Using Customer Reviews to Strengthen Your Online Brand

A recent MarketingSherpa article features a case study of pet products retailer PETCO. The article highlights lessons learned when the company began using customer reviews on its Web Site and how the system continues to shape their online marketing strategy.

PETCO's "five-paw" customer review system enabled customers to review every product on its site, with icons to call attention to a "how-to review" page. It also used an incentive to get the momentum going by randomly-selecting a reviewer each day to receive a $100 PETCO gift certificate.

Once enough reviews were collected, PETCO drove conversions by listing the best-reviewed products with a top product icon. It also created a top product category and featured the top products with online specials, such as a 10 percent discount.

One of the most interesting applications of using the system to promote positive online branding is how PETCO handled negative and questionable reviews.

Negative reviews, while a major concern initially, proved to be a very small percentage of overall customer responses. PETCO expertly managed these by building in the ability to turn off reviews if a manufacturer requested it. Negative reviews are posted, but PETCO goes a step further by forwarding them to the manufacturers and buyers. In addition, questionable reviews are forwarded to customer service, which in turn follows up with the individual customer. What a great way to build a solid online reputation--in the minds of both customers and suppliers!

A final online brand benefit that resulted from implementing a customer review system comes in the way of community. Similar to a forum, PETCO saw pet owners reading, responding to and even trying to out-do prior reviews. By enabling customers to share their experiences and opinions with each other, PETCO effectively built customer trust in its brand.

In addition, some customers used the review system as a way to ask questions of the company. Though not the system's original intention, PETCO had a mechanism in place to respond. It also showed the company that it needed additional contact links throughout the site.

Next on PETCO's agenda is increased conversion testing via multiple variables to better measure the impact reviews have on sales.

How can you leverage a customer review system for your online branding strategy?