Comments for The Fumoir - A blog by Ivan Croxford http://www.fumoir.com Sit back, chat, and light(en) up about marketing, disruption, innovation and the Web Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:41:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 Comment on The Flip Mino: A study in market disruption by Ivan Croxford http://www.fumoir.com/2009/01/03/the-flip-mino-a-study-in-market-disruption/comment-page-1/#comment-190 Ivan Croxford Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:50:05 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=127#comment-190 Good point - is it a case of adding incremental features to a device or focusing on creating a very simple user experience for a specific function? On the Flip, you can take still photos from video, but I wouldn't want to do that much. Typically on a digital camera the video capability is secondary and isn't an integrated experience in the way the Flip has tackled it - shoot, transfer, edit, share. I suspect digital cameras and mobile phones are increasingly in the same market space, with the likes of the Flip creating a low end market alternative to mainstream digital camcorders. Good point - is it a case of adding incremental features to a device or focusing on creating a very simple user experience for a specific function? On the Flip, you can take still photos from video, but I wouldn’t want to do that much. Typically on a digital camera the video capability is secondary and isn’t an integrated experience in the way the Flip has tackled it - shoot, transfer, edit, share. I suspect digital cameras and mobile phones are increasingly in the same market space, with the likes of the Flip creating a low end market alternative to mainstream digital camcorders.

]]> Comment on The Flip Mino: A study in market disruption by grell http://www.fumoir.com/2009/01/03/the-flip-mino-a-study-in-market-disruption/comment-page-1/#comment-189 grell Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:17:41 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=127#comment-189 This sounds like a very useful product, but I won't be rushing out to buy one just yet as I already own a pseudo-market disruptor in my ixy digital camera (80 IS) - this great little camera not only takes high quality pics - ideal for anything from family snaps to attempts at being arty - but also has the same point and shoot video function the Flip has. Slap in a big enough memory card and away you go. So here you get two in one - camera and video for around £130. Now all they need to do is build in a phone. This sounds like a very useful product, but I won’t be rushing out to buy one just yet as I already own a pseudo-market disruptor in my ixy digital camera (80 IS) - this great little camera not only takes high quality pics - ideal for anything from family snaps to attempts at being arty - but also has the same point and shoot video function the Flip has. Slap in a big enough memory card and away you go. So here you get two in one - camera and video for around £130. Now all they need to do is build in a phone.

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by grell http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-188 grell Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:41:28 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-188 Why don't you take the plunge into the real 1.0 world and book that hotel for your next trip, look for a bar to meet your friends in Tokyo, choose a film to watch in the evening in the knowledge that you might uncover something you didn't expect? Why don’t you take the plunge into the real 1.0 world and book that hotel for your next trip, look for a bar to meet your friends in Tokyo, choose a film to watch in the evening in the knowledge that you might uncover something you didn’t expect?

]]> Comment on New Year, New Blog by Matt Howard http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/31/new-year-new-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-186 Matt Howard Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:11:21 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=106#comment-186 I love the look. The graphic is brilliant and ties it all together just right. Happy new year. I love the look. The graphic is brilliant and ties it all together just right. Happy new year.

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by Ivan http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-180 Ivan Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:50:44 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-180 Really great comments on this post. Thanks all for your contributions. Taking into account all that's being said: - tendency towards positive reviews, - consumer need for balanced, even negative, feedback, and - concerns over 'legit' reviews (both from a business and consumer perspective) it really does seem to me that the five star system isn't the best vehicle for consumers to get insight into businesses, their services or products. Question is then, what's a better alternative? Really great comments on this post. Thanks all for your contributions. Taking into account all that’s being said:

- tendency towards positive reviews,
- consumer need for balanced, even negative, feedback, and
- concerns over ‘legit’ reviews (both from a business and consumer perspective)

it really does seem to me that the five star system isn’t the best vehicle for consumers to get insight into businesses, their services or products. Question is then, what’s a better alternative?

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by Adam Richardson http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-179 Adam Richardson Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:02:59 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-179 Quick follow-up, I just happened to be reading an eMarketer report that matches this exactly. It states that "customers who contribute product reviews usually do not write unless they have something positive to say. Some 87% of respondents reported writing reviews that were either positive every time (36%) or most of the time (51%).". Report is from April 2008, entitled "Consumer Interactions: Social Shopping, blogs and reviews." Quick follow-up, I just happened to be reading an eMarketer report that matches this exactly. It states that “customers who contribute product reviews usually do not write unless they have something positive to say. Some 87% of respondents reported writing reviews that were either positive every time (36%) or most of the time (51%).”. Report is from April 2008, entitled “Consumer Interactions: Social Shopping, blogs and reviews.”

