Petco sees higher conversion rates among visitors who engage with reviews

The voice of the customer helps drive Petco’s online success

As the reliance on word-of-mouth content among shoppers continues to grow, top brands and retailers make it easy for consumers to share their opinions with one another.

The preference for this type of information is especially high among pet parents, who view their pets as extensions of their family and put more thought into their purchases than ever before. Petco – a leading pet specialty retailer with more than 1,500 Petco and Unleashed by Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico – remains at the forefront of this trend by ensuring the customer experience is engaging, educational, and includes user-generated content.

Increase in review volume matches growth in sales

Petco’s dedication to the health, happiness and well-being of pets and pet parents is supported by Bazaarvoice’s Ratings & Reviews, and Questions & Answers, as it allows pet parents to learn about Petco’s solutions to their needs and provides Petco with valuable product feedback, and increased conversions and customer loyalty.

The conversion rate is 8% higher among visitors who engage with reviews on Petco’s site compared to those who don’t. Not only does Ratings & Reviews increase the customer’s likelihood of purchase, it also leads to larger cart sizes, as the revenue per visitor among shoppers who engage with reviews on Petco’s site is 15% higher.

The sheer number of reviews has a direct influence, as the conversion rate increases incrementally as retailers gather more reviews. This proves that consumers’ confidence in their purchasing decisions increases as they see more content.

Even just a single review makes a big difference. For example, the conversion rate for dog food products with one review is 20% higher than those with no reviews. This trend continues upward, as dog food products with 2 – 4 reviews see a 17% lift in conversion compared to those with one review, and ones with 5 – 49 reviews see a 43% lift compared to those with 2 – 4 reviews. And it doesn’t stop there, as dog food products with 50-99 reviews have a 10% higher conversion rate than those with 5 – 49 reviews.

The positive impact of volume is similar on revenue per product. The revenue-per-product rate among dog food products with one review is 43% higher than those with no reviews, and those with 2 – 4 reviews are nearly double those with only one. Like with the conversion rate, this trend continues.

Those who engage with Questions & Answers are also more likely to buy, as the conversion rate is 3% higher and the revenue per visitor is 14% higher among visitors to the site who engage with questions and answers.

Collaborating with brands to collect content and engage with shoppers

Most of the 1.5 million reviews on Petco’s site come from brands within the Bazaarvoice Network of more than 6,000 brand and retail sites. Syndication accounts for nearly 80% of Petco’s total review volume. This high-level of volume and wide coverage wouldn’t be possible without syndication from more than 100 brands across thousands of the pet retailer’s products.

The number of questions posted on Petco’s site grows steadily each year, and the retailer showcases its dedication to becoming pet parents’ most trusted partner by providing answers. Not only that, Petco also empowers brand partners to join the online conversations as well. More than 300 of Petco’s brand partners use Bazaarvoice Connections to answer pet parents’ questions on the retailer’s site. As a result, 94% of all questions on the site have at least one answer.

These efforts to support user-generated content reinforce Petco’s commitment to developing a sincere relationship with pet parents in order to help them take the best possible care of their beloved animals.