Most US shoppers place more trust in brands that offer customer ratings and reviews, according to a report quoted in DM News (July 30, 2007). The report, by social-commercial applications firm Bazaarvoice and market research firm Vizu Corp., found that three out of four shoppers think it's very or extremely important to read customer reviews before making a purchase. Further, people prefer peer reviews over expert reviews by a six-to-one margin.
This may be the reason the US version of Amazon.com is more popular in the UK than the UK version is.
Okay, so customer reviews are important. How do you get them, and how do you get shoppers to read them? Here are three ways:
Create a "customer reviews" feature on your company website. Amazon is an excellent model for this; they have both a five-star rating system and a place where anyone can contribute their own review. This way, shoppers can see at a glance what buyers in general think of a product, and can also read detailed comments of those who took the time to write reviews. There's also a rating system for shoppers to rate the helpfulness of other shoppers' reviews!
Host a company blog. This is a similar strategy, but more informal. The added advantage is that someone in your company can be designated to read and respond to specific questions and comments from posters, giving you an additional degree of approachability and trustworthiness. Blogging is an idea just catching on in the business world. (Be sure to read my article "Blogging: Now It's for Business, Too.")
Include a "customer reviews" box on some of the product pages of your print catalog. This requires space, which may be at a premium, so use this strategy only on your most popular and/or most expensive offerings. Simply show the "star rating" of the item (if you use this system in your online marketing efforts) and include a quote or testimonial addressing a specific benefit. Lands' End has employed this technique masterfully, printing customers' letters telling about a particular garment or piece of luggage that performed exceptionally under demanding circumstances.
"The fact that a brand will allow customer reviews of its products really does a lot to grow brand recognition and consumer trust," says Sam Decker of Bazaarvoice.
Another advantage of using customer reviews: if an item consistently receives poor ratings and reviews, you'll know exactly what's wrong with it--so you can address the problem or discontinue the offering.
If you're not already using the customer review strategy to grow brand recognition and consumer trust, what are you waiting for? Don't let your competitors beat you to it!
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance copywriter specializing in direct response and marketing collateral, with a special interest in the health, pets, specialty foods, and inspirational/motivational/self-help niches.
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