PIM
Manage all product content in one central system of record.
Activation
Easily syndicate product content to every consumer touch point.
Enhanced Content
Enrich product pages with below-the-fold content and rich media.
Catalog Sites
Share customized, up-to-date digital product catalogs.
Automation
Enhance collaboration with Salsify’s automated workflow engine.
Activation Insights
Continuously optimize your organization’s product content syndication.
GDSN Data Pool
Synchronize standard supply chain, marketing, and ecommerce attributes globally.
PXM Platform, Integrations, and APIs
Integrate the PXM platform with the rest of your enterprise systems architecture.
Supplier Onboarding
Accelerate supplier onboarding while ensuring your schema requirements are met.
Product Listing
Sell products faster with Product Listing.
Content Enrichment
Increase online conversions with Content Enrichment.
Automation
Save time and increase operational efficiency with retail automation.
SXM Platform, Integrations, and APIs
Integrate the SXM platform with the rest of your enterprise systems architecture.
Activation Network
Automate how you exchange product content data to the digital shelf.
Enhanced Content Network
Turn product pages into product experiences with Enhanced Content.
Ecommerce Platform Integrations
Create winning product experiences on owned sites with powerful ecommerce software.
GDSN Data Pool
Synchronize standard supply chain, marketing, and ecommerce attributes globally.
Open Catalog
Connect to the digital shelf faster with an open, standardized, and free product catalog.
Resources
Resource Library
Explore our ecommerce resources to get everything you need to win on the digital shelf.
Blog
Read our blog to get actionable insights for navigating changing markets and industry demands.
Webinars
Watch our on-demand ecommerce webinars to gain expert advice and tips from our community of industry leaders.
Engineering Blog
Explore our engineering blog to get developer resources, insights, and tips.
Events
Register for our upcoming in-person and virtual events to connect with other industry insiders.
Knowledge Base
Investigate our knowledge base to build your Salsify skills and understanding.
Product Updates
Explore the latest news and updates for Salsify products.
API
Examine our comprehensive API and webhook guides to start working with Salsify quickly.
Learn how to prioritize and deliver what your shoppers want with the latest insights.
The Takeaway: Customer reviews have become an invaluable form of product content. To thrive in the age of distributed commerce, you need to encourage and leverage these resources.
Say you're in the market for a new blender. You're hardly a blender expert, so odds are you don't have a specific make or model in mind. So how are you going to start your search? If you're like most consumers, you'll turn to one of two sources, or maybe both: Product reviews and recommendations from your peers.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Today, it's consumers, not companies, who control the shopping experience. Shoppers demand customer reviews and recommendations before making purchasing decisions. You should look at this not as a burden, but as an opportunity to incorporate a powerful form of product content into the endless aisle.
Reviews and recommendations matter - a lot
Few would deny that customer reviews and recommendations have become a key part of the buyer's journey. But it's easy to underestimate just how important these resources truly are.
"82% of consumers want to see at least 3 product reviews when considering a purchase."
Considering this statistics from our most recent research report, "Cracking the Consumer Code": Eighty-two percent of consumers want to see a minimum of three product reviews whenever they're considering a purchase. That doesn't mean three reviews are sufficient to sway a consumer - it means that that is the absolute minimum number the vast majority of shoppers need to see before they'll possibly decide to buy.
This type of product content is especially important for millennials. Our research found that these young shoppers are 50 percent more likely than other adults to say ratings and reviews are the most important factor when considering where to make online purchases, and they're 60 percent more likely to view a product based on friends' social media posts.
Why? Because consumers in general, and millennials in particular, trust reviews and recommendations. Nielsen research found that 92 percent of consumers trust product recommendations from friends and family, while 70 percent put their faith in online product reviews, making these the most credited forms of advertising. And a more recent survey from BrightLocal found that 88 percent of consumers trust online customer reviews just as much as personal recommendations.
How can you use reviews?
So how can your business effectively incorporate customer reviews and social recommendations into your product content strategy?
Leveraging customer reviews and recommendations to improve sales, increase enagement and build loyalty is just half of the story. Next week, in Part II of the series, I share ideas on how brands and retailers can user customer reviews to influence marketing strategy by turning that feedback into product insights for future go-to-market plans.
I love starting conversations that help our customers get product content better, faster, stronger. And I have a slight obsession with the New York Times crossword.
Standing out on the digital shelf starts with access to the latest industry content. Subscribe to Below the Fold, our monthly content newsletter, and join other commerce leaders.