Retailers urged to enhance trust with genuine content

According to Kate Musgrove, Managing Director for APAC at Bazaarvoice, retailers are advised to focus on authenticity and genuine user-generated content to foster consumer trust during the end-of-year shopping season.

Musgrove emphasises the increased necessity for retailers to build trust with their customers as the 2024 end-of-year shopping period coincides with ongoing economic pressures and increasing discussions surrounding the impact of artificial intelligence on online content.

She states, "As we head into the 2024 end-of-year shopping season, it's more important than ever for retailers to build trust with their customers. This year's season is happening in the middle of ongoing economic pressures and growing conversations around the impact of AI on what we see online. Maintaining consumer trust is becoming harder." 

The prevalent use of AI-generated content has contributed to heightened scepticism around the authenticity of online reviews and content, prompting brands to ensure that customer feedback is credible. According to Musgrove, "AI-generated content can make it more difficult for people to tell what's real and what's not, leading to more scepticism around reviews and online content. This puts extra pressure on brands to show that the feedback from their customers is credible and trustworthy."

In light of this challenge, Musgrove suggests implementing systems to verify and authenticate customer reviews. She highlights Bazaarvoice's own practice, stating, "One of the best ways to address this is by having systems to check and authenticate reviews. Take Bazaarvoice, for example. We use a combination of AI and human moderation to spot fake feedback, ensuring only genuine reviews are shared."

Musgrove also underscores the necessity for transparency in handling consumer feedback, advocating for openness about positive and negative reviews to reinforce trust and enhance brand reputation. "At the same time, it's also crucial for brands to be open about both positive and negative reviews. Being transparent helps to build trust and strengthens brand reputation," she noted.

Nevertheless, Musgrove argues that simply having authentic reviews is insufficient. She urges retailers to leverage this feedback across all platforms to enhance the shopping experience and boost sales. "But having authentic reviews isn't enough on its own. Brands need to use this feedback across all their channels to improve the shopping experience and drive sales," she added.

By adopting these strategies, Musgrove believes that retailers can transform the season's challenges into lasting opportunities, ensuring that their efforts during the festive period have a sustained effect. "By focusing on these strategies, retailers can turn the season's challenges into lasting opportunities, ensuring their efforts during the festive period have an impact beyond the holidays," she concluded.