I think it’s fair to say that consumer product reviews directly and significantly drive conversions with mere mortals (and not the retailer) sharing their 2 cents on features, quality and value of your product-to-be. Amazon pioneered this feature years ago and personally I don’t buy a product that has poor reviews from anyone (or it’s Made in Germany in which case I definitely buy it without any questions).

Now Amazon.com has launched a new program that essentially pays their top reviewers for their valued opinions.

Kicked-off in August, Amazon Vine invites qualified Amazon.com reviewers to share their opinions on new (often unreleased) products early which are then introduced on the Amazon’s Customer Talk’s Blog. The invitation is often extended in the form of a free product and, hey, who can resist a free product simply for doing what you love already (share your opinion on Amazon.com).

Here’s an example for the new Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 product listing on Amazon and the associated post on the Amazon Customer Talk’s Blog. Amazon identifies the Vine reviewer and in the associated “What’s This” pop-up states that program members get free products submitted by the vendor.

The program is available in the U.S. and appears to be getting launched in the UK.

From an online retailer point-of-view this is a very good thing since Amazon is helping build buzz and sales early on — and Amazon is not pressuring reviewers to write a positive or negative comment (although I would anticipate that many negative reviews will probably lead to a strained relationship with Amazon).

How do you get your products included in Amazon Vine? Contact your Amazon category manager with a new product and offer to share samples with reviewers as part of the Amazon Vine program. Just make sure you have enough samples to make everyone happy.

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