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    Guide for retail

    Google reviews for shops and online stores

    Shoppers use Google reviews to decide which local shop to visit and whether an online store is safe to buy from. This guide covers how to ask in store and online, how to handle the Christmas rush and delivery complaints, and what Google allows.

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    Store reviews and product reviews are different

    Product reviews on your website tell shoppers about an item. Google reviews tell them about your business: service, range, returns, delivery and whether you are trustworthy. Both matter, but Google reviews are what people see when they search for your shop name or for a type of shop near them.

    For a bricks-and-mortar shop, Google reviews influence foot traffic directly. For an online store, they reassure first-time buyers that you are a real business that delivers.

    Asking in store

    • A QR code at the counter, on receipts and on bags that opens your Google review form. The free Google review link generator makes the code and a printable card.
    • A short line at checkout when a customer is clearly pleased: "Glad we could help. If you get a moment, a Google review helps a small shop like ours."
    • Staff who know why reviews matter. Explain it once at a team meeting and include it in training for new and seasonal staff.

    Our guide to Google review cards covers what to print and where to put it.

    Asking online customers

    Send the request after the order has arrived, not when it ships. A few days after delivery gives the customer time to open the parcel and try the product. If you know the delivery date, time the request from that.

    Keep the message short, use the customer's first name, and include one clear link. If the order had a problem, the customer should be able to reply to the email and reach a person. Upload a CSV of recent customers from your store platform to Rocket Review, or add them by hand, and each one is asked after the delay you choose.

    Send the request to the email address or mobile number the customer gave you for the order, and keep it separate from marketing emails. A request buried under a sale banner reads as an advert and gets ignored.

    Seasonal staff and busy days

    Retail leans on casual and seasonal staff, and they are often the ones serving customers on the busiest days. Include the review ask in their first-day briefing: what to say, where the QR code is, and that every customer gets the same offer. Keep it light. A new staff member pushing every shopper for a review does more harm than good.

    On the busiest days, let the receipt, the bag and the counter card do the asking, and save the spoken ask for customers who have had a longer conversation with staff, such as help choosing a gift or sorting a return. Those customers have something specific to say, which makes for the most useful reviews.

    Reviews that mention a staff member by name are worth passing on to that person. They are good for morale and they show the rest of the team what customers notice.

    Read your reviews as a source of ideas too. If several customers mention the same thing, such as a range they wish you stocked, slow returns or a helpful click and collect, that is free market research. Fix the complaints, keep doing what people praise, and mention both in your replies so future shoppers see you listen.

    Christmas, sales and gift buyers

    The run from Black Friday to Boxing Day brings the most customers of the year, many of them first-timers. Shoppers who have never used you before lean heavily on reviews, so this is when a steady flow of recent reviews is worth the most.

    Two things make December different. Gift buyers often cannot judge the product until it is opened, so ask about the service and delivery rather than the item. And delivery delays cause most of the complaints, so reply quickly, explain what happened without blaming the courier, and fix it where you can. A delay handled well can still earn a good review.

    Plan ahead: prepare your review link and wording in October, brief seasonal staff in November, and keep asking through January when gift cards and exchanges bring people back. See the seasonal review calendar.

    Handling complaints

    Retail complaints are usually about stock, refunds, delivery or a staff interaction. Reply promptly, stick to the facts, and offer to put it right privately. Customers in New Zealand and Australia have consumer guarantee rights, so be careful not to reply in a way that suggests you will not honour them.

    Our guide to responding to negative reviews has wording for the common cases, and can you remove Google reviews? covers the rare reviews Google will take down.

    What Google allows

    • Asking every customer for a review is fine.
    • Discounts, gift cards or entry into a draw in return for a review are not allowed.
    • Asking only happy customers is not allowed. Offer the same link to everyone.
    • Fake reviews, including reviews from staff or family, break Google's policy and can breach fair trading law.

    Let the requests send themselves

    Rocket Review sends your review request to every customer you approve, by email, or by SMS/TXT on Growth and Pro, after the delay you choose, with one optional reminder. Customers come in from Xero invoices, a CSV upload or manual entry, and every customer gets the same two choices: a public Google review or private feedback to you. You can read and reply to your Google reviews from the same dashboard.

    Starter $39, Growth $59 and Pro $99 a month, in NZD excl. GST. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial, and you do not need a card to start. See pricing or how automated review requests work.

    Related reading

    Common questions

    When should an online store ask for a Google review?
    A few days after the order is delivered, once the customer has opened it and tried the product. Asking when the order ships is too early.
    Can a shop run a prize draw for customers who leave reviews?
    No. Google's policy does not allow incentives for reviews, including prize draws, discounts and gift cards. Reviews obtained that way can be removed.
    How should a retailer reply to a delivery complaint?
    Quickly and calmly. Apologise for the delay, explain briefly what happened without blaming anyone, and offer to put it right privately. Future customers judge you on the reply.
    Does Rocket Review connect to my online store?
    Xero is the built-in integration. For store platforms, export recent customers as a CSV file and upload it, or add customers by hand. Connectors for other software with an API are assessed on request.

    More guides

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    Starts the Growth plan, NZD $59/month excl. GST after your 14-day trial. Cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing.