Ratings & Reviews help Dell.com shoppers make purchase decisions
Mon, 2010-04-19
Since November 2006, Dell customers have submitted ratings and reviews on dell.com in more than 62 countries in 14 languages. More than 155,000 reviews have been submitted on more than 6,500 products, and the majority of their customer ratings are four or five stars (out of five).
What Dell measured
Dell compared statistics on shoppers who viewed customer Ratings & Reviews versus those who did not view customer reviews. Data was collected over more than a year. The most compelling discovery was that the customer conversion rate doubled on products that had visitors engage with the reviews content.
To take it a step further, Dell wanted to promote its customers more directly in the online stores so other customers shopping for Dell laptops and desktops could read in real time what they thought. Dell’s customer spotlight campaign features a customer, the specific system they purchased, and the review of his or her PC. Dell created this campaign as a way for shoppers to get recommendations from consumers with similar profiles and needs.
Dell started by identifying products it wanted to spotlight, and then searched for reviewers who were happy and gave good descriptions of how they used the product. Dell then asked these contributors to participate by sending Dell a photo, which was included with the review in the section. Reviewers were not compensated for their participation.
Customers featured directly in the purchase path
Dell featured the customer spotlight recommendations directly on the product details page. Dell’s existing product configurations — “good, better, best” suggestions — sat alongside these customer spotlights.
Customer spotlights drive sales
Dell learned that the product page performed better once the customer spotlight campaign was added.
The bottom line
Years of customer review analysis has proven that those who read reviews gain valuable knowledge when they are shopping online. Dell has also used these first-hand accounts to improve its products, striving for 4.5- to 5-star products across the board, and has honed its marketing messages based on what’s most important to customers and shoppers.
