A new app has gone live that promises to match as many as 7 million shoppers from around the world with the products and services that they want by leveraging user generated content (UGC) at scale.
The new Influenster app from Bazaarvoice is built around a proprietary personalisation algorithm, and will match the company’s community of 7 million shoppers with brands seeking honest feedback on their products through authentic reviews, photos, and videos.
With an ultra-personalised in-app feed, members can discover brands and products that excite them,and learn more through the experiences shared by other shoppers on the platform. In return, brands can segment and target audiences via first-party data to drive incentivised word-of-mouth marketing to power their content strategy, while simultaneously reducing their costs of customer acquisition and content production.
“As retail becomes more consumer-driven, shoppers find what they’re looking for through the power of peer-to-peer exchange, which includes user-generated content, like ratings, reviews, photos and videos,” explains Keith Nealon, CEO, Bazaarvoice. “We’re leading the industry forward with the new Influenster app, creating a global space that’s bigger than ever, where consumers can go to share their thoughts, questions, experiences, and pictures of their favourite brands and products.”
Michelle McAlister, Senior Director of Marketing at PepsiCo offers an example: “There is nothing more valuable than hearing feedback on our products from consumers. Allowing consumers to share their experiences and thoughts on our products with the Influenster community and us is priceless.”
Colby Smith, GM, Content Acquisition Services at Bazaarvoice, adds: “In today’s retail landscape where consumer-to-consumer marketing reigns supreme, consumer communities are key because that’s where trusted recommendations are made. According to our research, 78% of shoppers say the #1 most influential factor in driving purchase decisions is an authentic review from another shopper. The Influenster community drives real connectivity between consumers, as well as between consumers and brands.”
