There are a growing number of retail sites that cater to the truly socially-inclined shopper. These include Kaboodle, ShopWiki, ThisNext and Giantner - all of which approach the market in a slightly different fashion, writes Entrepreneur magazine. Their end goal, though, is to bring together online shoppers and the retailer in a collaborative environment.
For example, Judy Strauss, associate professor of marketing at the University of Nevada, Reno, and co-author of the study "Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online" tells of a recent incident with Giantnerd.
The e-tailer's CEO Randall Weidberg read online consumer complaints about the way a unisex day pack it sold irritated the skin. He informed the product's manufacturer and using the online feedback collaborated with it to improve the day pack. (via Entrepreneur).
Exception or Rule?
Such incidents, though, are often the exception rather than the rule. The link between devoted customer and attentive retailer has weakened considerably. One proof point besides legions of anecdotal evidence: consumers have become far less loyal to their favorite brands, than they were two years ago, according to comScore ARS research. (via RetailerDaily).
This is due primarily to the recession and the near universal drive among consumers to save money wherever possible. However the study also showed that brands that engaged in marketing and promotion activities aimed at maintaining buying at 'preferred' levels were able to minimize short-term erosion of share to less expensive brands and position themselves for a bounce-back when the economy improves.
Customer Reviews Quick Fix
One quick fix for retailers that don't want to, or can't afford a full range of marketing activities, can be found in a March 2010 study from the e-tailing group and PowerReviews.
It reported that one-half of internet users research online before making any type of purchase. In particular, they cited customer reviews as the most important element to the research (via eMarketer). Nearly one-half (49%) of the respondents said they would leave a retailer's site if there weren’t any reviews.
