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Education

to fight it. What merchants can con-
trol, however, is how they respond to The truth is the most effective marketing plan for any
those negative reviews merchant today is to simply take control of their online
presence. Millions of people use review sites like Google
At Womply, we recommend respond-
ing to all reviews because there's evi- and Yelp every minute to search for businesses precisely
dence that simply posting a consider- when they're looking to make a purchase. In a sense, these
ate response has a positive impact on sites have created a tractor beam that pulls shoppers into
revenue. It doesn't have to be hard.
For positive reviews, advise your local businesses when there's an urgency to buy.
merchants to post a simple thank-
you message. For negative reviews,
tell them to apologize briefly for the
bad experience (even if it's not their
fault) and give the customer a way to Maybe we need to rethink this race to the bottom...
contact them via email or phone to
take the conversation offline.
Get more reviews
Getting more online reviews helps
small business in two ways. First, it
calibrates the business's online re-
view score to the true experience,
rather than letting a few negative
reviews skew perception. Second, it
frames the business as current and
up-to-date because, as BrightLocal's
consumer review found, 73 percent
of consumers think reviews more
than three months old aren't relevant.

For most merchants' businesses, get-
ting more reviews will naturally lead
to a higher star rating. To accomplish
both of these vital tasks, encourage Tired of being promised the kitchen sink to find yourself circling the drain?
your merchants to ask their happy
customers to post a review. BrightLo- Let’s be realistic. We’re tired of seeing others’ impossible promises,
cal research also shows that seven in because in the end, we know it’s all hype.
10 consumers will post a review if
you simply ask. We don’t do wake up calls, but we’ll throw in some business cards!
The Merchant Store Promise:
These days, consumers peruse a • 65 - 80% commission
business's "digital storefront" instead • Transaction fees: 2 - 5 cents!
of physically window shopping, and • $1.00 - $4.50 statement fees!
they use the social proof of online • Up-front cash!
reviews as a proxy for personal rec- • True revenue sharing!
ommendations. By helping your mer- • Wholesale equipment pricing!
chants evolve into this new reality, • Terminal and POS placement options!
• And, one-on-one support, when and how you need it!
you'll help them with one of their top
concerns: attracting more customers.
Real partner solutions for real agents!
Barry Davis is Vice President of Business To setup your custom agent program,
Development at Womply, the top software TheMerchantStore Contact us at: 844.898.2884
partner to the payments industry and the Minding your business or Visit our website: MsiAgents.com
top provider of front-office software to small
businesses. For more tips or resources, reach LIFETIME RESIDUALS :: UP-FRONT CASH :: WHOLESALE EQUIPMENT
out to the Womply team at partnerships@ Merchant Store Inc. is a registered ISO/MSP of: Deutsche Bank AG; New York, New York;
womply.com. and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, CA. American Express may require separate approval.

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