Shopper marketing blog

When a product’s rating falls below the critical 4.0 mark, it is easy to panic or bury your head in the sand. After all, consumers rely heavily on reviews to guide their choices, and a poor score can signal trouble ahead for your products. Yet, rather than viewing these ratings as a dead-end, they can represent a valuable opportunity for growth and improvement.

At CheckoutSmart, we see these poor reviews not as a problem but as a unique opportunity to transform your product with SmartReformulation.

The Hidden Opportunity in Poor Reviews

Our analysis reveals that the bottom 20% of products with at least 30 reviews in UK supermarkets since 2023 have an average rating of less than 4.0. This figure underscores a vital truth: these products don’t need more reviews—they need reformulating to succeed.

Instead of trying to drown out the negativity with more reviews (which is rightly banned under recent legislation), it’s time to listen to your customers. Using the right tools, these less-than-ideal reviews can become a goldmine of insights that guide product improvement, revitalise your brand, and boost your sales.

Enter SmartReformulation

This is where our SmartReformulation solution comes into play—designed specifically for brand managers looking to update and relaunch poorly rated SKUs. Smart Reformulation leverages fast, quantitative consumer feedback to identify what needs to change to turn around a product’s fortunes.

How SmartReformulation is delivered

1. Identify the right SKUs
   We will work with you to find the underperforming SKUs that need attention. Leveraging our existing shopper insights and feedback, we pinpoint the areas that require improvement.

2. Generate Verified User Feedback
   We then develop a bespoke questionnaire targeting the product's most critical aspects. We generate enough product trials among genuine consumers through a targeted cashback campaign to get meaningful feedback on these areas.

3. Analyse User's Feedback
   Once the product has been tried, we gather and analyse survey responses from validated users. The focus is on practical insights that provide a clear path for reformulation and enhanced communication.

4. Provide Actionable Insights
   Within four weeks, we will provide a complete dataset of results, detailed tables, and recommendations to guide your reformulation and relaunch strategy.

WHICH ARE THE RIGHT SKUS?

At CheckoutSmart, we have all the data you need to understand which SKUs you should focus SmartReformulation on. For example, here are the < 4.0 Stars products for the Bernard Mathews brand:

What do the reviewers say?

Looking at the last product on the list, Bernard Matthews Turkey Ham Wafer Thin 100g, here is a summary of the two main points from the 32 written reviews since 2023 that can be found on ASDA with an average rating of 2.8 Stars:

1. Negative response to recipe change: Many long-time customers would like to be happier with the recent changes to the recipe. They describe the product as having an unappealing texture, a stronger salty taste, and an undesirable flavour, particularly noting an unusual garlic taste. Many express that they will no longer purchase the product due to these changes. (17 reviews)

2. Mixed reviews on taste and texture: While some customers enjoy the turkey ham and find it tasty, low in fat, and good value for money, others find it needs flavour or has become unpleasantly gritty and slimy. This polarising feedback highlights differing preferences for taste and texture. (10 reviews)

In our experience, the latest reviews can provide a helpful starting point. Still, it is the best practice to conduct a proper quantitive study such as SmartReformulation to get the details and be robust enough to make critical decisions.

The Role of SmartReputation and SmartResearch

While SmartReformulation focuses on turning poor reviews into better products, it is just one of our solutions that enhances your brand’s standing and consumer trust.

• SmartReputation ensures that your products maintain fresh, high-quality reviews across all retailers. Our Always On approach guarantees that each SKU has at least 30 recent, representative reviews, continuously monitored to maintain a healthy online presence. By safeguarding your brand’s reputation, SmartReputation works alongside Smart Reformulation to help ensure that any product changes are quickly reflected in positive consumer feedback.

• SmartResearch complements SmartReformulation by allowing you to test and validate new concepts, packaging ideas, or messaging strategies with real consumers before you go to market. This ensures that any changes you make are based on solid data and are likely to resonate with your target audience.

The Benefits of SmartReformulation

1. Authentic User Feedback
   All survey responses come from recent, verified users, ensuring the insights are relevant and credible. This provides you with the best possible data on which to base your product reformulation.

2. Rapid Results
   With a four-week turnaround, we can run SmartReformulation, get you the results, and you can implement changes, relaunch your product, and start seeing improvements in both sales and consumer perception before the dreaded delist comes around.

3. Flexible and Focused
   Our surveys are tailored to your objectives, ensuring the right questions are asked to gather valuable insights. We will work with you to create a study that answers your questions precisely with multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

4. Validation of New Ideas
   Before committing to your reformulation, test new concepts or packaging changes with real shoppers as part of the same study to gauge their effectiveness.

Why Choose SmartReformulation?

For many products with low ratings, the problem isn’t visibility—it’s the product itself. By leveraging negative reviews as constructive feedback, brands can make informed decisions about what needs to change. Smart Reformulation, SmartReputation, and SmartResearch provide a comprehensive approach to managing your product’s performance and reputation.

So, if your product has poor reviews because it has underperformed, don't just sit back and hope things improve. Embrace the opportunity with SmartReformulation and turn those negative ratings into your product's biggest asset.

How do I get my product data and learn more?

To get the latest reviews on all your poor-performing products, contact us, and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.