Do you want to hide the WooCommerce product reviews tab until you make a purchase?
By default, WooCommerce adds three tabs to display related product data. This includes a detailed description of the product, user reviews, and additional information (if any).
Initially, the user reviews tab had 0 reviews. Displaying the 0 reviews shows a lack of social proof, which can negatively impact your sales. The lack of reviews indicates that no one has yet purchased the product and cannot be trusted.
Therefore, until you make a purchase and get a review on your product, it’s a good choice to hide the reviews tab.
Why Hide WooCommerce Product Reviews Tab Until Purchase?
Hiding the WooCommerce Product Reviews tab until a customer has made a purchase can offer several strategic benefits, both for the store owner and the customers. Here are some key reasons to implement this approach:
1. Ensure Authentic Reviews
- Prevent Fake Reviews: By limiting the review functionality to only verified customers who have purchased the product, you reduce the risk of fake reviews from users who haven’t interacted with the product.
- Build Trust: Shoppers are more likely to trust reviews when they know that only verified buyers can leave them. This fosters confidence in the authenticity of your product feedback, which can lead to higher sales.
2. Enhance Credibility and Product Quality
- Genuine Feedback: Reviews from actual buyers provide valuable insights to future customers and help build a reputation for your product and brand. These reviews often include real experiences with the product, making them more useful.
- Social Proof from Verified Purchasers: Seeing reviews from real customers who have purchased the product encourages trust, as potential buyers can rely on genuine feedback for decision-making.
3. Reduce Negative or Biased Feedback
- Prevent Reviews from Non-Buyers: Sometimes, users who haven’t purchased or used the product might leave irrelevant or uninformed reviews, which can skew the product rating. Restricting reviews to verified purchasers ensures that reviews are based on real experience.
- Limit Competitor or Spam Reviews: Competitors or spammers could leave unjustified negative reviews to damage your product’s reputation. By requiring a purchase to leave a review, you prevent these types of attacks.
4. Encourage Purchases
- Create Incentive to Buy: Potential customers may be more motivated to purchase the product if they know reviews are only visible and accessible to those who have bought it. This can create curiosity and drive engagement.
- Add Value to Verified Reviews: Customers who genuinely purchase your product may feel more inclined to leave a review if they see their input is valued and exclusively tied to purchases.
5. Cleaner User Experience
- Hide Unnecessary Features: For users who haven’t purchased the product yet, the reviews tab might seem irrelevant, cluttering the product page. By hiding the reviews tab until purchase, you create a cleaner, more streamlined user experience.
- Avoid Premature Judgments: Some users might form biased opinions based solely on reviews before actually trying the product. Hiding reviews ensures customers make purchasing decisions based on product descriptions, images, and other core features first.
6. Highlight Reviews as a Perk of Purchase
- Reward for Customers: Allowing only verified buyers to view and leave reviews adds a layer of exclusivity and can be marketed as a benefit of purchase. It reinforces the idea that customers are part of a trusted, engaged community.
7. Promote Honest Feedback
- Post-Purchase Reflection: Customers who purchase and use the product are more likely to provide thoughtful, informed feedback rather than superficial comments. This improves the overall quality of the reviews available on your site.
How to Hide WooCommerce Product Reviews Tab Until Purchase?
The below code snippet ensures to hide the WooCommerce product reviews tab until a customer has purchased the product.
/**
* Hide WooCommerce Product Reviews Tab Until Purchase
*
* @param array $tabs
* @return array $tabs
*/
function maverick_hide_reviews_tab_for_zero_purchased_products($tabs)
{
// Get the current product ID
global $product;
$product_id = $product->get_id();
// Check if the current user has purchased the product
if (! wc_customer_bought_product('', get_current_user_id(), $product_id)) {
// If the user hasn't purchased the product, remove the reviews tab
unset($tabs['reviews']);
}
return $tabs;
}
add_filter('woocommerce_product_tabs', 'maverick_hide_reviews_tab_for_zero_purchased_products', 99);