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by Ivan Konkin http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-176 Ivan Konkin Sun, 21 Dec 2008 21:30:46 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-176 Greetings Ivan! As I understand you! This problem very much disturbs also me. At us the same problems in shops... Greetings Ivan!
As I understand you! This problem very much disturbs also me. At us the same problems in shops…

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by Adam Richardson http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-175 Adam Richardson Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:15:48 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-175 Hi Ivan, just ran across your new blog! Thanks for the link to mine. I can say from user research that I've been involved with at frog design that people are definitely suspicious of sites that lack negative reviews, but from what you are saying they are contributing to the bias! From my own experience I can say that I've predominantly written about products I like rather than dislike, so I guess I'm not helping either... But what's interesting is that this goes against conventional wisdom in retailing that an unhappy customer will tell many more friends about their bad experience than a happy customer will. (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/7dt8ng ) Who knows how accurate that is or ever was, but the contrast is striking. Perhaps the level of effort required to post something online screens out the casual complainers who would otherwise bring it up in the normal flow of conversation. Hi Ivan, just ran across your new blog! Thanks for the link to mine.

I can say from user research that I’ve been involved with at frog design that people are definitely suspicious of sites that lack negative reviews, but from what you are saying they are contributing to the bias! From my own experience I can say that I’ve predominantly written about products I like rather than dislike, so I guess I’m not helping either…

But what’s interesting is that this goes against conventional wisdom in retailing that an unhappy customer will tell many more friends about their bad experience than a happy customer will. (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/7dt8ng )

Who knows how accurate that is or ever was, but the contrast is striking. Perhaps the level of effort required to post something online screens out the casual complainers who would otherwise bring it up in the normal flow of conversation.

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by Will - ArenaFlowers.com http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-173 Will - ArenaFlowers.com Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:45:08 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-173 Hi Ivan We use shopping.com's customer rating tool, with a button on our checkout. Customers rate our service then submit another follow up review a week later when they get emailed. We find it works pretty well and proudly display our badge at the top of our homepage (even though we no longer use SDC for leads). I guess the challenge is people wondering if the ratings are legit. It's a tough one to get around. Some people also think that we write the positive feedback that we put on our feedback page: http://www.arenaflowers.com/customer_feedback We put that up there totally unedited and untidied up on purpose - we feel this will help people believe it's real. To write in a zillion different styles, with distinct capitlasations, spellings, grammar, idiom etc would be very difficult so (hopefully) it's more convincing that these are real comments. In any case, we wouldn't have the time to make this stuff up! :) Merry Christmas! Hi Ivan

We use shopping.com’s customer rating tool, with a button on our checkout. Customers rate our service then submit another follow up review a week later when they get emailed.

We find it works pretty well and proudly display our badge at the top of our homepage (even though we no longer use SDC for leads). I guess the challenge is people wondering if the ratings are legit. It’s a tough one to get around. Some people also think that we write the positive feedback that we put on our feedback page: http://www.arenaflowers.com/customer_feedback

We put that up there totally unedited and untidied up on purpose - we feel this will help people believe it’s real. To write in a zillion different styles, with distinct capitlasations, spellings, grammar, idiom etc would be very difficult so (hopefully) it’s more convincing that these are real comments. In any case, we wouldn’t have the time to make this stuff up! :)
Merry Christmas!

]]> Comment on Customer reviews: do we give them 2 stars out of 5? by Dan Wilson Links 16/12/2008 : Dan Wilson : eBay expert, social networking, online community, ecommerce, stuff http://www.fumoir.com/2008/12/06/customer-reviews-do-we-give-them-2-stars-out-of-5/comment-page-1/#comment-171 Dan Wilson Links 16/12/2008 : Dan Wilson : eBay expert, social networking, online community, ecommerce, stuff Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:37:18 +0000 http://www.fumoir.com/?p=37#comment-171 [...] Ivan Croxford looks at the problems of user reviews and star [...] [...] Ivan Croxford looks at the problems of user reviews and star [...]

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