Shopify has recently announced that it will remove its native reviews app in May.
On May 6, 2024, the Product Reviews app will be removed from Shopify and will no longer be available to install. After this time, you'll no longer have access to your existing product reviews, and reviews from the app will no longer be displayed in your store. To continue collecting and displaying product reviews on your store, you need to migrate to another product review app before May 6, 2024.
The presence of positive reviews on your e-commerce site is not merely beneficial; it's essential. They serve as a testament to the quality of your products and the reliability of your service, fostering trust among prospective customers. Reviews act as a form of social proof, persuading undecided shoppers to make a wise choice by choosing your brand.
Shopify has partnered with the following five apps that can help sync your reviews between channels, including your online store and the Shop app:
We have researched each app and created a pros and cons list, helping you decide which Shopify review app is best for you.
Judge.me
Pros:
- Free Unlimited Plan: Judge.me offers a comprehensive free plan with unlimited review requests, including advanced features like in-email reviews or reviews with pictures/videos. This plan is suitable for businesses at any scale looking to leverage customer feedback without incurring additional costs.
- Customisation and Integration: It provides extensive customisation options for displaying reviews in user-friendly widgets, such as reviews, star ratings, carousels, and more. Judge.me also integrates well with Shopify themes and other apps like Klaviyo, Gorgias, and LoyaltyLion, enhancing the overall functionality of your e-commerce site.
- SEO and Social Media Sharing: The app supports SEO optimisation through rich snippets and allows sharing of reviews on various social media platforms. These features help improve your site's visibility and drive traffic from Google and social media.
Cons:
- App Branding in Free Version: The free plan offers numerous features but comes with Judge.me branding. You'll need to upgrade to the paid plan to remove this and access more advanced features.
- Admin UI Complexity: Some users find the admin interface less intuitive and somewhat complicated, which could pose a learning curve for new users.
- Residual Script: Uninstalling Judge.me may leave a script in your theme, which could require manual removal. This might be a technical hurdle for non-technical users.
Loox
Pros:
- Automated and Visual Review Collection: Loox excels in automatically collecting product reviews, offering incentives for customers to add photos or videos to their reviews. This enhances the credibility and attractiveness of the reviews, providing potential customers with authentic visual proof of product quality.
- Customisation and Integration: The app offers a wide range of customisable widgets that match your brand style, including carousels, pop-ups, and badges. It integrates with major platforms like Google Shopping, Meta Shops, and the Shop App, extending the reach of your reviews.
- User-Friendly and Efficient Support: Merchants appreciate Loox's user-friendly interface, quick setup, and efficient, responsive customer support team. This positive experience is consistently highlighted in user testimonials.
Cons:
- Pricing Structure: While Loox offers a 14-day free trial, its pricing starts at $9.99/month after the trial, which may be a consideration for small businesses or those just beginning. The cost increases with the scale of your operations, which could add up depending on the size of your business and the volume of reviews you process.
- Limited Free Trial: The 14-day free trial offers an excellent opportunity to test out the app. However, given the depth of features and customisations available, some businesses might need more time to fully assess its impact on their store before committing to a paid plan.
- Focus on Visual Reviews: While the emphasis on photo and video reviews is a significant strength, it might only align with some types of products or services. Some businesses may find their products need to be more suited to this kind of visual display, limiting the app's utility.
Okendo
Pros:
- Seamless Shopify Integration: Okendo is praised for its smooth integration with Shopify. It offers a customisable, fast-loading review widget that enhances brand presentation without compromising site speed. It's an affordable option for e-commerce brands, starting at just $19/month, making it a preferred choice for both medium—and enterprise-level companies.
- Comprehensive Review Collection and Display: The platform collects high-quality image and video reviews alongside specific product attributes like sizing through low-friction processes. It supports incentivising reviews with discounts and rewards directly from its platform. Okendo's review widget allows for easy customisation and doesn't slow down your site, which is a common issue with other review platforms.
- Google Shopping Integration and Speed: As an official Google Reviews partner, Okendo enables review ratings to be shown in Google Shopping results, boosting ad performance through added social proof and trust. Its reviews widget is notably fast, ensuring that it doesn't negatively impact your site's loading time, which is crucial for maintaining a good user experience.
