By Tamara Littleton

Online shopping is developing into a more social experience. Brands like Amazon have led the way with creating communities for their online reviewers, and now with the advent of crowdsourced shopping sites such as Groupon (which reached over 30 million users in 2010), the social shopping experience will start to become more common. A major part of this shared experience is publishing feedback and reviews. And for brands, this can seem like a double-edged sword. What if the reviews are negative? Research shows that review sites have the power to influence reputation and impact on sales, so can brands justify the risk?

Managed well, customer reviews (even negative ones) can really benefit brands. A negative review that highlights a product flaw or highlights customer service issues can save time, money and further reputation damage by spotting problems early. Brands can take action to put a problem right. This move from the traditional selling model - where brands simply promote products to customers - to listening to customer feedback through reviews can build a relationship of trust and transparency between the brand and consumer, with real benefits for the brand in the long-term. But negative reviews should be addressed. Acting swiftly can turn a negative experience for the consumer into a positive one.

Reviews can impact sales. Bazaarvoice found that shoppers who read reviews were nearly three times more likely to buy than those who didn’t. But more than that, they can help brands understand why certain products are selling well and others aren’t: information than can be fed back into product development.

The trend for social shopping should not be underestimated either. Research by Brand Reputation shows that over 80 per cent of consumers saying that they were more likely to check online product reviews before making a purchase. Making provision for customer reviews on the main retail site encourages the consumer to spend more time on the site, and forges community bonds and brand loyalty – making the customer experience about more than just shopping.

It’s important that the reviews section of the site is well managed. Avoid the pitfalls of fake or spammed reviews and ensure that the community is kept constructive and useful. Guidelines (that are easy for the reviewer to find) can set the tone of the review site and lay out clearly what is and is not acceptable for users. Be clear on what you won’t post and why. Spam, fake reviews, abuse, unlawful content and anonymous reviews (which can increase the chance of a fake post and tends to encourage people to be more hostile) are just some of the types of content you don’t want to be associated with. Be clear that these won’t be tolerated, and that will filter many of the worst problems. Good moderation will tackle the rest.

Fake reviews can be a major concern. Beware astroturfers or brand rivals – basically interested parties wishing to push their own agenda – who post fraudulent reviews in an attempt to bolster or damage a product’s reputation. Usually, experienced community managers and moderators will be able to spot these reviewers. The warning signs are things like posts which seem over-enthusiastic about a competitive product, general ‘hate’ posts, or several posts close together with the same tone or style. Another common sign of a fraudulent review is a sudden spate of conversations between first time posters, promoting a particular product. Brands should also keep an eye for ratings or reviews that stand out from the norm or seem unlikely. The good news is that a well-managed reviewer community will often weed these people out themselves.

Keeping the review community fresh and constructive is important. Reviews can be encouraged by asking customers for their feedback once a product has been delivered; star reviewers (perhaps voted for by the community) can be rewarded and incentivised by having the chance to build up their community profile to receive further community benefits. The ultimate aim is to create a strong, vibrant reviewer community that keeps customers coming back for more.

Like all communities, engaging with and managing a community of reviewers requires a brand to open itself up to users to an extent that many find goes against the grain of corporate messaging and content control. Managed well, though, reviews are a great way for brands to develop a real understanding of what customers think about a product, insight which should help inform future product and marketing strategies. In short, customer review sites offer a real opportunity to build stronger understanding of what customers will buy.

About the author and eModeration

Tamara Littleton is CEO of eModeration. Founded in 2002, eModeration Limited is an international, specialist user-generated content moderation company. It provides multilingual community management and content moderation to clients in the entertainment and digital publishing industry and major corporate clients hosting online communities and consumer-driven ad campaigns.

eModeration's team of moderators and staff are the key to eModeration's success and excellent client list. eModeration draws on the expertise of carefully recruited and trained moderators located mainly in the US and Europe with specialist editorial and community moderation skills, which are matched uniquely to the client. The company can moderate 24/7 and provides cover for over 50 languages. All its moderators are managed online from eModeration's headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

eModeration White Paper – A Guide to Managing and Moderating Customer Review Sites.