{"id":28878,"date":"2022-12-01T14:16:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T20:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/?p=28878"},"modified":"2022-12-01T14:32:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T20:32:07","slug":"4-best-practices-product-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/4-best-practices-product-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Best Practices to Set Your Next Product Launch up for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There\u2019s a saying that change is the only constant in life. It may be cliche. But it rings true, especially for brands and retailers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Styles change. Technology evolves. Customers\u2019 needs, values, priorities, and expectations are always in flux. It can be hard to keep up!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brands and retailers must constantly innovate to keep pace with these changes and continue to meet consumers\u2019 ever-evolving needs and expectations. One key way brands and retailers innovate is by releasing new product offerings on a regular basis. According to <\/span>Clayton Christensen<\/span><\/a>, former Harvard Business School professor, 30,000 new consumer products are launched each year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But developing a great product doesn\u2019t guarantee it\u2019ll fly off the shelves and be wildly successful. Per that same professor, up to 95% of new products fail.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pretty disheartening, huh? But it\u2019s not all gloom and doom for brands and retailers. We promise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, there are myriad factors that contribute to the success (or failure) of a new product. Some of those factors are out of your control. But a lot of others <\/span>are<\/span><\/i> in your control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, we have identified four key best practices for launching any new product. These are intended to provide you with the focus necessary to drive meaningful impact. By adopting these proven practices, you\u2019ll set yourself up for the most successful product launch possible. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Best Practice #1: Collect Reviews with Product Sampling <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Research<\/span><\/a> tells us nearly all consumers read reviews at least sometimes when shopping online. And 57% do so when shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, a consumer may be less likely to check reviews when purchasing habitual products, such as their go-to toothpaste, cereal or mascara. But if they\u2019re considering a new product, they\u2019ll seek out reviews. And if they come up short, they\u2019re likely to pass. A <\/span>recent survey<\/span><\/a> found that 80% of consumers are less likely to purchase a product if it doesn\u2019t have any reviews. 92% of Gen Z shoppers say this is the case.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the interaction numbers back this up. A solid review footprint = <\/span>more traffic to your product pages<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>higher conversion rates among that traffic<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, it\u2019s essential to launch new products with reviews already in place. But <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> can you get reviews for products you haven\u2019t yet launched? Through product sampling.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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How Product Sampling Works\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Product sampling involves sending out free samples of a product, and then asking for reviews from those who received a sample. The reviews are then displayed on your product page when you launch your new product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Product sampling is a great option if you\u2019re launching a new product on your own direct-to-consumer site.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, you should also consider product sampling if you\u2019re launching a new product that\u2019ll be available on a retailer\u2019s site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Retailer-only campaigns work similarly. But instead of displaying reviews on your own dot com, the content is displayed on your retail partners\u2019 sites \u2013 boosting shopper confidence there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Product Sampling Works Across all Product Categories\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Product sampling is really simple \u2013 especially if you work with the right sampling partner. But it\u2019s also a really effective way to collect a large volume of high quality content \u2013 fast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At PowerReviews, <\/span>we see an average submission rate of 85% on our product sampling campaigns<\/span><\/a>. That means you can expect to generate about 8.5 reviews for every 10 products you send. Some of our customers have even higher submission rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the reviews that result from the campaign are high quality. In fact, reviews that result from PowerReviews sampling campaigns are an average of 29% longer than those generated from other sampling programs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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When you hear the phrase \u201cproduct sampling,\u201d you might think of low cost consumer packaged goods, like toothpaste or shampoo. But the reality is, product sampling can be effective across a wide range of product categories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here at PowerReviews, we\u2019ve planned and executed pre-launch product sampling campaigns for products ranging from makeup and sparkling water to strollers and mattresses \u2013 and everything in between.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Time Your Product Sampling Campaign Right \n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s important to time your sampling campaign right. A best practice is to launch your sampling campaign at least 10 weeks ahead of your planned product launch. That way, you have enough time to identify your sampling audience, send out samples, and request reviews. Again, the right sampling partner will do all the heavy lifting for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once your campaign has wrapped, you\u2019ll have plenty of reviews to display on your product page on the day you launch your new product. This content will boost shoppers\u2019 confidence \u2013 and increase their likelihood of giving your new product a try.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Collect Visual Content, Too\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Chances are, you\u2019ve taken beautiful photos and videos that showcase your new product in the best light. This content is important; but increasingly, consumers want to see photos and videos from others like them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>survey<\/span><\/a> found that over three-quarters (77%) of consumers always or regularly look for visual content from other shoppers who have purchased a product. And a third of Gen Z shoppers won\u2019t buy a product if there are no user-generated photos or videos available for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If user-generated visual content is important to you (and it should be), consider collecting it as part of your product sampling campaign. Those who sampled your new offering should be able to easily upload a photo or video of the product in action right from the review submission form.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Analyze Review Data to Enhance Products \n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A key benefit of product sampling is that it allows you to display a high volume of quality reviews as soon as you launch the product. This content increases the likelihood a consumer will purchase your new product.<\/span><\/p>\n

But another benefit is that reviews generated during a pre-launch product sampling campaign provide you with a ton of data. You\u2019ll get rich insight into what consumers love about your new product \u2013 and things that aren\u2019t so great. Then, you can share these insights with your product teams to fuel product enhancements \u2013 either before launching the product or later on down the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Looking for more guidance on planning a successful product sampling campaign?

Check out our Definitive Guide to Product Sampling for Reviews. <\/b>\n<\/a><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Best Practice #2: Perfect Your PDPs\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A consumer\u2019s path to purchase might start from any number of places. Perhaps they\u2019re actively searching for a solution to a need \u2013 and start the search on Google. Or maybe a social media ad catches their eye while mindlessly scrolling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting the shopper to click through is the first step. Now, the next challenge is to get them to convert.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The product details page (PDP) for your new product can either make or break the sale. So it\u2019s important to get it right.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Mobile-First Design\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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According to <\/span>Oberlo<\/span><\/a>, more than half (53.74% to be exact) of web visits are from a mobile device. What\u2019s more, per <\/span>Insider Intelligence<\/span><\/a>, mobile commerce (aka mcommerce) is expected to account for more than 44% of total retail ecommerce sales in the US by 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s imperative to ensure mobile shoppers have a great experience on your product pages and can easily find and consume all the information they need to make an informed purchase decision. If your PDPs aren\u2019t mobile-first, you\u2019re going to lose customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Comprehensive Product Information\n<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Online shoppers don\u2019t have the luxury of seeing and touching a product prior to purchase. Instead, they rely on the product information on a PDP to fill the gaps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be sure the PDP for your new product features plenty of product details, including:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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