HAVING A SAY

Customers voice their opinions about Roots with new feature on the website

Every day, since a new feature was introduced on the Roots website last spring, hundreds of people who visit the site are taking the time to read what others have to say about the company and its products. Many eventually add their opinion to what has become a lively, much-consulted service.

 

Called Ratings and Reviews, the application enables Roots customers to easily connect and communicate with each other. It was initiated by James Connell, Senior Director of E-Commerce and New Media, based on his desire to allow Roots customers and others to create the sense of an online community.

Shoppers can now share their experiences, post photos, review their favorite products and ask questions to each other. As of mid-September, more than 2,300 reviews, 300 questions and 350 stories have been logged on the website, adding another dimension to the e-commerce side of roots.com.

“This new feature gives new customers who aren’t that familiar with Roots products an added sense of security,” says Tanja Zelko, Manager of Online Marketing and Customer Experience. “Most Roots customers are loyal and many are expressive in their attachment to the brand. This feature allows them to help each other.”

 

Apart from helping customers feel more comfortable purchasing an item they haven’t seen in person, the feature has also contributed to increased traffic to the website.

 

“We’ve seen more people set up roots.com accounts,” says James. “Based on our statistics, people who view the content are more than 190% more likely to make a purchase. We’re also seeing a significant number of customers visiting the reviews from Google and Bing searches.”

 

The Ratings and Reviews feature called ‘Share your story’ was part of a recent online contest in which customers posted stories, comments and pictures about what they thought makes Canada priceless.

 

The stories were posted on the website and customers were able to rate them. The customer ratings also played a part in deciding the winner.

 

Visit roots.com to read what others have to say about the company’s products - and to give your two-cents.