Nielsen: Experience pushes consumers to post online

Consumer generated media (CGM) is more important than ever for marketers, however, if you think a good product is all you need to generate buzz amongst consumers, think again. A recent survey from Nielsen CGM/Homescan Buzzfacts indicates that the experience a consumer has is more likely to cause them to post a review than the product itself.

by Kristina Knight

Whether it is a blog posting or a post on a message board, CGM could make or break a product. If negative postings go unnoticed or ignored by marketers, they could hurt the brand as a whole.

Researchers found that only about 18% of consumers posted about a product because of a promotion for the item and only 12% placed a post after seeing an ad. More than half of those surveyed reported posting about products after they had a good experience using the product. 28% of those who posted said they did so because they had a good or a bad experience using the product; about 27% said they posted in response to another post about the same product.

The product experience includes the customer service experience that users experienced online. This means that from the moment a consumer logs on to your site, the experience must be above average. Sites need to be easily navigated, there should be contact information readily available (both email and phone) for questions and the shopping experience should be simple.