Oriental Trading Company Wins Customer Experience Excellence Award
OMAHA, Neb.-(Business Wire)-September 15, 2009 - Oriental Trading Company, Inc., the nation’s largest direct marketer of party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, has been named winner of the 2009 Customer Experience Excellence Award by Gartner Research and 1to1 Media in the category of Organizational Transformation. As a gold level winner – which is the highest award achievable – Oriental Trading is recognized for transforming from a product-driven organization to a customer-centric one.
Key to this transformation was last November’s launch of customer product ratings and reviews on the company’s OrientalTrading.com and TerrysVillage.com websites. Powered by technology partner Bazaarvoice, the product reviews and ratings enable customers to share their opinions and experiences with the online community. In addition to rating specific products on a five-star scale, customers may also upload and share photos or videos of themselves using the products they purchased.
“People value the opinions of other consumers similar to themselves when making purchase decisions,” explained Sam Taylor, CEO of Oriental Trading Company. “On our websites we have nearly 100,000 reviews on over 20,000 products, which serve as an invaluable resource in helping our customers find the perfect products for the event or occasion they are planning. We utilize customer product testimonials throughout our websites, in our catalogs, in our e-mails, and in other marketing materials to drive sales, but we’ve also realized the value of negative reviews in improving our business.”
Soon after launching product reviews and ratings, the company formed a cross-functional team comprised of representatives from Product Development, Sourcing, Inventory, Quality Assurance, Merchandising, Creative, E-Commerce and Customer Service to investigate products which received low ratings. Members of this team read every single review that carried either a one-star or two-star rating. The team then developed solutions to address the issues that customers had raised. For example, product descriptions and photography have been revised to ensure accuracy, products have been redesigned, and the company has met with vendors to ensure products meet the required specifications and standards. As a result, overall product ratings have improved by over half a point since the first few months following the launch.
“Oriental Trading has been able to transform their entire business based on the way they’re now able to interact with their customers,” said Brett Hurt, CEO of Bazaarvoice. “We are very honored to be a part of their winning customer experience and congratulate them on winning the 2009 Customer Experience Excellence Award.”
Taylor added, “Unleashing the voice of our customer has energized our entire organization. At any time our employees can go onto OrientalTrading.com and read story after story about how Oriental Trading helps our customers save time, save money, and come up with creative, affordable ways to celebrate any occasion. No matter who you are or what you do, reading those customer testimonials makes you feel good about working for Oriental Trading and making a difference in our customers’ lives.”
About Oriental Trading Company Oriental Trading Company is the nation`s largest direct marketer of party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, and a leading direct marketer of value-priced home décor and giftware. Recognized as one of the Top 50 Catalog Companies, Oriental Trading Company employs approximately 3,000 employees and offers more than 35,000 products to individuals, teachers, schools, churches, businesses and not-for-profit organizations. www.orientaltrading.com
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