Credible product reviews fuel sales, and sampling wins them fast
Connected consumers have more power than ever to gather information and form opinions on products before they make purchase decisions, whether for a new car, a new restaurant, or a new flavor of gummy vitamin. Online product reviews play a huge role in that process, with nearly 95% of shoppers reading online reviews before making a purchase.
Just as important, without reviews, you put your product at a real disadvantage. The difference between having zero reviews and even just a handful is enormous in terms of conversions.
At the same time, reviews must be relevant, authentic, and believably balanced in order to convince a consumer to try something new. Digital sampling campaigns offer a very efficient way to build a large, compelling bank of product reviews to drive sales. Here’s how.
Sampling sparks those crucial first reviews
All it takes is five. Five reviews, according to the Spiegel research center at Northwestern University, will bump up purchase likelihood by 270% versus a product with no reviews[1]. For a new product, especially one with a higher price point or longer consideration window, those few reviews can be a big hurdle. That’s where targeted digital sampling can be incredibly valuable, by putting product directly into the hands of the right consumers and inviting (and enabling) them to provide credible feedback – before you even make a sale.
So what kind of results can you expect? AERIN came to SoPost with the goal of driving trial of its Hibiscus Palm fragrance through a social sampling campaign and generated 1,001 four- and five-star reviews from the campaign. Similarly, with a single sampling campaign for a new cleanser, Philosophy generated 1,000+ authentic reviews for the product debut.
Sampling gets you more from your launch budget
New product launches are a major investment, and they often consume a significant portion of a product marketing budget. But if you are driving that initial traffic to a product page where there are no reviews, you’ll miss out on conversions. An early sampling campaign can prime your website with authentic user content that will improve ROI from your launch. That content can also improve your organic SEO, further enhancing exposure of a new product.
But what if…
Negative reviews? They happen in any context. Not everyone will love that new fragrance or sports drink. But having balance in your reviews is desirable. Consumers want representative opinions and don’t respond well to reviews that seem canned. Sampling generates real reviews from real people. And if the overall sampling experience is a positive one for the consumer, regardless of their opinion of your product, reviews are likely to be fair and will build credibility with shoppers, encouraging sales.
Every review is insight you can use
Especially for a new product launch, the review feedback you generate with a digital sampling campaign can give you a window into consumer perceptions and use of your product. That’s a pool of data you can leverage to optimize your marketing and inform new product development.
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