, now what? Let's reward them!

Set Up a Coupon Template

1. Navigate to Marketing > Coupons.
2. Set up a template coupon with your preferred settings.

Create the Sending Coupon Email Workflow

1. Go to Automate Woo and create a new workflow.
2. Set the trigger: New Review Posted.
3. Rule: Limit to customers who've received fewer than two coupons. We do this by limiting the Workflow Run Count for Customer to 2 or whatever number you'd like.

Coupon Email Customization

1. Use raw HTML for maximum customization. Find and customize a template from Stripo. In the email where you want your coupon code to appear, copy the code from the next step. An example template is here. Ctrl-F in the code and look for where {{ customer.generate_coupon is placed.

2. Choose the AutomateWoo variable customer.generate_coupon to auto-generate unique coupon codes. Choose the template you created earlier, set an optional expiration date (expires from X number of days from when the coupon email gets sent). You may also include a prefix text to the coupon code that is generated. This will help you quickly see in your reports when someone uses one of these codes. Limit the coupon usage to 1 use or however many you'd like.

Final Review and Activation

1. Check the Preview to make sure everything looks good.
2. Turn on and save the workflow!

AutomateWoo isn't just about reviews. Here are some additional features for customer loyalty:

• Issue Coupons: Automatically send coupons to repeat customers.
• Send Thank-You Emails: Automate a personalized thank-you email after a purchase using the customers name, products they purchased, and much more.
• Offer Exclusive Deals: Give your loyal customers access to exclusive promotions and offers.

Conclusion: Automate WooCommerce Reviews to Enhance Customer Experience

If you're serious about taking your WooCommerce store to the next level, investing in AutomateWoo is a no-brainer. From automating WooCommerce reviews to rewarding your most loyal customers, this plugin offers a comprehensive suite of tools that can be a game-changer for your business.

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