power to the people

I love online shopping.

I also love what user contributed content has done for online shopping.  The words of other consumers have both made me think twice about buying a product as well as sealed the deal on a purchase.  It’s a powerful and unique tool.

At this stage in the game I am always surprised to find online retailers who haven’t gotten on board with user reviews.  I cringe when I come across these sites.  Just this week while browsing the Gap, Inc. websites (bananarepublic.com, oldnavy.com, gap.com, piperlime.com) I was shocked to discover that one of my favorite online retailers could be so out of the loop in terms of leveraging the power of online reviews.  These are big brands–there is a lot of opportunity at stake–and yet, it seems as though no effort whatsoever has been made to harness the opinions of the masses.

My beloved J. Crew (jcrew.com) is another example.  I actually find myself looking up their products on other sites to get more opinions and information.  I’m sure it isn’t their goal to create such an intrusive step in their sales pipeline but it is the unfortunate reality of the situation.

On the winning team: Though I don’t believe I’ve ever actually ordered anything from L.L. Bean, I’ve somehow wound up on their catalog mailing list.  Last night, while lazily flipping through their print catalog, something caught my eye–user reviews from llbean.com.  I was happy to see them using these reviews in a way that really makes sense.  It also illustrated the passion that L.L. Bean consumers have for their products.  Impressive on both counts.

Prominent user contributed content does more than give consumers a glimpse of another user experience, it also tells consumers that you have nothing to hide–that you are proud of your products and are open to direct feedback.  It can also showcase the genuine excitement that consumers have about your products–feedback that sells itself.