With the addition of product reviews and ratings to its e-commerce website, Melrose International now offers online shoppers the ability to see what other businesses recommend, along with pros and cons, for each and every product Melrose offers on its site.
 
"Online shopping has proven successful with a growing percentage of our customer base, but some customers are still leery of buying merchandise online for a few reasons. One thing we consistently hear from those customers is that they can't see and feel the product in person," said Brad Gullion VP of Sales and Marketing for Melrose. "While this feature doesn't  give them that ability, it does give them input from others who have not only seen and felt the product, but have sold the product in their store. That information is priceless in this industry."
 
The online review feature gives customers a platform to share their opinions and experiences with Melrose product for others, and in return get advice about choosing the right product when they go to purchase online the next time. To complete a review, customers provide a star-rating from zero to five and have the option to give specific pros, cons and best uses for each item. Additionally, reviewers can post a picture of the product and make an ultimate 'I would/would not recommend this product to a friend' statement.
 
To ensure the integrity of the reviews, all submissions pass through the third-party software vendor PowerReviews© for initial review, and then come to Melrose for final approval before being posted online. Melrose will read and approve every submission, utilizing this step as an additional check in the quality control process for its product line.
 
"The key goal here is to help our customers make important buying decisions, without worrying about whether this is a quality product or the color is accurate," said Gullion of the importance of adding this feature to its site. "If these small business owners can buy with confidence from Melrose, we have taken one more worry off their plate so they can move on to the next thing on their list."
 
The introduction of product reviews on the company's website is the latest in a series of initiatives to give customers more online tools to help them run their businesses more effectively. In the second quarter of 2011 Melrose did a complete overhaul of their old website, launching the new site in June of 2011. In the second half of the year Melrose saw a 45-50% increase across the board on site traffic, page views, and overall online sales.
 
Over the next few weeks customers will be encouraged to visit www.melroseintl.com to read reviews and rate product that they have purchased from the company in the past. Moving forward Melrose will implement an on-going campaign that will remind customers to return to the site and post reviews for their most recently received shipment of product.

PowerReviews© (www.powerreviews.com) is the world's largest social commerce network, with more than 35 million products and services across more than 5,500 websites. PowerReviews helps manufacturers, brands and retailers organize and manage consumer insights to drive sales, increase traffic, shape R&D and build brand loyalty. The company's open network of more than 23 million consumer insights serves as the underlying engine for a new generation of commerce.