Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM AUGUST 2016 34 S ince I'm not the biggest tech user in my circle (my friends often call me to see if I got their texts), I didn't realize how important online reviews had become. Of course, like everyone else, I always go to the web before making major purchases. When I was remodeling my house recently, I learned a lot about cabinet construction, faucet choices, LED under cabinet lighting and wood flooring on the Internet. And I looked up product reviews from several sites before committing to move from gas to induction cooking. Even though I have industry experience, I read dozens of reviews about the brand of appliances I was getting before hitting "buy". Although it isn't all perfect—(who knew you could buy an oven that only had temperature control every 25 degrees? No more 385° for my grandmother's favorite cake recipe)—I'm glad I took the time and energy to learn about the options available. Recently I purchased a $30 kitchen tool from a major national retailer. I was in the store picking up something else and it was kind of an impulse buy. Certainly nothing I needed. A friend was coming to dinner and I was excited to show her how I could make "noodles" out of vegetables. We poured a couple of drinks and laughed while we spiralized beets, carrots, radishes, sweet potatoes and zucchini. Dinner was great but some of the vegetables kind of squished up instead of evenly curled like the pictures I'd seen. My friend, who never spends more than $10 without thoroughly researching her purchases asked, "What did the review say?" I had to admit that no, I hadn't done my homework. She grabbed her phone, went to the Internet and looked up the product. She found that the one I'd bought only had a 2-star rating from hundreds of consumers. Although a name brand utensil, it didn't perform as well as other ones available. Shame on me. I ordered the new one, and sure enough, it is much, much better. At lunch today, I heard a similar story from a friend who'd first purchased an inexpensive apple slicer/corer that quickly broke. Before buying another one, he went online and found one that was highly-rated by its users. That purchase was less than $20! I'm going to Santa Fe for a weekend of food and opera with my girlfriends. We've been checking sites like Fodor's and TripAdvisor to see where we should eat and what we should do, and we've all been there before! Whether it's a hotel room, a restaurant, a new refrigerator or a car, information about the features, benefits and drawbacks of almost anything is available at the touch of a keyboard. Customers trust unknown other consumers more than they trust even the most highly- respected local retailer and their associates. It's a marketplace truth so we'd better learn to live in this new transparent world. Before bringing in a new supplier or even a new product, do your own research. See what your prospects will see before they even come into the store. If the merchandise doesn't have a superior consumer rating for quality and value, you may have a difficult time selling it. Continually monitor review sites and if a product is trending downward, talk with your vendor and see what's happening. Most important, monitor your own company reviews. It's difficult to get bad reviews removed, but at the least, respond publicly with an offer to meet with the customer offline to resolve the issue. Once that customer is satisfied, ask him/her to write a new review. Often customers who have an issue with a product or a dealer that is resolved quickly and satisfactorily will be happier and more willing to refer others than those customers who never had any problems. Solicit reviews from happy customers. When you do get an email, a phone call or a note from a customer, ask them if they'd be kind enough to post that praise online. Help them find Yelp or your site. I've been writing columns in various trade journals since the mid- '70s. Occasionally I receive emails from my readers about what I've written. To date, the responses have all been positive and they make me want to continue writing to benefit my loyal fans. I just received my first negative message. Since I don't know that writer, I'll say here that I'm sorry you were somehow offended by my characterization of Bruce Springsteen and what you perceived as a political comment that you didn't agree with. I hope you got something out of the rest of the column. You can't please everyone all the time, but you have to keep trying. Elly Valas is an author, speaker and retail consultant. She can be reached at elly@ellyvalas.com or 303-316-7568. Elly Valas Retail Views RO REVIEWING REVIEWS

• Cover