2012
Holiday Guide to Social
Drive Holiday Sales and Plan for a Great 2013
Are you optimized for social success this holiday season? You know social has a huge impact on sales – more than ever during the holidays. But did you know that optimizing social now will help set your brand up for a phenomenal 2013? This step-by-step guide shows you how brands can win big by engaging consumers right in the purchase path. Partner with retailers to convert more buyers. Let loyal customers help you woo new buyers. And anticipate consumer needs to position you for success in 2013.
Here’s how:
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Engage shoppers everywhere they shop. Consumers want to hear from other people like them – online, in stores, and via mobile.
Drive breakthrough campaigns fueled by real consumer input. Shoppers trust one another, not you.
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Get real-time consumer insights that inform decisions – and big wins – for 2013. Consumers are telling you what they want, right now. Dig in to win big.
Step 1 Engage shoppers everywhere they shop: Consumers want to hear from other people like them – online, in stores, and via mobile. 84% of consumers research online before making a purchase.1 They make their decision before they walk into the store. So don’t just focus on shelf tags in the aisles, make sure they can find trusted information about your products online. Shoppers ask questions on retail sites – be there to answer. Partner with top retailers to share product reviews you get on your own site. Be the answer to a shopper’s question: “What should I buy?” click to learn more about bazaarvoice conversations
Best Buy leverages star ratings and customer quotes to promote featured items in a holiday circular.
Sephora features reviews and ratings in their catalog. 1 PricewaterhouseCoopers 2012
click to learn how reviews help rubbermaid inscrease engagement
Rubbermaid found that, when they added reviews to their free-standing inserts (ads included in newspapers), conversion for the coupons increased by 10%.2
Consumers want your answers to their questions. Online shoppers find answers from brand experts 66% more helpful than answers from other consumers.3 Brand answers are badged by the brand to build credibility, and brands can recommend additional products alongside expert input. click to learn more about bazaarvoice connections
BEHR answers consumer questions at homedepot.com.
2 Rubbermaid/Bazaarvoice case study, 2010 | 3 Bazaarvoice analysis 2012
Step 2 Drive breakthrough campaigns fueled by real consumer input. Shoppers trust one another, so let them hear from other consumers like themselves. Spread the authentic voice of the consumer across all marketing touchpoints to let consumers know you’re listening. This trusted content will drive marketing campaigns that break through past results, and infuse your brand with a halo of consumer centricity.
Clinique let consumers sing the praises of its Even Better Dark Spot Corrector, adding to the credibility of its scientifically-proven results. They let comments from real women tell the emotional story of the effects of the product on hyperpigmentation. These authentic voices were amplified in TV ads, email marketing, in-store sales tools and displays, and on the Clinique website.
Nexxus, premium hair care brand from Unilever, created ProMend, a breakthrough technology that addresses the #1 hair care need in the market: split ends. Nexxus recognized that consumer advocacy was critical in validating their hard-hitting claims, so they asked brand advocates to try ProMend before launch and share their honest reviews. ProMend launched with the voice of the consumer front and center, as soon as the product hit retail shelves. Today Nexxus incorporates consumer advocacy into all future product launches.
Step 3 Get real-time consumer insights that inform decisions – and big wins – for 2013. Consumers are telling you what they want, right now. Dig in to win big. Dell encourages consumers to review and rate their products, and this information has a direct impact on product development and innovation.
One of Dell’s current notebooks, for example, has 20 features that engineering changed from one generation of the product to the next based on customer feedback. Customer-driven changes cover the spectrum from thermal improvements, to ergonomic alternations, to design enhancements – even in the seemingly smallest considerations, such as where USB entry ports are placed.
Click to learn how dell uses reviews to help build a more customer-centric business
click to learn more about bazaarvoice Intelligence
Customer feedback helps us improve products and services. Reviews and other social data allow manufacturers like Dell to become more customer-centric. They in particular expose engineering teams and other non-customerfacing groups to customer feedback they would not be directly exposed to otherwise. Michael Buck
Executive Director, Global CSMB Online Marketing
Start the conversation. It’s never too late to start the conversation with consumers. Bazaarvoice helps you engage with consumers everywhere they shop, including the world’s top retailers. We’re the only solution that gives you structured data from social that helps drive breakthrough marketing and meaningful product innovations.
Let’s talk about improving holiday sales and driving breakthrough growth in 2013. Learn more We understand that our clients have the last word in whether we drive real value or not. Here are some real-world case studies shared by top brands.
Building trust
• Lexus Sweden builds brand trust through customer conversations
• LG engages directly with consumers in the retail channel to get them the product information they need
Driving innovation
• Dell uses reviews to help build a more customer-centric business
• Customer opinions drive new product designs for Urban Outfitters’ Decorative Home
Powering growth
We help you put consumers at the center of your business, ending your reliance on assumptions and guesswork.
• Urban Decay consumers review 93% of its products, increasing online sales, engagement, and new products
• Charles Schwab boosts acquisition with online consumer reviews
Find more at www.bazaarvoice.com
We’re Bazaarvoice Bazaarvoice brings the voice of customers to the center of business strategy, transforming business performance for nearly 2,000 clients globally, including over half of the Internet Retailer 500 list of the world’s largest retailers, over 20 percent of the Fortune 500, and over one-third of the Fortune 100 brands. Bazaarvoice social software helps clients like Best Buy, Costco, Dell, Macy’s, P&G, Panasonic, QVC, Travelocity, and USAA create social communities on their brand websites and Facebook pages where customers can engage in conversations. These conversations can be syndicated across Bazaarvoice’s global network of client websites and mobile devices, making the user-generated content that digital consumers trust accessible at multiple points of purchase. Through Bazaarvoice, manufacturers can also connect directly with consumers on retail sites to answer questions and respond to reviews about their products. The social data derived from online word of mouth translates into actionable insights that improve marketing, sales, customer service, and product development. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Bazaarvoice has offices in Amsterdam, London, Munich, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Stockholm, and Sydney. For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com, read the blog at www.bazaarvoice.com/blog, and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bazaarvoice.