218%
increase in review collection
year-over-year
MeUndies’ mission is to help customers fuel authentic self-expression. It does this by creating underwear and other apparel products that are comfortable and in fun, creative designs.
Before 2018, MeUndies did not have an official user-generated content (UGC) strategy in place, which is why the brand turned to Bazaarvoice for help as its first UGC partner.
After years of very few new product launches, MeUndies introduced 68 new products in 2021, branching into new materials and new product categories (like swimwear). Though its current UGC strategy was successful at keeping review volume on par with best-in-class benchmarks, MeUndies’ business had transformed dramatically, and the review collection strategy didn’t keep pace.
MeUndies realized that it needed to increase review volume and engagement for these new products in order to boost discoverability and conversions.
source: meundies.com
The right way to handle negative reviews
MeUndies had already been using a review request email strategy to collect reviews. But, after meeting with Bazaarvoice about new collection strategies and best practices, MeUndies switched from a custom review request email template to Bazaarvoice’s In-Mail feature and enabled a follow-up review requests for customers who hadn’t responded to the first email. A handy “Write a Review” button was also added to product pages. MeUndies also launched multiple brand-executed sweepstakes, offering customers a chance to win in exchange for their review on a product in a key category. To add another layer to their collection strategy, they also started collecting reviews from staff members.
Once MeUndies collects reviews, it uses Bazaarvoice to moderate these reviews and provide additional service to customers when needed.
MeUndies responds to every single one-three-star review that customers leave. Responding to those customers demonstrates to other shoppers that MeUndies takes the time to respond and provide solutions or assistance, turning a negative interaction into a positive one.
Ross Houslander, Senior Retention Lead at MeUndies, manages the team that monitors and responds to every review. His job is to ensure that the MeUndies team comments align with the brand tone of voice, style, and messaging.
“We’re always trying to meet our customers where they are. We’ve noticed that plenty of customers would leave a negative review and then would not reach out for help, even though their problems could be pretty easily solved, for example, if they received the wrong size or style,” said Houslander.
When a customer sees these responses, it promotes trust and confidence when shopping with MeUndies. Shoppers know that if they ever have an issue, the brand will proactively take care of it for them.
source: meundies.com
Leveraging the team to inspire confidence
MeUndies has also found value in Questions and Answers. By answering customer questions on product pages, shoppers can learn more about the product and save themselves the trouble of getting in touch with the team, which has increased conversions and decreased the number of customer service tickets employees must respond to.
The company also relies on staff members to leave reviews because they’re the people who know the products and services best, and can set baseline expectations for shoppers.
“Most of our customers read reviews before purchasing, and they expect our reviews to be extensive, cover every detail of the product, and to be recent,” said Houslander.
MeUndies labels staff reviews with custom badges so shoppers can see that a team member left the feedback.
“Disclosing that is not only legally required, of course, but it also just lets customers know that this person knows what they’re talking about,” said Houslander. “If we incentivize reviews, we also include a badge on those so customers can make an informed choice on how to approach that information. We also have simple, verified purchaser badges that let customers know that the reviewer actually does own the product.”
Email review collection leads to a 218% increase in review volume
Today, the majority of MeUndies reviews come from send review requests through email.
“Being able to use our fun brand voice on our review request emails definitely boosts collection and makes people excited to do those reviews,” said Houslander.
After optimizing review request emails, reviews collected via email increased 111.8% over the previous period, with submission rates increasing 27%. Effective page view coverage increased from 88% to 94% in just one month.
Since these updates in mid-2021, MeUndies has tracked a 218% increase in approved reviews submitted through email.
“Product reviews are simply one of the most important things in online shopping,” said Houslander. “Customers trust the volume of reviews that they see. Bazaarvoice allows us to collect reviews and create consumer trust. It also allows us to do things like offering consumers a quick way to write reviews themselves.”
The company also uses reviews and insights gained from reviews to improve products.
“The product team comes to me directly to ask for specific feedback about certain products, particularly new products, like the brand’s new swim line,” said Houslander.
Houslander has set up reports to automatically be sent to the product teams’ inboxes so they can act as quickly as possible. For example, one report automatically forwards all one-star reviews on a certain product to show the product team the exact ways in which customers want changes.
“Having that extensive reporting capability has really made me feel like a rock star because I can give the product team exactly what they’re looking for,” said Houslander.
In the future, MeUndies will start using UGC from reviews in emails, on social media, and on its website. The brand will also allow customers to start reviewing the MeUndies membership.
“We’re the first company that lets you get a pair of underwear every month on subscription. But, for the longest time, you could only review the actual underwear. You couldn’t review that experience of getting underwear in the mail regularly,” said Houslander.
The team hopes to continue to work with Bazaarvoice and leverage more of our review collection and optimization strategies.
“We’ve been very happy with Bazaarvoice,” said Houslander. “Being able to monitor reviews and answer questions has been very helpful. The team at Bazaarvoice is always adding features and helping us out wherever we need it.”
Learn more about how ratings and reviews can help your brand increase conversion and revenue.
218%
increase in review collection
year-over-year
About the company
MeUndies disrupted the $110B underwear industry when it launched the first online underwear subscription model in 2011. Founder Jonathan Shokrian identified a market gap during his own shopping experience. Nothing about underwear shopping was enjoyable - other brands were hyper-sexualized, overcomplicated, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. He recognized that no one in the industry was offering their customers the experience that modern consumers expect. Jonathan started MeUndies to provide a fun and simple offering with a relentless emphasis on quality and service. To date MeUndies has sold over 23M pairs of underwear in all 50 states and in 37 countries around the world. MeUndies offers both men’s and women’s underwear as well as socks, bralettes and loungewear.
Having that extensive reporting capability has really made me feel like a rock star because I can give the product team exactly what they're looking for
Ross Houslander
Senior Retention Lead at MeUndies