Cons:
- Limited Platform Integrations: Currently, Okendo only offers native integration with Shopify. If you're using other e-commerce platforms like BigCommerce or WooCommerce, consider alternatives or be prepared for additional development work to achieve seamless integration.
- No Built-in Referral and Loyalty Integration: Unlike competitors offering built-in referral and loyalty programs, Okendo requires third-party solutions for these features. While the platform recently launched loyalty and referral functionalities, they are relatively new and not as tested as other dedicated solutions.
- Review Submission Process: Okendo does not support submitting reviews directly within an email; users must click a link to a separate webpage to leave their reviews. This could add friction to the review submission process, potentially affecting the overall number of reviews collected.
Stamped.io
Pros:
- Comprehensive Review Management: Stamped.io offers a broad set of features for collecting and managing reviews, including photo and video reviews, checkout reviews, product Q&As, and more. It supports importing reviews from various sources like AliExpress and Facebook, allowing businesses to consolidate their review management in one place.
- Highly Customisable Widgets: The platform includes over ten widgets in its free plan, enhancing the visual appeal of reviews on your store. Even though it runs on an external site, Stamped.io uses Shopify's Polaris UI, ensuring a consistent user experience that feels integrated with Shopify's platform.
- Automated Review Collection and Rich Snippets: Stamped.io automates the process of collecting reviews through emails and during checkout, offering incentives like discount codes to customers. Additionally, it improves Google Shopping & SEO through search-rich snippets, boosting your site's visibility on search engines.
Cons:
- Limited Free Plan: The free plan is capped at 50 orders per month, which might not be sufficient for businesses with higher transaction volumes. As your business grows, you'll likely need to upgrade to a paid plan to continue leveraging the full suite of features.
- Theme Integration Issues: Some users have reported challenges integrating the review widget with themes that use a black background, although this can be resolved with custom CSS code. If your site uses a dark theme, this is something to be aware of.
- External User Interface: The app's interface is not embedded directly into your Shopify platform but operates on an external site. While it uses a Shopify design system for a familiar feel, some users prefer an app fully integrated into the Shopify backend for a more seamless experience.
Yotpo
Pros:
- Seamless Shopify Integration: Yotpo offers seamless integration with Shopify, enhancing the user experience with an automated review request system that generates valuable customer feedback post-purchase. Its customisable review widgets contribute to an aesthetically pleasing store appearance and leverage social proof to boost customer confidence and conversion rates.
- Comprehensive Review Management: This app excels in collecting and displaying user-generated content such as ratings, reviews, photos, and Q&As. Yotpo's AI-powered widgets and smart filters help brands display relevant content, building buyer confidence. It is a marketer-friendly solution with customisable review widgets and integration capabilities with social media and search engines like Google.
- Powerful Analytics and Exceptional Support: Yotpo provides powerful analytics tools and exceptional customer support, including 24/7 chat support. These features make it an indispensable tool for e-commerce entrepreneurs seeking to create a trustworthy and appealing online presence. The app also retains reviews when migrating from other platforms or themes, offering scalability with different pricing options.
Cons:
- Complicated Setup for Non-Technical Users: While Yotpo offers a wide range of features and integrations, setting up the app can be complicated, especially for those who need more technical expertise. However, this challenge can be mitigated by following instructions or seeking help from Yotpo's support team.
- Limited Functionality of the Free Plan: The free plan is limited to 50 monthly orders, which might not suffice for businesses with higher volumes. Brands looking to utilise more advanced features, such as photo reviews or offering discounts in exchange for reviews, must upgrade to a paid plan, starting from $15/month, which varies based on order volume.
- External User Interface: The app's user interface is not embedded within the Shopify platform but runs on an external site. This separation might affect the seamless experience some users expect when managing their e-commerce tools directly from Shopify's administrative system.
NB's advice: After careful consideration, we will recommend Judge.me to most of our clients as it offers the most generous free tier, and we liked the SEO and Social Media Sharing features that came with the app.
Are you looking for a Shopify expert? NB Communication was one of the first agencies in Scotland to be officially recognised as Shopify Experts and has since worked with major brands throughout the UK, including jewellery brand Sheila Fleet and Scotland's second national drink, Irn Bru.
Get in touch today to discuss your Shopify development project.