Bazaarvoice Adds Online Video Upload for Customer Reviews

Austin, TX – January 17, 2007 – Bazaarvoice, an innovator in helping brands use online word of mouth to build their businesses, today introduced a new feature that allows consumers to enhance their online reviews with video clips showing how they use products and services. The new video functionality goes beyond in-store demonstrations to give consumers a clear view of product features and functionality as it relates to the actual product usage experience. For example, a new parent can share video clips showing a stroller being assembled or collapsed, or an avid golfer can show his new distance with a golf driver.

“One of the most obvious disadvantages of online shopping is that consumers lack the opportunity to physically interact with a product to see if it meets their needs,” said Brett Hurt, founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice. “Bazaarvoice’s photo review functionality helped make customer reviews more tactile and engaging. Now, with the addition of online video, Bazaarvoice is giving consumers a new, personal view into product performance in order to help them make the right purchase decision. This new functionality also gives consumers a more emotional way to connect with a brand by bringing the personal, real-world experience directly into the brand environment.”

“We’re very excited to roll out video functionality to our engaged and passionate community of reviewers,” said John Lazarchic, vice president of eCommerce at PETCO Animal Supplies. “Providing our customers with as much authentic information as possible is key to improving merchandising, decreasing product returns, and building a stronger relationship between evangelists and our brand.”

Online Video Imperative

Online video usage is exploding. With the majority of homes now equipped with broadband Internet connections – already over 200 million homes worldwide – viewing video over the Internet has become easy, fast, and fun. A recent AP-AOL survey show that more than half (54%) of all U.S. Internet users have watched or downloaded a video-clip or full-length video feature from the Web.

How It Works

The new Bazaarvoice functionality allows consumers, who are increasingly accustomed to using mainstream video sites, to share and access videos referencing products in a variety of environments. Reviewers can easily leverage video content from YouTube or Google video for inclusion in their text review at a Bazaarvoice client web site by including the URL for the video within their review submission. An embedded video player plays the video below the text review for shoppers who want to access the video. In keeping with the Bazaarvoice standards for all customer-generated content, videos are reviewed and monitored by Bazaarvoice staff. Additionally, clients are given access to video reviews for marketing and merchandising analysis.

“As marketers continue to harness the power of consumer-generated content in 2007, video reviews offer online businesses a new way to bring compelling, authentic content into their brand environment,” said Sam Decker, vice president of marketing and products. “By placing this content at the center of the eCommerce experience, video reviews offer a significant advantage for businesses and consumers alike.”