What in the hay is a Zappos Premier Reviewer?

Zappos Premier Reviews invite only the most awesome and trusted reviewers on our site to post their opinions about new and, wait for it, pre-release items! The program was created to help fellow Zappos customers make informed purchasing decisions beyond reading regular site reviews.

Premier Reviewers get chosen based on their reviewer rank, which is a reflection of the value and helpfulness of their reviews as judged by other Zappos customers. Zappos provides Premier members with free products that have been submitted to the program by participating vendors.

Premier Reviews are the independent opinions of the individual reviewer. Vendors cannot influence, modify or edit the reviews. Zappos will not modify or edit Premier Reviews, as long as they comply with our customer review guidelines. To identify a Premier Review, just look for the customer review with a gold seal.

What's the point of the Zappos Premier Reviewer program?

Good question! In addition to regular site reviews, this elevated platform allows customers to receive additional honest and unbiased feedback from some of Zappos' most reliable reviewers.

This sounds great! How do I join?

So you want in, huh? Zappos Premier Reviews is an invitation-only program. Premier Reviewers are selected based on several benchmarks, but mainly due to the helpfulness of their reviews as judged by other customers and by their demonstrated interest in the types of goods the program features. Customers who consistently write useful reviews and develop a deep understanding of certain product categories are most likely to receive an invite.

How are Premier Reviewers selected?

We want the Premier Reviewer program to reflect the absolute best of our growing body of customer reviewers. Reviewers are invited to participate in the Premier program based on the overall helpfulness of all their reviews, factoring in the number of reviews they have written and with more weight given to recent reviews.

At the gist of it, Premier Reviewers become eligible based on the value and trust other Zappos customers place in his or her reviewing ability. In addition to the reviewer rank, we also weigh customers' demonstrated interest in products similar to those enrolled in the Premier Reviewer program. This facilitates product reviews by people who are familiar with the category they belong to. For example, if a Premier Reviewer mostly purchases athletic shoes, it's more likely they'll be offered similar products.

Where does Zappos get the products?

Excellent question! Products are provided for free by our vendors that participate in the program.

Are Premier Reviewers expected to write only positive reviews?

Absolutely not! If a Premier Reviewer receives an underwhelming or underperforming product, we encourage those experiences to be shared on our site. We welcome honest opinions about the product - positive or negative, as long as the review conforms to our customer review guidelines. Additionally, customers can vote on the helpfulness of Premier Reviews just like they can for any other review.

Are Premier Reviewers paid for writing reviews or pressured to review favorably?

Negative. Customers are not paid to participate in the review program. Premier Reviewers are selected to participate based on their helpfulness of reviews voted on by other Zappos customers. Once invited into the program, to maintain Premier Reviewer eligibility, he or she must review all of the selected products within 14 days of receipt and continue to be among the reviewers with the highest ranks.

If a Premier Reviewer writes a negative review, will it impact his or her ranking?

Writing an undesirable review will never impact a Premier Reviewer ranking. A ranking is determined by the number of helpful votes from other customers. Customers tend to value detailed, objective, honest and informative reviews, regardless of whether it's written in a positive, negative or neutral light.

Can the participating vendors contact or otherwise influence Premier Reviewers?

Nope, not on our watch! All Premier products are submitted by vendors to Zappos, and distributed by Zappos to the Premier Reviewers. Vendors will have absolutely no contact with the Premier Reviewers, as well as have no influence over which Premier Reviewers will review their products.