How to Get Your First Reviews on Shopee and Lazada Thailand

Reviews are the most important metric in the first 90 days on any Thai marketplace. Not ads. Not promotions. Not your product images. Reviews.

The reason is simple. Shopee and Lazada both use review count and review score as primary inputs in their ranking algorithm. A product with fewer than ten reviews or a score below 4.5 is disadvantaged against competitors with stronger review histories regardless of product quality, price, or listing content.

Getting to ten reviews with a score above 4.5 is not a nice-to-have for a new store. It is the primary objective that unlocks everything else.

Why Reviews Matter More Than Anything Else at Launch

The platform algorithm has no data on a new store. No conversion history, no sales velocity, no repeat buyer rate. Reviews are the fastest signal a new seller can give the algorithm that their store is legitimate and their buyers are satisfied.

A product with ten reviews at 4.8 average will outrank a better product with three reviews at 4.5 in most category searches. A store with a consistent review score above 4.5 gets better organic placement, higher ad efficiency and more exposure in platform promotional campaigns.

Getting reviews is not optional. It is the starting point for everything else.

The Platform Review Request Tools

Both Shopee and Lazada have built-in review request tools that sellers should activate immediately after launch.

Shopee: In your Seller Centre, go to My Sales, then Orders. For every delivered order, you can send a review reminder through the platform's automated system. Shopee sends the request on your behalf and the buyer receives a notification in the app. This is the most compliant and effective method. Do not ask for reviews outside the platform — Shopee's terms prohibit incentivised reviews and off-platform solicitation.

Lazada: In your Seller Centre, go to Orders, then Completed. Lazada's review request function works similarly — you can flag completed orders for review follow-up and the platform handles the communication. Lazada also has an automated review reminder that triggers a set number of days after delivery confirmation.

Activate both of these tools the day your store goes live. Do not wait until you have complaints. Set them up and let them run on every completed order from day one.

The Follow-Up Strategy That Generates Reviews Consistently

Beyond the platform tools, there are three additional things that consistently improve review generation rate.

Package insert. Include a small card in every order with a QR code that links directly to your store's review page. The card should thank the buyer, invite feedback, and make leaving a review as frictionless as possible. Keep the language warm and personal — not corporate. This is especially effective in Thailand where buyers respond well to personal gestures.

Chat follow-up. Three to five days after the estimated delivery date, send a brief message through the platform chat thanking the buyer for their order and asking if everything arrived as expected. Do not ask for a review directly in the first message. Ask how the product is. If they respond positively, follow up with a gentle review request. This two-step approach converts significantly better than a direct review request.

Response speed. Buyers who receive fast, helpful responses to their pre-purchase questions are significantly more likely to leave a review than buyers who felt ignored. Every chat message answered within 10 minutes is an investment in your review rate.

Getting to Your First Ten Reviews Fast

The fastest way to build initial review count is through your personal and professional network. Friends, colleagues, and existing customers from other channels who are willing to make a genuine purchase and leave a genuine review are your best starting resource.

This is not review manipulation — it is using your existing network to seed a legitimate sales record. The purchases need to be real, the products need to be delivered, and the reviews need to reflect genuine buyer experience.

Joining Shopee or Lazada's new seller promotional campaigns during the first 90 days also accelerates review building. These campaigns drive traffic to new stores specifically to generate early traction. The increased order volume creates more opportunities for reviews within a compressed timeframe.

Offering a small bundle incentive — a free sample, a branded insert, a handwritten note — with early orders creates a positive unboxing experience that buyers are more likely to photograph and share in their reviews. In Thailand, review photos significantly increase the trust value of a review for other buyers.

How to Respond to Reviews

Every review deserves a response. This is one of the most underused tools available to Shopee and Lazada sellers in Thailand.

A thoughtful response to a five-star review builds brand personality and shows potential buyers that there is a real person behind the store. A professional, empathetic response to a negative review does more for conversion than five additional positive reviews.

Responding to positive reviews: Keep it warm and specific. Reference something the buyer mentioned. Thank them genuinely. Invite them back. Keep it under three sentences.

Responding to negative reviews: Acknowledge the experience without being defensive. Apologise for the inconvenience regardless of whose fault it was. Offer a resolution — replacement, refund, follow-up. Move the conversation to chat for resolution. Thai buyers reading your response are watching how you handle problems, not just how happy your satisfied buyers are.

Never argue with a reviewer in a public response. Never question the legitimacy of their complaint in the response. Even if the review is unfair, your public response is read by every future buyer who visits that product page.

The Review Score to Maintain

Once you are above ten reviews with a score above 4.5, the goal is to maintain it. A score drop from 4.8 to 4.3 has a measurable negative effect on algorithm ranking and conversion rate.

Monitor your review score monthly. If it drops, identify the pattern in recent negative reviews immediately. Product issues, packaging problems, shipping delays and misleading listing content are the four most common causes. Address the root cause, not just the individual review.

The stores that sustain growth on Shopee and Lazada Thailand are the ones that treat their review score like a business metric — monitored monthly, investigated when it drops, and actively managed through every customer interaction.