Here is the press release I told you about in the "Trust" thread. It went out on the wire today....what do you think of the implications of such a marketing strategy, implemented across many industries?
“Your company sucks!”
CustomInk.com publishes uncensored customer satisfaction reviews to create a sales bonanza
FALLS CHURCH, VA – “Your company sucks,” says a disgruntled customer. Would you share that info with your current sales prospects? Washington DC-based CustomInk.com would. Two years ago, the company decided to start publishing all of their customers’ evaluations on their web site, completely unreviewed and unedited, in real-time, available for the buying public. The trust such marketing engenders is one reason this fast-growing company is now the internet’s most popular “custom apparel” website according to web-ranking service, Alexa.
Because of the overwhelming number of positive unedited reviews confidently displayed on the site, first-time customers are more likely to pull the trigger and make a purchase. Since launching the feature, which is prominently displayed on the right side of the site’s home page, CustomInk’s sales have quadrupled.
In March 2000, on the eve of the dot-com collapse, former Harvard classmates Marc Katz and Dave Christensen launched CustomInk.com, a website that empowers anyone to design and order custom t-shirts online, as well as hats, bags, drinkware, and more. The duo agreed from day one that customer satisfaction would be the company’s top commitment. Little did they know that they would be able to use their strong customer satisfaction record as a unique and effective marketing tool.
The uncensored flow of information across the internet allows any individual with a bad customer experience to quickly throw up a website or weblog and rant to a potentially large audience, possibly damaging a business’s reputation. Rather than let third parties dictate their perceived level of customer satisfaction, CustomInk.com decided to put their reputation on the line, literally.
“We made the decision to show people everything our customers have to say – even when it’s bad. How else will they trust us? And it’s worked out great because our team is terrific and works so hard to amaze customers, so 99% of the reviews are extremely positive anyway. I also think that knowing the reviews are there for all to see is a powerful motivator for all of us. Besides that, it can be fun; once a customer wrote ‘If CustomInk were a girl, I’d marry it!’”
Katz and his team of 55 employees now sell over a million t-shirts a year, with business more than doubling year-over-year since its creation. 99% of customers report in their uncensored evaluations that they would order from CustomInk again.
# # #
Posted: 06/02/04
CustomInk LLC is a privately held web service company that enables people to design and order custom-decorated products, such as printed T-shirts and embroidered caps for their groups/events, including businesses, student groups, sport leagues, family reunions, and more. A customer-focused, entrepreneurial, and forward-thinking company, Custom Ink was founded in August 2000 and currently employs 55+ employees.
According to Amazon.com’s web ranking service, Alexa, CustomInk.com is the internet’s most popular “custom apparel” website.
www.alexa.com/browse/categories
Contact:
Michael Hussey
703.891.2267
mhussey@customink.com
“Your company sucks!”
CustomInk.com publishes uncensored customer satisfaction reviews to create a sales bonanza
FALLS CHURCH, VA – “Your company sucks,” says a disgruntled customer. Would you share that info with your current sales prospects? Washington DC-based CustomInk.com would. Two years ago, the company decided to start publishing all of their customers’ evaluations on their web site, completely unreviewed and unedited, in real-time, available for the buying public. The trust such marketing engenders is one reason this fast-growing company is now the internet’s most popular “custom apparel” website according to web-ranking service, Alexa.
Because of the overwhelming number of positive unedited reviews confidently displayed on the site, first-time customers are more likely to pull the trigger and make a purchase. Since launching the feature, which is prominently displayed on the right side of the site’s home page, CustomInk’s sales have quadrupled.
In March 2000, on the eve of the dot-com collapse, former Harvard classmates Marc Katz and Dave Christensen launched CustomInk.com, a website that empowers anyone to design and order custom t-shirts online, as well as hats, bags, drinkware, and more. The duo agreed from day one that customer satisfaction would be the company’s top commitment. Little did they know that they would be able to use their strong customer satisfaction record as a unique and effective marketing tool.
The uncensored flow of information across the internet allows any individual with a bad customer experience to quickly throw up a website or weblog and rant to a potentially large audience, possibly damaging a business’s reputation. Rather than let third parties dictate their perceived level of customer satisfaction, CustomInk.com decided to put their reputation on the line, literally.
“We made the decision to show people everything our customers have to say – even when it’s bad. How else will they trust us? And it’s worked out great because our team is terrific and works so hard to amaze customers, so 99% of the reviews are extremely positive anyway. I also think that knowing the reviews are there for all to see is a powerful motivator for all of us. Besides that, it can be fun; once a customer wrote ‘If CustomInk were a girl, I’d marry it!’”
Katz and his team of 55 employees now sell over a million t-shirts a year, with business more than doubling year-over-year since its creation. 99% of customers report in their uncensored evaluations that they would order from CustomInk again.
# # #
Posted: 06/02/04
CustomInk LLC is a privately held web service company that enables people to design and order custom-decorated products, such as printed T-shirts and embroidered caps for their groups/events, including businesses, student groups, sport leagues, family reunions, and more. A customer-focused, entrepreneurial, and forward-thinking company, Custom Ink was founded in August 2000 and currently employs 55+ employees.
According to Amazon.com’s web ranking service, Alexa, CustomInk.com is the internet’s most popular “custom apparel” website.
www.alexa.com/browse/categories
Contact:
Michael Hussey
703.891.2267
mhussey@customink.com
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New York City
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