Think your sales and marketing team are responsible for selling your product or service online? Dream on.

Fact is, product comparison websites and customer opinions are now the most influential force on buying decisions.

Consider the stats:

• 71% of online shoppers read reviews: the most widely read consumer-generated content.
• 63% are more likely to buy from a site with product ratings and reviews. (CompUSA & iPerceptions study)
• In tests, sales conversion rose from 0.44% to 1.04% by adding a product’s five-star rating (Marketing Experiments Journal)

This is Shopping 2.0.

Does it render marketing redundant? Far from it. But it does demand a shift in strategy from digital marketers and agencies.

Here's 3 ways to shift the power back in your favour:

1. Audit your digital presence
Evaluate how consumers see your brand. Consider comparison engines, blogs, customer reviews, presence within leading consumer websites. Is your own website as good a showroom for your products as your competitors?

2. Be brave, invite feedback
Provide tools and assets to encourage product feedback and customer satisfaction.

3. Use customer opinions
Establish a dialogue, keep them informed on product updates, thank them for caring and invite more feedback.

That way, your digital marketing team becomes central to a process of constant product refinement process and increased customer delight.

If that’s where you’d like to be, get in touch. We’d love to help.