Think beyond milliseconds: How Bazaarvoice innovation drives value competitors can’t match

In a recent and inaccurate post, a Bazaarvoice competitor (who shall remain nameless, more on that below) suggested page load speed as the only key measure of success, suggesting that a few milliseconds are the sole factor in meeting the demands of modern consumers when shopping online for products. Speed is undeniably important, and our Ratings & Reviews display technology delivers on that front. It has to because we serve over 2.3 billion shoppers a month across our network of brands and retailers.

But importantly, Bazaarvoice isn’t just faster; our solutions are more comprehensive in addressing our customers’ full funnel needs, delivering a continuous stream of innovative advancements across the entire shopper journey. We set the standard for integrated, ROI-driven solutions and the industry’s standard for authenticity — an area where the unnamed competitor has failed to keep pace.

Yes, speed matters — and Bazaarvoice delivers

Let’s debunk the page load performance myth that said competitor has created:

First, you will notice the “article” was a sponsored piece — i.e., an advertisement — undermining the integrity of the findings. They also did not publish the methodology used to generate the touted metrics so they could be independently verified, which discredits their findings. Unfortunately, the industry has seen this company’s repeating tact of spreading misinformation. Integrity matters.

We know that load times and Google’s Core Web Vitals metrics, such as Largest Content Paint (LCP), matter to our customers. That’s why our current Ratings & Reviews display technology, used on thousands of client sites, outpaces previous versions and drives a tangible conversion impact for our clients. This latest version has proven its value, increasing engaged conversion rates by 4.5% and overall conversion rate lift by an additional 23 percentage points.

To give you an idea of the actual comparison between the performance of Bazaarvoice’s latest Ratings & Reviews technology and that of the unnamed competitor, we completed a side-by-side test on a Fortune 100 electronics company’s site using webpagetest.org, and the results speak for themselves:

As you can see, this competitor’s claims about speed were based on biased data that simply isn’t factual. In our opinion, they are intended to mislead customers as an inauthentic way of attempting to win new business or retain existing business.

But we don’t just look at speed. What’s the point of getting consumers quickly to your site if you don’t convert them while there?

Maximizing ROI requires going beyond speed

By focusing solely on page load performance, said competitor misses the broader picture of value and utility that clients deserve and Bazaarvoice delivers. After all, a fast page load means little without valuable content and experiences that truly resonate with and guides consumers to become shoppers and shoppers to become buyers.

At Bazaarvoice, we deliver top performance in our technology, but even more importantly, our mission is to build smarter shopper experiences that drive higher conversion across the entire customer journey. This centers around innovation that drives measurable results for your business and strengthens your consumer relationships and trust. Recently, we introduced new HarmonyAI-powered advancements for our Ratings & Reviews solution, including Content Coach, Review Summaries, Keyword Filters, a revamped Product Picker, and Closed Captioning API. These features go beyond efficient display — they foster meaningful engagement through authentic shopper content that meets consumer needs and boosts purchase likelihood. The new capabilities make it easy for consumers to leave helpful reviews, access key information, and ensure inclusive interaction with your content. By focusing on the entire shopper journey and experience — from engagement to loyalty building—these innovations drive higher conversions and lasting customer satisfaction that simply a fast load experience alone can’t accomplish on its own. And that’s just a sliver of the latest solutions and valuable capabilities we’ve recently released for our clients — see our full running list of product updates.

Modern commerce demands more than just Ratings & Reviews

Unlike said competitor, Bazaarvoice has evolved beyond being solely a Ratings & Reviews provider, where we began nearly 20 years ago. As shopping behavior and client needs have advanced, we’ve driven innovation across the full shopping journey, developing comprehensive solutions that unlock significant untapped value for brands and retailers, while better engaging consumers and delivering greater client impact. 

