Most US shoppers place much more trust in brands that offer customer ratings and testimonials, according to a report quoted in DM News (July 30, 2007). The report, by social-commercial applications firm Bazaarvoice and market study firm Vizu Corp., located that three out of four shoppers feel it really is incredibly or extremely critical to read customer evaluations ahead of generating a acquire. Further, men and women favor peer critiques more than specialist evaluations by a six-to-one margin.
This may possibly be the reason the US version of Amazon.com is far more well-liked in the UK than the UK version is.
Okay, so buyer evaluations are critical. How do you get them, and how do you get shoppers to read them? Right here are 3 methods:
Generate a “consumer critiques” feature on your business site. Amazon is an exceptional model for this they have both a 5-star rating program and a spot where any individual can contribute their personal evaluation. This way, shoppers can see at a glance what purchasers in common assume of a product, and can also read detailed comments of those who took the time to write evaluations. There’s also a rating program for shoppers to rate the helpfulness of other shoppers’ evaluations!
Host a organization blog. This is a related approach, but far more informal. The added benefit is that an individual in your corporation can be designated to study and respond to precise queries and comments from posters, giving you an extra degree of approachability and trustworthiness. Blogging is an idea just catching on in the small business globe. (Be certain to read my post “Blogging: Now It really is for Enterprise, Also.”)
Include things like a “buyer testimonials” box on some of the product pages of your print catalog. This calls for space, which may perhaps be at a premium, so use this technique only on your most common and/or most high priced offerings. Merely show verified reviews rating” of the item (if you use this system in your on the net advertising efforts) and contain a quote or testimonial addressing a specific advantage. Lands’ End has employed this method masterfully, printing customers’ letters telling about a particular garment or piece of luggage that performed exceptionally beneath demanding circumstances.
“The truth that a brand will enable customer critiques of its goods really does a lot to develop brand recognition and customer trust,” says Sam Decker of Bazaarvoice.
An additional advantage of using client testimonials: if an item regularly receives poor ratings and critiques, you will know exactly what’s wrong with it–so you can address the difficulty or discontinue the offering.
If you are not already using the client review method to develop brand recognition and consumer trust, what are you waiting for? Never let your competitors beat you to it!
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance copywriter specializing in direct response and marketing and advertising collateral, with a specific interest in the well being, pets, specialty foods, and inspirational/motivational/self-assistance niches.