Bazaarvoice, Inc.,has acquired Influenster, a product discovery and reviews platform with nearly six million community members worldwide. The acquisition brings together Influenster’s engaged community of everyday consumers with Bazaarvoice’s industry-leading software and network of over 6,000 global brand and retailer websites. Through the combined solutions of Bazaarvoice and Influenster, brands will have a single partner to help them build relationships with new and existing customers, create a comprehensive product reviews and UGC strategy, and power word-of-mouth marketing at scale.
Consumers rely on honest recommendations from peers and other shoppers when discovering and buying products. Brands and retailers that facilitate this peer-to-peer conversation by generating and showcasing UGC boost online and offline sales and foster brand loyalty. Bazaarvoice’s recent Shopper Experience Index found that best-in-class companies who make UGC available to shoppers drove an average 137 per cent conversion increase and a 157 per cent lift in revenue-per-visitor. Through its platform, Influenster has created a product-obsessed community whose members have written more than 38 million product reviews and who continue to create more than 50,000 pieces of content every day — including photos, videos, and Q&A. Brands including Coty and Procter & Gamble work with Influenster to run product sampling campaigns, generate and license organic review and social content, and build brand awareness.
“The decision to join forces with Influenster underscores Bazaarvoice’s commitment to connecting brands with consumers and consumers with one another through user-generated content,” said Joe Davis, CEO of Bazaarvoice. “Influenster’s product sampling and review generation offerings further strengthen our core product ratings and reviews solutions, and their hyper-targeting and gamification capabilities will allow us to better support our customers’ broader marketing initiatives. We’re excited to partner with a company that shares our belief in the power of the everyday consumer.”
The co-founders of Influenster, Aydin Acar and Elizabeth Scherle, will retain responsibility for key functions at Influenster. Integrated offerings will be available in North America immediately and in Europe in Autumn 2019, before expanding to other regions in 2020.
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