When you hear someone mention “customer reviews,” you probably think about the comments and product ratings on websites and online stores. But enterprising retail brands increasingly are looking for ways to bring this valuable, user-generated content off the web and into their stores.

Below, we’ll look at why using customer reviews in-store is beneficial for retailers, who are finding new ways to do it, and how you can leverage ratings and reviews in your own retail store.

 

Why you should bring customer reviews in-store?

Bringing customer reviews in-store, at minimum, eliminates a step for shoppers.

Easily accessible reviews make it easier for customers to find the information they want and make purchasing decisions.

Plus, when you bring reviews into your store, you take one more step toward melding the convenience of online shopping with the experience of shopping in-store, combining the best of both worlds instead of forcing one to compete against the other.

The days of one-sided push marketing strategies are over, and physical stores need to reflect that shift and find innovative ways to give customers what they’re looking for.

Innovative ways for bringing your customer reviews in-store

Above all, don’t be afraid to get creative. Customers are looking for social proof, so any way you can bring that proof into your physical store is worth testing.

 

Cultivate a portfolio of customer reviews online

You have to have customer reviews before you can bring them into the physical retail world. Encouraging customers to leave the right kind of review—ones that help others gather the information they actually want to make a decision—is key.

 

Curate store inventory based on customer ratings and popularity

If your brand exists in both the e-commerce and brick-and-mortar realms (or if you’re planning to expand into physical retail), customer reviews can be an invaluable signal to help you decide which products to stock in your physical store. Leaning on customer ratings makes it easier to find the products that will yield the best returns in-store, and stocking only products with a certain minimum rating helps customers develop a baseline level of trust in the products they find in your store.

 

Make customer reviews accessible to your audience

Are your customers young tech natives? If so, a QR code that can be scanned with their smartphone will probably work well. If you’re serving a less tech-savvy crowd, you might be better off including customer reviews on in-store displays or even digital signage.

 

Choose the right reviews to showcase

Just like in the digital world, there’s a fine line between curating the reviews you show to customers and censoring them. The difference can often come down to your intent—is your ultimate goal to inform customers, helping them make the best decision for them?

Also, take the time to consider the usefulness of the reviews you showcase in store. A review that says “Great product!” doesn’t tell customers very much. Look for more in-depth reviews that speak to the features that matter to your shoppers.