The introduction of the product recommendations feature — now available on every product page — has the expert community buzzing with excitement. Tactical Expert Jon Kurth says, “It’s nice to see reviews from what I’d consider to be peers, they are a little more honest. Not like some of the reviews that you come across other places.” Jay Curry, a Fitness & Training Expert, is just as enthusiastic. “I love this feature. These help me to make more informed decisions about products that I buy.” We sat down with ExpertVoice Project Manager Mark Parrett to get the inside scoop behind the buzz.
Can you introduce us to Product Recommendations?
A recommendation on ExpertVoice is an expert’s opinion of a product, their credentials as an expert, what makes them qualified to offer that opinion, and how likely they are to recommend that product to somebody.
Can you explain how these product recommendations benefit experts?
Long before we ever created recommendations, experts were sharing their opinions. So we created a platform where 1.5 million experts can share their opinions and express their passion in a community where they respect the other experts they’re talking to. And, as an added bonus, the brands are listening. So what you say in an ExpertVoice recommendation might just change the course of that product for the next season.
That sounds pretty cool for experts, they get to create and read qualified reviews. How does the new feature benefit our brand partners?
Brands come to us for digital recommendations because it’s a great way for them to see exactly what experts are saying. So it goes deeper than just, “This is my three-star review” to “Here’s why I recommend this product, who I recommend it to, and how I think the brand could evolve it to make it better.”
There are other benefits, too. These recommendations can impact the way a brand uses their rep force. For example: if a brand discovers that experts at specific retailers are passionate about products that their store doesn’t carry, that could prompt a conversation about increasing inventory — and driving sales for both the store and the brand.
Like I mentioned before, these recommendations could influence the design of a product. When a brand knows the most requested modifications their prime and passionate consumers suggest, they may take that into account when they’re designing the next version of that product. These are just a few of the ways brands can use this information to make their customers happy and increase revenue.
The tool was released without any publicity but we’ve already seen major success. Can you provide some numbers?
On average, we’re seeing about 1,000 recommendations per week right now. We’re testing some things — like asking experts for recommendations in content — that might blow that number out of the water. We’re at the infancy of this new feature; there’s opportunity to have millions of recommendations on the platform.
Why should brands get their reviews from ExpertVoice instead of another platform?
You can get reviews in a lot of places. But look at the recommendations our experts are making; they’re framed differently than a standard review. For example, some of our experts are retail sales associates who have a unique perspective and can say, “This isn’t the product I use but this is who it’s perfect for and this is how I sell it.” And that’s unique versus a review, which is generally limited to one person’s experience and whether or not it’s their favorite product for a given activity.
Can brands download these recommendations? Talk about syndication.
Today, all brands can get their recommendations from their AE by request; those belong to the brands and they are free to use them however they see fit. We think syndication is the future of this feature and we’re exploring really slick syndication tools that tie in with some of the other review platforms. We expect that feature to come in Q1 of next year.
Can brands be beta users for this and other upcoming features on the platform?
We do have a beta program that provides brands with access to new features before they’re available to the general audience. If brands are interested in participating, they should contact their AE or CS representatives.
Check out the product recommendations for the Brooks Ghost 11 below, then find out how you can leverage the new feature to help your brand reach its goals — contact us today.
