September 26, 2019

How Retailers Use Reviews on In-Store Displays to Drive Purchasing Decisions

Ratings, reviews and product descriptions online definitely make sales in ecommerce retailing. Marketing tactics in offline shopping differs a lot. Initially, not so many stores have display to show customers’ reviews. That is why, some consumers stand in a store googling the reviews before buying something. According to statistics up to 70% of customers make an online research while shopping through their smartphones.

There is a need among offline shoppers in details on the products they want to purchase. Therefore, a logical answer to this need is showing the reviews in the in-store space. This can help your customers to navigate through the range of your goods. In this article we will discuss successful examples of several companies who have already moved towards in-store reviews innovation.

1. Amazon

Last year Amazon presented its first Four-Star Store. There you can buy product with an online rating 4+. Through several electronic tags on each shelf a customer can see the exact price and star rating from the store’s website. For customers it is both fun and details on the products they are eager to buy.

Amazon innovation is mind-blowing but at the same time also requires future development as electronic tags still do not have as many functions as a website page. Furthermore, they lack design: Kindle ink text instead of a display has less color palette and visualization opportunities.

2. Ulta Beauty

A makeup brand Ulta Beauty noticed that in-store sales have dramatically grown after the update in in-store technology. In most of the stores you can find a “reviews kiosk” where there is an option to buy products highly rated by customers online.

Moreover, Ulta also apply their knowledge from the feedback to boost income. On some of the shelves you can see the captions with reviews from the customers and search for a better product for you.

3. YETI

If you do not have enough money to make a special kiosk or a whole store with online reviews, try YETI approach. The company just printed all the reviews on their products and attached them to the walls of the shop.

Even this minimal activity can raise your social prof level and provide help for your lost in the range of products clients.

4. Nordstrom

Reviews can also be used in in-store applications. Going shopping right now is strongly connected with using mobile apps if you need extra information on a product. Nordstrom has developed an app with live purchasing experience. It is available to even have 3D models of the outfits so you could see how it fits. Mobile app is another successful tool to show customers the reviews on your products.

Tips for making reviews display a profitable innovation

1. Demonstrate the reviews.

Try to catch customer’s attention and encourage them to read the reviews you have in a store. If they do not know you have them, they will not pay any attention to them and as a result your sales will remain to be the same. Set a kiosk of mark the reviews in a way that any consumer would notice. Make it visible.

Succeeding and winning client’s attention means beating your competitors. As the technology of having reviews in stores is not so popular yet, you can be the one who will stand out.

2. Update review content

Reviews from long time ago will not have any impact and can even make an opposite effect and scare your customers. Fresh and recent reviews should be something to check out on a regular basis. Digital shelf labeling, as it was in Amazon store, can help to make a process easier.

If this idea does not work for you, update the printed version from time to time or the physical display you have in your shop. It is also good to remember that lacking the content to update your product review means that this product is also not up-to-date anymore and maybe you should replace it or through a sampling campaign to prove your assumptions.

3. Grouped and individual reviews

The majority of your review content displayed should be summarized reviews (4.5 out of 5 stars) but do not forget about individual opinions of your customers and the number of people who left the reviews in general. Individual reviews do a job for you and tell about your product better than you could. Therefore, chose the best of the best and place it in your store so everyone could see.

To sum up, not every store is innovative enough to use technologies to demonstrate product reviews in the in-store space. However, this tool is taking the market because it allows you not only to help your customer to make a better choice but also benefits the image of your brand in general, which influences your sales.

Alice works on the Renewals and Account Management team at Collect Reviews. She is a professional writer and content critic. Feel free to bug her on Linkedin.