For example, our recently launched Bazaarvoice Vibe unites content creation, social strategy, sampling & creator campaigns, and commerce into the industry-first integrated solution. From creation to conversion, Bazaarvoice Vibe saves you time while transforming your content strategy and campaign execution — so you can scale ROI from reach to revenue, faster than ever, all from one single solution along with end to end analytics and insights. This solution brings together 5 powerhouse capabilities into one integrated solution that allows clients to develop a shoppable social strategy with intelligent all-in-one Social Media Management.

• Turn social content into shopping experiences that drive sales with Social Commerce
• Unleash the power of creators with a full-funnel ROI strategy with AI-driven Creator Marketing 
• Spark social buzz and generate high-quality campaign content with Influenster Sampling
• Amplify high-impact content across retail channel at scale with Visual Syndication Network
• Measure the impact on sales that each campaign, creator and piece of content drives.

Ratings & Reviews will always be a core solution offered by Bazaarvoice, on which we will continue to innovate. We have a strong pulse on and commitment to our customers’ needs from working with over 13,000 global brands and retailers, we know that the demands of modern commerce require new and integrated solutions that other vendors simply cannot deliver. 

Bazaarvoice Vibe is just one example of our commitment to delivering greater value at every stage in the funnel, helping clients enhance reach, engagement, and conversion without the operational hassle of fragmented tools.

And, of course, our continued commitment to growing and evolving the largest and most robust network with maximum reach goes without saying.

With over 19 years of experience and 2.3 billion shoppers engaging with our clients’ content every month via a network of 13,000+ global brands and retailers, Bazaarvoice remains a trusted partner and industry leader known for reliability, innovation, and commitment to client success. Our commitment to delivering strong outcomes goes far beyond software with expertise and services to support our customers however and whenever they need it.

Using data from our Bazaarvoice Network we found there’s a 144% lift in conversion rate when shoppers engage with UGC and a 162% lift in revenue per visitor.

With review collection optimized by Bazaarvoice you can see content volume soar like brands MeUndies and Burt’s Bees and if you’re a retailer, have that authentic, verified content distributed to your site in near real-time like Petco where nearly 80% of its total review volume comes from brands in the Bazaarvoice Network. 

And with increasing scrutiny on consumer review authenticity from regulators like the Federal Trade Commission, brands, and retailers need a trusted partner who prioritizes compliance, consumer trust, and brand safety to help keep them protected from erosion of brand trust and costly fines. Bazaarvoice is the best-suited provider in the industry to help keep your brand safe and to support you in navigating these regulations. Our authenticity-first approach ensures that every product decision aligns with regulatory standards, backed by advanced authenticity, AI-driven and human moderation controls, proactive monitoring, and substantial investments in technology.

At Bazaarvoice, we don’t just help you source, amplify, and optimize the right kinds of trusted content for driving your shoppers to convert, we also deliver superior value that significantly enhances your bottom line.

Parting advice: Strive for more than speed

Speed is essential, but as we said, it’s only part of the value equation. 

At Bazaarvoice, our commitment to innovation, reliability, reach, customer success and consumer trust makes us the clear choice for brands and retailers aiming to enhance their consumer experience, engagement, conversion and ROI (in addition to maximizing speed). With the high performance and ongoing innovation in our Ratings & Reviews solutions, our new industry-first integrated solution, Bazaarvoice Vibe, and our proven track record of driving results, we’re setting new standards in the industry.

Brands and retailers seeking comprehensive value and ongoing innovation know that Bazaarvoice doesn’t just meet expectations — we exceed them.

As a company that takes pride in doing business respectfully and authentically, we have chosen not to name the competitor repeatedly referenced above, but we do invite them to own up to the article’s authorship and misrepresentation of the facts. 

We’ll see if they take the courageous step to address this, and while we refrain from calling them out publicly out of respect, it’s clear their approach should raise concerns for current and prospective clients. Their one-dimensional, short-sighted advice ultimately does a disservice to the clients they aim to support.

Book a call to find out why Bazaarvoice will make the most impact for your business. Our helpful sales team can answer your questions and talk about everything from set up to ROI.