How Google Reviews ⭐️ Drive Sales for Bike Shops: A Data-Driven Case Study
In 2024, the importance of Google Reviews needs no introduction.
Not only is it the primary resource for buyers during the research phase of their purchase but it also contributes to your shop’s searchability on Google Maps and how you rank among other bike shops in your community when someone looks up ‘bike shop near me’ on Google Search.
This means your Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of your most important assets on the web, because your Google Reviews matter to John sitting on his couch doing some research for his next purchase, Larry who is walking the streets and remembered he needed to pick something up and needs to find a bike shop close by and Vicky who is traveling to your area and needs to find the best bike shop but of course, she needs to check the reviews first.
In this blog post we wanted to do a deep dive on the numbers, we will look at industry standards, Ikeono customer data, and zoom in on a few specific customers.
We’ll explore how introducing text messaging can transform your business, but with a special focus on its powerful impact on reviews.
Let’s get into the data!
Stuck in Low Gear: The Bike Industry’s Google Review Problem
Among the million things bike shop owners need to think about when it comes to running a bike shop, many of them find themselves stuck on finding the best way to manage Google Reviews.
The struggle goes something like this:
Simply not having a go-to, no-fail, easy way of asking for reviews consistently
Having to deal with negative (and positive!) reviews going unanswered
Dealing with perception issues where premature negative reviews find themselves on a public forum like Google
This means that many shops are missing out on a major opportunity.
According to BrightLocal, Google is the most trusted review platform across all industries. As a bike shop if you are not focusing on your GBP then you are leaving your online presence vulnerable to a small number of potentially unrepresentative reviews.
The bike industry is one that is reliant on trust and loyalty – which means neglecting your Google Review strategy can lead to lower visibility which means lower sales.
Shifting Gears: Leveraging Text-Based Review Requests for Real Results
In the bike industry, getting consistent customer reviews can feel like an uphill battle.
From missed opportunities at checkout to overwhelmed staff forgetting to ask, many shops find themselves with few reviews representing (and at times misrepresenting) their service.
Then business text messaging comes into the picture and presents a streamlined solution.
Among the many benefits of text messaging as a whole, review requests via text ensures that bike shops can collect feedback with minimal effort while maximizing results.
Let’s take a look at the common struggles it solves.
Struggle #1: Inconsistent review request
Bike shops often struggle with asking and consistently getting reviews.
Without a reliable system in place, many shops end up relying on sporadic, face-to-face requests, which means the reviews that appear on your Google Business Profile have large time gaps and are fewer than you and your team deserve.
Solution: Automated Text-Based Requests
A business text messaging platform allows bike shops to automate review requests immediately after a sale or service.
A text message can be triggered right when the customer leaves the shop, which means an opportunity to get a review is never missed.
This ensures that your outreach efforts are consistent, which means you will have a higher volume of reviews.
Around 60% of consumers believe that the number of reviews a business has is a major factor in their decision-making process. Why? It shows popularity and trust, every review is a testament that yet another customer trusted your business.
You might think, well more reviews means that I am making the store more vulnerable to negatives, don’t worry – we will cover this in struggle #3.
Struggle #2: Negative reviews left unanswered
Leaving negative reviews unanswered can hurt your shop's credibility and drive potential customers away. If you need help answering negative reviews, we’ve got you covered with this blog post 7 Ways to Handle Negative Reviews With Grace.
Responding to these reviews is crucial for maintaining a positive online reputation, but managing communication across multiple platforms can be time-consuming and complicated.
Solution: Manage All Reviews and Responses in One Platform
With integrated Google Business Profile (GBP) management in your business text messaging platform, Ikeono customers can reply to reviews right from the same place where they communicate via text message.
This feature means they can easily manage GBP without having to leave the Ikeono (or your POS)!
Being on top of replies demonstrates to potential riders that your shop is responsive, professional, and committed to resolving issues
Struggle #3: Premature negative reviews posted publicly from simple misunderstandings
One of the biggest challenges for bike shops is handling perception issues. For example, if the front chain falls off the crank as soon as a customer gets home, it can feel like a major problem. Even though you know the solution might be as simple as a millimeter adjustment on the front derailleur screw.
