Loblaw Uses Bazaarvoice to Integrate User-Generated Content into Offline and Online Promotions

Canada's largest food distributor includes authentic customer review content in print circulars, in-store creative, and site creative

Austin, TX – May 1, 2007 – Bazaarvoice, an innovator in helping brands use online word of mouth to build their businesses, today announced that Loblaw, Canada’s largest food distributor, is successfully using customer ratings and review content for in-store and online marketing promotions. The Canadian supermarket chain launched customer ratings and reviews from Bazaarvoice last November, promoting the program in its December Holiday Insiders Report and outfitting employees in 135,000 t-shirts encouraging shoppers to “rate our products at pc.ca”. The results were so positive that Loblaw now features review content prominently in seasonal Insider Reports, weekly flyers, in-store signs, and on the www.pc.ca site.

“Loblaw takes pride in being a very customer-focused company that relies on feedback from our shoppers,” said Jim Osborne, vide president of eCommerce and online marketing at Loblaw. “Bazaarvoice has been a great partner in helping us bring the customer voice to the forefront of our marketing efforts both online and in the store. We are thrilled to offer our shoppers the chance to have their voices heard across the country – and the positive response has been tremendous from both the consumer and reviewer communities.”

Loblaw’s first integrated promotion centered around the store’s private-label Presidents Choice Vegetable Lasagna with Seven Cheeses. The popular frozen entree has received a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from 179 customers, and over 90% of shoppers say that they would recommend it to a friend. Based on this positive reviewer response, Loblaw featured the lasagna in a January in-store campaign that included signs with review snippets like "Even my vegetable-hating 17-year-old son enjoyed it." Loblaw followed up by including additional review content on other popular products, including Omega J Orange Juice (4.4 stars) in its February Healthy Insider’s Report.

“Loblaw is a forward-thinking company who is dedicated to placing their customers at the center of the shopping experience,” said Brett Hurt, founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice. “Their work with integrating review content into offline advertising efforts is very exciting and speaks to the power of leveraging ratings and reviews in innovative ways. The combination of a customer-centric client and our technology and services is transforming the marketing, merchandising, and advertising landscape for the benefit of Loblaw shoppers.”

About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of general merchandise, drugstore and financial products and services. Through its various operating banners, Loblaw is committed to providing Canadians with a one-stop destination in meeting their food and everyday household needs. This goal is pursued through a portfolio of store formats across the country. It also offers one of Canada's strongest control label programs, including the unique President's Choice and no name brands. Loblaw is one of the largest private sector employers in Canada, employing over 135,000 full-time and part-time employees.

About Bazaarvoice

Bazaarvoice’s Software as a Service (SaaS) social commerce solutions have served more than 50 billion pieces of customer-generated content on more than 525 brand web sites like Best Buy, Costco, Dell, Macy’s, Overstock, P&G, Panasonic, QVC and USAA in 36 countries. The company connects organizations to their influencers through a unique network that reaches hundreds of millions of consumers around the globe, enabling authentic customer-powered marketing. Through syndication, analytics, partnerships, and consulting, Bazaarvoice brings the voice of the customer to the center of their clients’ business strategy, proving “social” can drive measured revenue growth and cost savings for manufacturing, retail, travel, and financial services companies. Headquartered in Austin, the company has offices in London, Paris, and Singapore. For more information and access to client success stories, visit www.bazaarvoice.com, read the blog at www.bazaarblog.com, and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bazaarvoice.

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