Using third-party platforms for product review solicitation presents a mixed bag of benefits and risks. On the one hand, they can streamline review collection, enhance brand credibility, integrate seamlessly with e-commerce platforms, and support multi-channel review collection. They also offer centralized review management. However, they can limit customization options, pose deliverability challenges, inherit sending risks, potentially impact data privacy and brand reputation, and involve significant costs. Experts emphasize the importance of proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and data privacy compliance (GDPR). A thorough evaluation of the platform's sending practices, authentication setup, IP address strategy, and DMARC compliance is crucial to mitigate potential risks.
12 marketer opinions
Using third-party platforms for product review solicitation offers several advantages, including streamlined review collection, enhanced brand credibility through verified reviews, and seamless integration with e-commerce platforms. They also centralize review management and support multi-channel collection. However, they also present drawbacks such as potential limitations in customization and control, potential deliverability issues, inheriting sending risks and potential negative impact on data privacy and brand reputation and the cost of the platforms, and dependency on their features and compliance.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Shopify Community Forum shares that they experienced deliverability issues when using a lesser-known review platform. They believe it's vital to check the platform's sending reputation and authentication practices to avoid landing in spam folders.
2 Mar 2022 - Shopify Community Forums
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks recalls that such providers are one or two dodgy customers away from it all going south deliverability-wise and, if they have a branded/white label option, it is best to take it, even if it costs more.
20 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
5 expert opinions
Experts generally agree that using a third-party platform for product review solicitation emails can be acceptable if the platform properly configures authentication and follows good sending practices. Using a dedicated subdomain for authentication is ideal. However, using a platform that doesn't allow custom subdomains, or one with questionable practices, can negatively impact your reputation. Thoroughly evaluating any third-party service provider is essential to ensure compliance and maintain your brand's reputation.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise (Laura Atkins) explains that it's essential to thoroughly evaluate any email service provider. If you choose a 3rd party they must have solid authentication, good sending practices, and clear compliance with email regulations. Otherwise you are inheriting that risk and can affect your brand.
5 Mar 2024 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares that if the 3rd party properly configures branded emails/authentication, there are no immediate issues with using them. Many companies use multiple ESPs/platforms for different messaging streams.
18 Mar 2023 - Email Geeks
5 technical articles
Email deliverability documentation emphasizes the importance of proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and data privacy compliance (GDPR) when using third-party platforms for sending product review solicitation emails. The sending domain's reputation directly impacts email deliverability, and using platforms with poor sending practices or shared IP addresses can negatively affect deliverability, leading to emails being marked as spam. DMARC compliance is crucial for preventing email spoofing and phishing attacks, and users are ultimately responsible for how customer data is handled by these platforms.
Technical article
Documentation from Mailchimp notes that when using a third-party platform, it's essential to ensure they comply with data privacy regulations (like GDPR) and email marketing best practices. You are ultimately responsible for how your customer data is handled.
18 Sep 2022 - Mailchimp
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org states that proper DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) implementation is essential for preventing email spoofing and phishing attacks. If the third-party platform isn't DMARC compliant, it could expose your brand to these risks.
23 Jun 2022 - DMARC.org
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