Docs Getting started

Getting started with Evident

From zero to collecting reviews in about 15 minutes. This guide covers connecting your store, setting up email sequences, and displaying reviews on your storefront.

15 min setup BigCommerce & Shopify
01

Create your account

Sign up at app.evidentugc.com. You'll be prompted to connect your store during onboarding — choose BigCommerce or Shopify and follow the OAuth flow. Evident syncs your products, categories, and recent orders automatically after connecting.

02

Sync your products

After connecting, Evident runs an initial product sync in the background. Go to Settings → Integrations to check sync status. You can trigger a manual re-sync any time — this is useful after bulk product imports or catalog changes.

03

Configure review request emails

Go to Settings → Email Sequences. Create a sequence with one or more steps — typically a first request 7–14 days after an order ships, and an optional reminder 5–7 days later. Each step uses a customizable template with your logo, brand colors, and a link to the hosted review form.

Use a "Minimal" template style for a plain-text look. These land in Gmail's Primary or Updates tab more reliably than styled HTML.

04

Set up your sending domain

Go to Settings → Sending Domain. Add a subdomain (e.g. mail.yourstore.com), verify DNS records, and set your From email address to that domain. This improves deliverability significantly and passes DMARC for your root domain.

05

Add the review widget to your storefront

Copy the widget script and CSS from Settings → Widget. Paste them before </body> on any product page template. Place the widget container where you want the reviews to appear:

<div data-evident-widget="reviews" data-product-id="{{ product.id }}"></div>

The widget is a ~8 KB async script. It renders server-side on first load and hydrates for interactive sorting and pagination — no layout shift.

06

Approve your first reviews

When customers submit reviews, they appear in the Reviews tab with status Pending. Approve them to make them visible on the storefront. You can set auto-approval for verified purchases in Settings → Moderation.

Ready to get started?

Connect your store and send your first review request in under 15 minutes.