How To Get More Reviews for Your Quilt Shop

wall of different fabrics in a quilt shop

46% of quilters search online before deciding which quilt shop to visit and what supplies to buy. When they find your business, what story do your reviews tell?

In the quilting world, trust is everything. Quilters invest significant time, money, and emotional energy into their projects, so they need confidence that your products will meet their expectations and that your staff has the expertise to make the recommendations they need to succeed.

Whether you run a brick-and-mortar shop or manage an online fabric store, positive reviews are one of the keys to running a successful business in 2025.

Ready to turn your satisfied customers into your most powerful marketers? We'll walk you through five proven strategies to generate authentic, compelling reviews that bring in more best-fit customers.

Why Reviews Are a Must for Quilt Shops

Quilters regularly seek advice from fellow crafters about where to find the best fabrics, which shops offer accurate color representation online, and who provides excellent customer service. With 79% of consumers trusting online reviews as much as recommendations from friends, your Google and Yelp reviews can become your best digital word-of-mouth referrals.

Positive reviews are great for local search visibility, too. Google prioritizes businesses with new, frequent, and positive reviews. When local quilters search for "fabric store near me" or "quilt shop near me," you’re more likely to pop up if you have lots of recent five-star reviews.

A strong collection of positive reviews is one of the best ways to make your shop the go-to destination for serious quilters and crafters in your area. But how can you get more reviews for your store without driving your customers nuts?

Here are five proven strategies you can use to generate more reviews for your quilt shop.

1. Ask Every Customer

The most effective review strategy is also the simplest: Just ask!

If you’re worried you’ll seem pushy asking for reviews, you’re not alone. This is why many business owners don’t ask their customers at the register. But happy customers are often willing to leave reviews when you ask in the right context.

Here’s how to ingrain the “ask every customer” mindset into your store:

Train your staff to ask repeat customers during checkout or after completing a class.
Time it right by asking immediately after a purchase or when customers finish a successful project.
Use verbal requests, which consistently outperform passive approaches like signs or email alone.

Remember: Around 20% of customers will leave a review when asked directly, so when you make asking for reviews a standard part of your customer service process, you'll see your review count grow steadily.

2. Leverage Email and SMS Marketing

If you’re gathering customer data for a loyalty program or targeted marketing efforts, you’ve got a database just sitting around waiting for you to mine it for reviews. Requesting reviews via email and SMS is another great way to boost your review count.

If your point of sale (POS) system stores purchase history, you can personalize these messages by referencing their specific purchases or upcoming birthdays and special occasions wherever possible.

Here's a sample email template:

"Hi [Name],

Thank you for choosing [Shop Name] for your recent fabric purchase!

We hope you're enjoying working with [specific fabric line].

If you had a great experience, we'd be grateful if you share a quick review to help other quilters discover our shop. [Review Link]

Happy quilting!"

SMS messages have a 95% open rate within three minutes, which is incredible in the marketing world. Use these sparingly, though, to prevent your shop from being blocked.

Try this approach: "Hi Sarah! I hope you're loving the quilting cotton from last week. Would you mind leaving us a quick review? [link] Thanks for supporting our shop!"

3. Use QR Codes

QR codes are perfect for capturing reviews while customers are still in your store. The key to success with QR codes is placement.

Here are some natural places to try:

Receipts and business cards
Signs near your fabric cutting station or other areas where customers naturally wait
Quilting class handouts and workshop materials

The beauty of QR codes is that they work instantly. Customers can scan and review while their experience in your store is fresh in their minds.

Make sure your codes link directly to your Google Business Profile or Yelp page.

4. Follow Up After Classes and Workshops

Your quilting class attendees are among your most engaged customers, making them prime candidates for positive reviews. They've experienced your expertise firsthand and built a connection with your shop that goes beyond purchasing supplies.

But how can you capitalize on this audience and get more reviews?

Send review requests 24–48 hours after craft classes or block-of-the-month club meetings. Include photos from the last class or meeting to trigger happy memories when they see your request. Great options include a shot of everyone's finished blocks or a group photo from your workshop.

