Point Of No Return
What cataloger wouldn’t want to reduce return rates by more than 20%?
Just ask auto parts and accessories cataloger J.C. Whitney.
After implementing Bazaarvoice Ask & Answer™, which allows J.C. Whitney shoppers to ask and answer specific questions about thousands of automotive parts on the company’s Website , company officials found that 80% of products with more than 20 questions and answers revealed a reduction in return rates, with the overall decrease averaging 23%.
What’s more, J.C. Whitney measured a 6 to 7.5% conversion rate improvement on products that had questions and answers versus those products that did not. “Anyone who buys automotive parts knows that every detail matters, but it’s virtually impossible for us to answer every question on our product or catalog pages alone,” Geoffrey Robertson, GM & VP e-commerce, Whitney Automotive Group, said in a release. “By allowing our customers to ask direct questions and receive responses from peers, experts or our own employees, we are helping our customers make highly informed purchasing decisions. We were thrilled at how rapidly our community has responded. We know it’s helping them pick the right part or accessory because both our return rates and conversion rates have improved. For some product lines, we have seen return rate improvements up to 54%.”
As customers post questions such as “Will these dust boots fit the Rancho shocks?” or ”Does this seat cover have holes for 2 or 3 seatbelts?”, J.C. Whitney enlists its employees and vendors to provide answers, using badges such as “Staff Answer” and “Expert Answer” to identify the contributor.
“Research shows that online businesses lose as many as 67% of consumers due to a lack of online product information,” Brett Hurt, founder/CEO of Bazaarvoice, added. “Ask & Answer is one of our fastest growing product lines because it allows shoppers to get answers to very specific questions that they require to make a purchase. By leveraging this new form of user-generated content, J.C. Whitney has been able to significantly improve their bottom line while improving the online experience for shoppers at the same time.”
