Online Reputation Management Case Study Using Ratepoint
"Growth Demands More Growth" - Superior Nut Company Superior Nut Company got its start in the basement of a movie theater in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1929. Diversifying its product line and expanding its operations worldwide over the succeeding decades, the company is now housed in a modern four-story plant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Today, Superior Nut Company provides a wide variety of nuts and specialty nut candies to businesses and consumers. Despite Superior Nut Company’s accomplishments, no business, no matter how successful, can afford to rest on its laurels. So the company launched its online store – www.superiornutstore.com – to sell directly to consumers and businesses by using the Internet as a new channel. According to Hicham Chraibi, manager of the online store, the site initially flourished. However, in order to maintain growth and attract new customers in the face of increasing competition, Chraibi knew he would have to employ a new online strategy. “We looked at advertising and other avenues, but nothing we were using was functional enough. We needed something that could put us directly in touch with our customers, and provide us with enough options so that we could connect quickly and efficiently with them, and really find out what they thought of us.” Superior Nut Company Takes Control of Its Online Reputation In August 2007, Chraibi was driving home from work when he heard about RatePoint on a local radio news program. He recalls, “The radio program described an online solution that would let us collect, manage, and promote customer reviews [of our products and services] – and improve consumer confidence and trust – all in a single, easy-to-use platform…I signed up the same day.” Challenge: Superior Nut Company sought to increase sales on its e-commerce site by cultivating its existing satisfied customers, posting the positive reviews of these customers for new prospects to see, and gaining insight into the hidden needs of the company’s customer and prospect base. Solution:Superior Nut Company has integrated the RatePoint platform into its online store environment, and as a result the company has been able to take control of and promote its online reputation to new prospects. In so doing, the company is better able to serve existing customers and convert more browsing prospects to buyers. Feedback from Superior Nut: “Satisfied Customers Market Our Brand for Us” Before integrating RatePoint with their online store, Superior Nut Company had run into some issues using another method to post customer testimonials. “Our old testimonial page was hard to manage and it really provided a lot less value for consumers visiting our site because the testimonials weren’t authenticated [as RatePoint-managed consumer reviews are] and they were also outdated,” says Chraibi. “Now, with RatePoint, we don’t even have to think about it. We know our visitors are seeing fresh, relevant testimonials when they click on that page. It sounds old-fashioned, but satisfied customers market ourbrand for us: RatePoint just provides us with the tools to be able to reach them and get them to interact with us.” According to an interview with Chraibi published in The Wall Street Journal, recent statistics indicate that more than 10% of unique visitors to the Superior Nut Company online store end up placing an order – compared to just 2-3% three years ago. “When browsing prospects read our customer reviews, it helps convert more visitors into buyers, and the more buyers we are able to keep as regular customers, the more we grow,” Chraibi says enthusiastically. The RatePoint platform has “really been an effective sales, marketing and customer service tool for us.” (Free Marketing Advice Business Strategies and Ideas Article)
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