March 14 2007

Figleaves encourages customer reviews

Online underwear retailer figleaves.com has added customer ratings and reviews to its site to allow customers to share feedback about products. The retailer appointed Bazaarvoice to implement and manage the service.

Figleaves.com is the first UK retailer to implement the software solution from Bazaarvoice following the company's entrance into the UK market last month. Its technology is already being used by 70 US clients including department store chain Macy's, Hewlett Packard and Dell.

The addition of customer review capability to retail sites is increasing as the case for customer-generated content's ability to improve merchandising, increase multi-channel sales and conversion, attract new customers and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty is proven.

Luke Errington, of customer review publisher Reevoo.com, explains the benefits of adopting user-generated content to drive sales and provides a checklist for those launching a customer review programme in the latest issue of Internet Retailing magazine. Drop us a line if you haven't received a copy.

Press release follows:

figleaves.com has launched a ratings and review service to allow customers to share feedback about products and enhance their purchase decisions.

The online underwear retailer has appointed Bazaarvoice, the customer ratings and reviews technology provider which helps online brands build their businesses through word of mouth, to implement and manage a service that will enable customers to give an honest appraisal of products.

"We've recognised the benefit of building the community aspects of the site - it does enhance sales of products," said Catherine Hewison, Online Merchandising Director at figleaves.com. "People respond very well to seeing reviews, as opposed to us telling them about the product or just putting forward brand information. We sell over 200 brands and the reviews also allow us to give feedback to our suppliers; for example if there are any issues with fabric or sizing."

figleaves.com's customer forum launched via an offer to enter a draw to win vouchers if customers submit a review. The ratings and review service appears on the retailer's UK and US websites.

Bazaarvoice, which launched in the UK last month, will also provide figleaves.com with a reporting tool to track review volume, measure responses to the review service, sort data and support review management. Bazaarvoice helps retailers use customer-generated content to improve merchandising, increase multichannel sales and conversion, attract new customers and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

"figleaves.com's business will benefit greatly from having a trusted customer community interacting on its website," said Brett Hurt, Bazaarvoice's founder and CEO. "Retailers shouldn't underestimate the value of allowing their customers to talk to each other online. Bazaarvoice offers a strategic way to put customers at the centre of the online shopping experience to benefit all site visitors. We are very pleased to announce figleaves.com as our first multi-national client."

Emma Herrod