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Bloomingdale?s makes mobile site more social with interactive user reviews

Bloomingdale?s is letting fashionable consumers read and contribute reviews about their favorite designer products via a new interactive feature on the company?s mobile site.

Consumers can view and write reviews about items they own or are considering purchasing. Consumers can sign in to post reviews by entering their Bloomingdales account information.

?Bloomingdale's launched its read-and-write reviews functionality to create a more interactive mobile site,? said Jason Taylor, vice president of global product strategy at Usablenet, New York.

?The retailer encourages dialogue among its shoppers to discuss those products they like and dislike ? all in an effort to create a more effective, worthwhile, and dynamic brand experience,? he said. ?The target demographic is existing Bloomingdale's shoppers, particularly those with smartphones. 

?This feature enhances the shopping experience of current customers and further extends brand loyalty as it naturally creates a community of Bloomingdale's shoppers by providing a space for them to share comments with other similar shoppers.?

Usablenet powers the Bloomingdale's mobile site.

Shop till you drop
Customers can shop and browse by different categories such as contemporary, shoes, handbags, jewelry and accessories, beauty, women, men and kids.

While they browse the site, consumers can see hearts next to several products, which mean that a shopper has rated that specific item.

Five hearts means that shopper rates the item as excellent, four means good, three is average, two is fair and a consumer giving one star finds the item to be poor.

Here is a screen grab of the reviews feature:

?Bloomingdale's has promoted its mobile site both in the press and in catalog advertisements,? Mr. Taylor said. ?Mobile users checking out a certain product will see the heart ranking and can choose to click through to see personal write-ups.?

User reviews
Consumers can write their own reviews by logging into their Bloomingdale?s account.

Here is a screen grab of a review:

Then, consumers can choose a nickname, pick their heart rating and choose a fit rating ? whether the item runs small, is a perfect fit or runs large.

Additionally, shoppers can say if they want to recommend this item to a friend.

Consumers can also upload their own image, which goes next to their review.

?Having a mobile site creates a bridge between the online world and the brick-and-mortar store,? Mr. Taylor said. ?The customer can literally have the online experience in the store.

?For example, a customer shopping in a store could look on their mobile phones and browse other customer ratings on the product they are considering,? he said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York