There was a time, not too long ago, when retail was all about “location, location, location.” Although that is still partially true, today the internet has been quickly changing that — the physical location is becoming less important, especially for small, packaged goods. Most consumers now expect online retailers to offer fast delivery, but what really makes the difference is the customer experience during the shopping process.
The experience often times leads to user generated content (UGC) posted across the internet on both social media sites as well as review sites. UGC posted by these past customers is then read by many new potential buyers looking to make a purchase. UGC may reflect badly on both the retailer and the brand if the experience was bad, or it may be overwhelming praise for the business and brand if the customer had a great experience.
Home Depot’s overall rating is 4.3 out of 5 and it has more than 14,900 consumer generated reviews as of this writing. I also read that Home Depot customers will now be able to shop with Google Assistant and use Google Express delivery service. Will this include flooring? No idea, but it will help keep Home Depot in the minds of shoppers and many of them will post reviews about their experience all over the internet.
Will this spell doom for specialty flooring stores? Absolutely not. But it should be a wakeup call to flooring storeowners. Flooring stores need to go the extra mile to improve their customer experience and learn how to ask customers to leave online reviews.
On a recent visit to Walter’s Carpet Gallery in West Bend, Wis., Steve Walter told me about a tile job he did while trying out a new tile installer. After the install was done, his measure guy saw the job had issues. Steve called the homeowner to let them know they would be coming back out to fix the issues at no charge. The homeowner was thrilled and shortly afterwards ordered new carpet for both the entire upstairs and downstairs. This is a good example of a flooring store delivering a great customer experience.
Another example is one I recently had myself with an online merchant. I realized at the last minute that I needed a new pair of wading boots within three days or less for a fishing trip. I placed an order with Backcountry.com and it not only shipped the boots to me (two-day free shipping), but followed up with a personal phone call and email, and even told me if something happens with the UPS delivery, it will ship another pair to my destination in Montana. Wow! Now that is awesome service. This won’t be the last time I buy from Backcountry.com.
UGC in the form of reviews and social posts will happen for your business sooner or later and you need to learn to embrace it. There are several good web applications available to help you manage, monitor and ask for reviews when the jobs are done, including Google, Facebook and also your own website.
Bottom line — customer reviews matter, and storeowners need to generate more UGC. It is the best form of online advertising you can have.
John Simonson of Webstream Dynamics & GetFiveStarReviews.pro has been helping flooring companies with their online marketing for over 19 years. He can be reached at john@webstreamdynamics.com.