Best Buy opens up to customer reviews online

Best Buy UK has added independent service reviews, to its e-commerce website so customers can rate Best Buy's 'service performance' as well as the products they purchase

Best Buy - which differentiates itself on providing the best possible service - says that displaying the results gives customers, who have decided which product to buy, the confidence to complete their transaction on the Best Buy site.

Pat Foley, Head of Online Operations & Customer Experience for Best Buy UK, said: "At Best Buy we promise an unrivalled level of impartial customer service and advice to make shopping easier and better for everyone. By displaying independent service performance reviews and comments about delivery, customer service and whether other customers would buy from us again, we continue to be an open and transparent retailer, thereby building further trust in our brand.

"Using Reevoo Reputation we're able to receive instant feedback from our customers which allows us to make improvements to our business just as quickly. In doing so, we are also meeting the expectations of consumers who, nowadays, expect to see that type of socially-sourced information before they commit to buying."

The presence of Reevoo Reputation service reviews on a retailer's website provides measurable benefits, helping to gain consumers' trust, reduce basket abandonment and increase conversion, as well as providing a way of fighting downwards price pressure. Measured across all online retailers, basket abandonment accounts for 20%-60% of incomplete sales, with high-spenders more likely to abandon than low-spenders.

However, Reevoo's own data shows that readers of service reviews have been shown to convert at a 123% higher rate. Recent research commissioned by Reevoo also suggests that 58% of consumers now search for online reviews before buying from a retailer they've never heard of.

Service reviews are proactively sourced from anyone completing a transaction on the participating retailer's site. Customers are asked to rate not only the product they have purchased, but also their buying experience - including customer service, delivery time, and whether or not they'd buy again from the retailer. Using Reevoo also enables retailers to clear up any issues on the spot, helping to improve customer satisfaction.

Richard Anson, founder and CEO of Reevoo, said: "Retailers need to engage in meaningful ways with their customers in stores, online and over the phone.
"A great reputation allows retailers to switch customer focus away from price and to differentiate themselves on their quality of service -- something which Best Buy is already resoundingly known for."

As with all Reevoo's social commerce services, partners benefit from Reevoo's clear independence in the rating process. The Reevoo Mark may be used by retailers and brands across all channels and customer touchpoints, to drive sales online, in-store and offline.

Best Buy recently improved even further its customer service promises. Its price promise and after-sales service commitment -- including 24/7 help online and by phone -- are examples of how customer service starts at the research stage and doesn't stop once someone has left the store or the website.