If you don’t have a process in place where you give your customers a private platform to express their discontent, what ends up happening is that unhappy customer goes straight to a public platform like Google Reviews to air out their grievances without really giving you a chance to resolve the issue first.
These public negative reviews can harm a shop’s reputation and discourage future customers, even if the problem could have been easily addressed.
Solution: Offline issue resolution with NPS
By incorporating features like Net Promoter Score (NPS) text-requests in your workflows, bike shops can gauge rider satisfaction before asking for a review.
If the customer provides a low score, you can immediately reach out via text and rectify the issue privately, preventing negative feedback from being aired on a public platform like Google Reviews.
The great thing about using NPS is that it gives customers a chance to feel truly valued. Since they provide a score from 1-10, you can tailor your response based on their feedback.
Here's how we recommend approaching each score, ensuring that even customers with minor concerns feel heard and important.
😁 Promoter response (9-10): Happy to hear you had a great experience! It would be much appreciated if you could share your experience with others directly on our Google page. Thanks! {review link}
🤨 Neutral response (7-8): Please let us know why you didn't have a great experience and how we can improve. You can reply directly here. Thanks!
☹️ Detractor response (1-6): Sorry for the bad experience that was provided today. Please let us know why you didn't have a great experience and how we can improve. You can reply directly here. Thanks!
You can automate these responses based on the score your customer gives you. If you want to learn more about this workflow, check out this blog post: 3 facts and 1 clever workflow to get more Google Reviews.
A Smoother Ride: What Happened to These Bike Shops After Implementing Business Text Messaging?
With over 2,000 bike shops around the USA, Canada and Australia trusting Ikeono with their text messaging needs, we wanted to share some insights on their journey. We will focus on two key areas: volume of Google Reviews, average star rating, and local SEO.
Average number of Google Reviews
Let’s take a look at some local business averages then deep dive into the bike industry.
According to BrightLocal, the average number of Google Reviews for a local business is 39.
This is in line with the average number of Google Reviews our customers have before using our product which is around 48.
The most interesting part is that after 6 months of connecting their Google Business Profile to Ikeono, bike shops leveraging business text messaging were able to increase their reviews from 48 to 152, that’s a remarkable 217% increase.
Why are we highlighting Boonie’s Bikes even though their rating remained the same?
Because numbers matter.
Boonie’s Bikes’ rating is a testament to the quality service their team provides, but receiving an occasional unfavorable review is inevitable. It happens to every business eventually.
Volume matters for this very reason — now at 197 reviews Boonie’s Bikes is better equipped to handle a negative review than when they first started. A single negative review feels like a drop in the ocean with a larger volume of reviews. However, neglecting your reviews leaves you vulnerable to a sudden dip in your overall rating with just one negative rating.
Average star rating before and after text messaging
Let’s take a look at the actual star ratings now. The average? Based on the same research from BrightLocal the average Google Review rating of a local business: 4.42.
Taking a look at bike shops before using Ikeono, we have seen the average at 4.1, which is in line again with local business averages.
Average Google Review rating of a bike shop after using Ikeono: 4.8
Coveted top 3 spot in Google Search
Nearly two years ago (December 2022), we covered Dash Bicycles in our 3 Facts and 1 Clever Workflow to Get More Google Reviews blog post to showcase their growth through business text messaging.
They have increased their review count by over 230 reviews and counting in 1 year and 8 months.
A lot of the credit goes to the team running the store and the rest goes to making it easy for those happy customers to find their way to Google Reviews, at the right time. in the right way.
December 2022
September 2024
Key Takeaways for Bike Shops Looking to Increase Reviews
🚲 Checking in on customers after sales or services is the key to controlling the flow of what gets aired out on public platforms. Reputation management, needs exactly that, to be managed.
It is the key to your credibility and future growth.
🚲 There will be things out of your control, that’s a given. But luckily there’s always an answer, we’ve got you covered on easily replying to negative reviews with the ability to reply in-app or in your POS — and an entire guide to walk you through it.
🚲 Volume matters — the more you focus on increasing your Google Review count, the more your Google Business Profile will grow and rank higher in local SEO, making it easier for customers to find you and making easier to handle a few negative reviews every business is bound to get.