Assignment 2 - Consumer Product Reviews

The shoe I chose to look into on Zappo.coms is the Onitsuka Tiger by Asics Gantrai. The SKU number is 7198024.

I found from the reviews that the Onitsuka Tiger is a vegan shoe, meaning no leather or animals were used to make the shoe. Most people thought the shoe was very fashionable. The looks are most appealing. The comfort received mixed reviews. Some thought it was very comfortable and others thought it was lacking in the comfort level. Because of its flexibility, it may also be used for rock climbing.

In general, reading reviews will help you buy a shoe. It will influence your likelihood of you buying a shoe. It will help educate you about your purchase. However, it may also turn you away from certain shoes that you were considering.

The advantage for consumers reading reviews is that it will help to get input from a number of consumers who have used the specific item he or she may be looking into. Again it’s about having an opportunity to make an educated purchase. This may reduce buyer’s remorse.

The advantage for Zappos.com is that for the most part, a consumer will find a shoe they like by seeing the great reviews on a particular shoe they were considering. It also may draw attention to a particular shoe that the consumer never really considered until browsing and reading positive reviews on the shoe.

I would not recommend KennethCole.com to offer recommendations and reviews. They offer a limited selection of items to choose from. In many cases clothing and shoes look similar to each other based on the season and general style of Kenneth Cole. Certain consumers do not care for the typical style of Kenneth Cole and will write a bad review. This will influence other consumers. Without alternative items to shop for, the review system may cause them to loose more business than they would be gaining.

I do check reviews on certain items I am shopping for. They are usually bigger ticket items, $300 plus. For example, when I was looking for a digital camera I looked on various sites for their reviews. After reading reviews and finding the top cameras I liked, I then shopped for the best price. I wanted to buy a camera that other people have used and I knew was reliable.

In general, a site with a wide selection of items and brands of a particular type of product should offer consumer reviews. This will drive people to the site and help inform their consumers. They will also increase their chances of a purchase from a consumer who is simply browsing.