New cookware brand uses product sampling to launch successfully

Blue Diamond establishes strong reputation with Bazaarvoice Sampling and Brand Edge

Successfully launching a new brand requires quickly developing a reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality products. This can be especially challenging for new brands whose products are featured on As Seen On TV advertisements, where claims about the products are often met by consumers with skepticism.

The Cookware Company, a global maker of cookware products, recently debuted its Blue Diamond brand via the As Seen On TV direct response retail channel and began winning over hesitant consumers by leveraging the authentic voice of satisfied customers.

We considered it key to have early customers share their honest experiences with the products to counterbalance the often-negative perception around As Seen On TV products, said Kirsten Foulke, Marketing Manager at The Cookware Company.

Blue Diamond, which offers a high-quality line of ceramic non-stick coated cookware infused with diamonds, validates its messaging by collecting and displaying customer reviews using a variety of Bazaarvoice solutions.

We’re disruptors in the industry and make genuinely great products, but it’s hard to convey that on our own. Giving customers a platform to express their opinions and hear from others is a more compelling way to educate shoppers and demonstrate the quality of our products, said Foulke.

Sampling campaigns boost review volume and provide insights

Blue Diamond incorporated product sampling into its launch strategy to accelerate review collection, drive consumer confidence, and ensure early sales success by leveraging Bazaarvoice’s Sampling community to get the new products into the hands of consumers in exchange for reviews.

Bazaarvoice first identified a targeted list of members based on a variety of criteria, ensuring only consumers likely to use the product received a free one. Blue Diamond distributed samples to 95 consumers, and 100% of the recipients submitted a review.

Not only did this provide a heavy influx of reviews, but a majority of the reviews from Bazaarvoice Sampling were positive (4.8 average overall rating) and more informative than reviews collected in other ways. The reviews from sampling featured 300% more words on average and armed Blue Diamond with insights provided directly from consumers.

Through reviews, we were able to quickly get ahead of any potential issues affecting the customer experience and correct them, said Foulke. We also found that consumers considered our ceramic coating to be superior to traditional non-stick cookware, which is something we’ve always said. Hearing that from customers gave us positive validation that we’re creating products people love.

Reviews increase sales in the retail channel

With Bazaarvoice Brand Edge, the reviews are seamlessly distributed across the Bazaarvoice network of more than 6,000 brand and retail sites. The brand now boasts 2,000 reviews across multiple retailers, 93% of which come directly from the brand via syndication. This content influences sales and strengthens the brand’s relationships with retail partners.

We see the conversion rate increase as we increase volume, said Foulke. Retailers also know the value in reviews and push for them, so actively increasing volume helps ensure a positive partnership with the buyers. They see the influx of reviews as soon as the products are posted on their sites, and they’re impressed with how quickly we get them.

Building on the initial success

Getting the new brand’s products into the hands of customers early in the launch process, and by encouraging their honest feedback, Blue Diamond avoided any reputation concerns and sets the company up for continued success.

There are lots of cookware options out there, so we take advantage of every available opportunity to showcase the superior quality of our product and the genuine care we have for our customers, said Foulke. The voice of the consumer is key to helping us make a connection to potential, future customers.