In your message, reference specific techniques they learned or mention how well they mastered that tricky binding method. Adding a personal touch takes the touchpoint from a generic review request and turns it into a meaningful follow-up for your customers.

5. Target Your Best Customers First

When starting your review generation efforts, begin with your most dedicated, satisfied customers. How do you know who these perfect customers are? Simply check your CRM data.

You can:

Focus on customers making large fabric purchases (over $100).
Prioritize loyalty program members.
Target frequent visitors.
Use purchase history to identify customers who consistently buy premium fabrics or specialty items.

These customers have the most experience with your store and are most likely to feel some kind of connection with you and your shop, making them perfect candidates for detailed, positive reviews.

Special Considerations for Quilt Shops

Running a quilt shop isn't like managing other retail businesses. Your customers are more than basic buyers — they’re passionate artists looking for quality, expertise, and community. Your review strategy needs to account for these idiosyncrasies. Let’s take a look at how.

Perfect Your Review Request Timing

Timing can make or break your review requests. Unlike general retail, quilters need time to truly experience your products before they can provide meaningful feedback.

For in-store experiences like classes, consultations, or machine services, ask immediately while the positive interaction is fresh in their minds. However, fabric orders require a different approach. Wait one to two weeks so customers can actually feel the quality and start cutting their materials.

Another sweet spot is right after customers complete their first project with your supplies, when they're feeling accomplished and have enough knowledge to speak authentically about their experience and your store.

Ask Reviewers To Get Specific

Generic reviews like "great service" don't help fellow quilters choose the store that’ll help them create their next work of art. Encourage your customers to share details that matter most to your community in their reviews.

Encourage customers to describe fabric hand and drape, how materials felt during handling, and their cutting and sewing performance. Did the fabric fray, stretch, or hold its shape beautifully? How accurate were the colors of their online orders? Did they match their expectations when they arrived in the mail or for store pickup?

Don't overlook the importance of precut precision and packaging quality. Quilters absolutely notice when fat quarters are properly measured, cuts are accurate, and fabrics arrive professionally presented and protected. These details separate your shop from competitors and give potential customers confidence in your services.

Leverage Reviews To Build a Quilting Community

Your reviews do more than boost your search rankings. You can use them to attract like-minded crafters to your store.

Detailed, thoughtful reviews naturally attract serious quilters who value the same high standards as your very best customers.

When customers mention your expertise in fabric selection, color coordination, or technique guidance, you're building social proof that resonates with customers most likely to become best-fit shoppers. These testimonials are especially powerful when promoting quilting circles, workshops, and special events.

Master the Art of Review Responses

You should respond to every review you receive, both positive and negative — but you need to have a game plan to ensure you’re giving the right kinds of responses.

For positive reviews:

Thank customers by name and reference specific details from their feedback.
Compare their username with your customer management system and mention the specific fabrics or classes they purchased to show you remember them.
Invite them to upcoming events, new fabric arrivals, or exclusive workshops.

For negative reviews:

Respond within 24 hours to show you're actively monitoring feedback.
Address concerns professionally without getting defensive.
Offer to resolve issues privately through direct contact.

Remember: Other quilters read these exchanges and form opinions about your business based on how you handle both praise and problems, so conduct yourself accordingly.

How To Get More Reviews and Grow Your Quilt Shop

Building a strong collection of customer reviews is the best way to boost your online presence and create a better relationship with your customers. Reviews from satisfied customers help fellow quilters discover your shop, which is the best way to grow your business in this community-driven industry.

The five strategies covered in this post are all solid ways to get more feedback for your quilt shop — but the key to getting high-quality, consistent reviews from your best customers is having the right data to know which customers to ask.

Enter: LikeSew.

Our all-in-one point of sale and customer relationship management (CRM) tool streamlines the entire process, provides details for personalized customer outreach, and tracks the success of your review request campaigns.

Ready to transform your customer relationships while growing your review base? Check out our packages and find the solution that best fits your shop.

How To Get More Reviews for Your Quilt Shop