Let shoppers talk amongst themselves?

We all shop. Some more than others ... you know who you are!  

And, if you are like me, I often like a second, or even third opinion before I hand over the credit card.

Sometimes from a friend, sometimes from my wife, sometimes from the shop salesperson, and sometimes from another customer who happens to be standing closeby at the time.  

And if it's a product that I know some friends or work colleagues already have, and are using like an I-phone for example, then I might give them a call or drop them an email to see what they think of it.

If it's an expensive item then I might also jump onto the internet and see what some of the reviews are, just in case I might be buying a lemon.    
     
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When did we start trusting strangers?

If you are selling products online (e-commerce), then did you know that shoppers of all ages, especially shoppers under 30, now expect to learn about your products and your reputation from comments, ratings, and reviews posted by other shoppers?  

What's more, you can't control this conversation, and you can't control negative comments either! Sorry.  

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Today, the web is driven by it's users' and peoples' thoughts. From blogs, price comparison sites, product ratings, social sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, it's now incredibly easy to share opinions and influence others.  

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What does this mean for you?  

If you are an online retailer, you need to open up your site to comments, ratings and reviews by customers. Let them comment on the products you sell, as well as your customer service.  

The goal is to create an amplification effect, where your happy customers bring in more shoppers, and so on and so on.

Sure, you are not perfect, so there will be occasions where you will have a negative comment, worst still when it is an unfair comment, however this information can be turned into very useful retailing feedback.  

Building effective word-of-mouth hype in the online world requires 100% transparency and honesty, and the benefits far outweigh the risks.  

Let your customers help you gain a competitive advantage!


Right, I'm off to go shopping ...  


Warm regards,
Steve