Dive Brief:
- Grocery product ratings and reviews by customers have become a key part of the path to purchase, according to a study reported by Chain Store Age. If reviews are available for items on an online grocery’s website, 93% of shoppers will read them at least occasionally.
- Customers in brick-and-mortar stores also want to access user generated content online. Fifty-two percent of in-store grocery shoppers are more likely to buy a new product if it has reviews and ratings, the study notes.
- Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods is putting pressure on other grocers to step up their efforts when it comes to user generated content. Retailers that offer that information upfront can attract and retain customers, according to the study.
Dive Insight:
Inviting customers to review and rate grocery products may feel like opening Pandora’s box to some retailers. There’s the possibility that few consumers will respond, and that those who do will flood their website with one-star negative reviews. The flip side to this is that customers want these reviews, and may develop store loyalty if a retailer offers them.
Amazon Fresh and Peapod currently support consumer-generated content (CGC) with drastically different levels of engagement. Organic broccoli on Amazon Fresh had 52 customer reviews and 3 answered questions. The same product on Peapod had no reviews at all. Still, it’s a feather in their cap that they’re trying to engage customers. The vast majority of grocery stores do not offer CGC online.
These online reviews offer a great deal of insight to consumers who are doing their grocery shopping from their desk or at home. The sensory experience that is removed when shopping online is brought back a little with other customer’s ratings. It’s a way for someone who is outside of the store to learn if the Gala apples are crisp, or if the fresh salmon is consistently fresh.
One interesting finding from the study is that customers who are already inside a brick-and-mortar grocery store still want to read these reviews on their phone while strolling the aisles. Fifty-two percent of shoppers reported that they would be more likely to toss a new product into their basket if there were online reviews for it.
Offering CGC online offers an added layer of transparency at a time when shoppers are demanding it. It also offers an opportunity for retailers to engage with shoppers and learn about any issues they're having with store products and services. Negative reviews may sting, but they offer the opportunity for retailers to make amends and keep customers coming into their stores.
