Founded in Seattle in 1981, Outdoor Research® has built a longstanding reputation for developing functional, quality outdoor gear that pushes the limits of innovative possibility. Since then, they’ve continued to create “Trusted Gear for you to Thrive Outside.”

To ensure their customers get the right gear fit to their needs, and to stand out in a crowded marketplace, Outdoor Research turned to ExpertVoice.

01 - BACKGROUND

Outdoor Research + ExpertVoice

Outdoor Research partnered with ExpertVoice in 2013 to connect with industry professionals — get them learning about and purchasing products — and become advocates for the brand online and out in the world.

The value in our partnership with ExpertVoice begins with educating Experts each season on the new products, collections, and technology that are launching. From there, we get our gear into the hands of the experts that will use our products to do what they’re designed for: getting outside. Our goal is for those experts to become brand advocates for us through word of mouth and digital product reviews, which will drive sales for general customers.”

To increase its D2C e-commerce sales, Outdoor Research leveraged ExpertVoice’s E-commerce Advocacy solution to collect, curate and syndicate honest, educated product reviews to its website. Reviews sourced on ExpertVoice are different — they come from a highly qualified audience who complete brand education before purchasing products and putting them to the test. But the brand wanted to get more eyes on what the experts had to say.

At a glance

Challenge

The brand wanted its ExpertVoice product reviews to reach a broader audience of general consumers to boost D2C e-commerce sales and help more people make the right buying decisions.

Solution

Utilize ExpertVoice’s E-Commerce Advocacy solution to continue collecting expert-level product reviews and UGC.

Implement the Recommendation Display and PowerReviews integration to collect, curate and syndicate reviews across their PDPs.

Results

1,000+ product reviews syndicated automatically to 450 of Outdoor Research’s PDPs with the ExpertVoice Recommendation Display implemented.

Outdoor Research saw a 14% increase in revenue per session after customers saw or engaged with the optimized placement of the ExpertVoice review display on their website.

02 - CHALLENGE

Getting more eyes on expert-level reviews.

Since the start of their partnership, Outdoor Research has collected thousands of product reviews from credentialed industry professionals and outdoor enthusiasts on ExpertVoice.

They’ve accumulated this impressive library of reviews by regularly engaging experts with seasonally relevant Education and Seeding Campaigns and running promotional media on the ExpertVoice site.

We’ve seen that ExpertVoice reviews tend to be more detailed about how the Expert is using our products. We love seeing the differences in how a ski patroller might use one of our jackets vs. an active-duty military member using the same jacket.”

Experts putting Outdoor Research products to the test:

But the brand wanted these expert product reviews to reach a broader audience of general consumers.  With the holidays and winter selling season approaching, it was critical to have reviews from credible industry insiders front and center on their e-commerce website to increase shopper trust and stand out in a competitive industry.

03 - SOLUTION

Displaying in-depth reviews on product pages.

Outdoor Research leveraged the ExpertVoice Recommendation Display. They implemented a customized review display across select product display pages and syndicated product reviews sourced on ExpertVoice. Brands have seen an average 40% increase in AOV by leveraging ExpertVoices optimized recommendation display on their e-commerce pages.

We wanted a way to leverage the knowledge and feedback from the wide variety of experts that were using our products, not just for other experts, but for general customers as well. The expert knowledge and insights have proven to be valuable for all customers, which is proven through the site testing that we did.”

Outdoor Research also participated in optimization testing with ExpertVoice to determine the highest converting placement of the Recommendation Display on their product display pages (PDPs).

Reviews that populate the recommendation display are complete with the expert’s full name, photo, and area of expertise so that prospective buyers know they’re getting advice from people they can trust.

Additionally, Outdoor Research took advantage of ExpertVoice’s PowerReviews integration to automatically syndicate their new and historical product reviews from ExpertVoice to the native Ratings & Reviews display on their website. Boosting the number of knowledgeable reviews that populate their product pages and consumers’ trust in the durability of their products.

04 - RESULTS

The power of expert-level product reviews, realized.

After implementing ExpertVoice’s Recommendation Display, optimizing its placement, and enabling the PowerReviews integration, Outdoor Research saw impactful results.

• 1,000+ product reviews syndicated automatically to 450 of Outdoor Research’s PDPs with the Recommendation Display implemented.
• Outdoor Research saw a 14% increase in revenue per session after customers saw or engaged with the optimized placement of the ExpertVoice review display on their website.
• Within two months of enabling the PowerReviews integration, Outdoor Research saw a 29% increase in reviews syndicated to their PDPs.

Review syndication provided Outdoor Research with an easy and scalable way to share product reviews collected on ExpertVoice on their PDPs—ensuring that all their products are backed by the experts. Through optimization testing,  the brand learned that ExpertVoice Recommendation Display is a powerful e-commerce conversion lever.

Outdoor Research continues to partner closely with ExpertVoice to test innovative e-commerce features, drive advocacy among industry insiders and inspire everyday consumers to discover the gear that meets their outdoor needs.