The Internet Retailer Conference and Exposition is by far one of my favorite industry events, based, in large part, because of the fact that it’s right in PowerReviews’ hometown of Chicago.
This year’s agenda was impressive — with a roster of impressive speakers including industry analysts as well as brand, retail and eCommerce thought leaders. I especially enjoyed hearing from some of our own customers including VF Corporation, evo, Advance Auto Parts, Nebraska Furniture Mart, The Step2 Company, and more — on a range of key topics including:
- Using technology to engage shoppers in-store
- The importance of a responsive website
- Planning a successful social media strategy
- Getting the most ROI from video
For me, the best part of being at IRCE was having the opportunity to catch up with current customers and make new connections. I enjoyed hearing about the successes and challenges of various brands and retailers and how PowerReviews is (or can start) helping them be more successful.
New Product Offerings
PowerReviews also released some exciting new product capabilities at IRCE. We launched Review Your Purchases as well as a new Analytics and Insights solution to help brands and retailers generate more content and mine insights from that content.
Review Your Purchases
More than 60% of purchases in the PowerReviews network contain more than one item. However, until now, ratings and reviews providers have asked for a review on only one of the items in a multi-item purchase. Review Your Purchases is a streamlined experience that allows consumers to quickly review multiple products from one page, which helps brands and retailers increase collection, product coverage, and coverage rates.
Let’s say a customer buys a pair of jeans, a blouse and a belt in one transaction. After receiving her order, the shopper receives a post purchase email with each of these products listed, so she can easily submit multiple reviews in a single step. In addition, as this consumer continues to buy products from your brand, she’ll be able to write reviews for all of the products she’s ever purchased via a dedicated landing page.
As a result of implementing Review Your Purchases during the product pilot, a major retailer saw some impressive results, including:
- 93% increase in reviews quarter over quarter
- 36% increase in product coverage
- 400% increase in review collection rates
Additionally, a large sports retailer experienced:
- 75% increase in reviews collected year over year
- 252% increase in review collection rates quarter over quarter
Analytics and Insights
In addition to driving conversion, ratings and reviews also provide a wealth of information that brands and retailers can use to not only increase conversion, but also improve products, services, and the customer experience.
Our new Analytics and Insights tool compiles and presents review data in an easy-to-use format. That way, brands and retailers can easily understand how ratings and reviews and Q&A increase conversion and better understand the impact of distributing brand content across across the PowerReviews Open Network. In addition, brands and retailers can use the new Analytics and Insights tool to identify products that can benefit most from additional content.
If you’re a current PowerReviews customer and have questions about Review Your Purchases or the new Analytics and Insights tool, feel free to reach out to your Client Success Director or Community Manager.
Did you attend IRCE 2016? Was was your favorite part of the event?
