Article

Tech Insider Network: Meet the Reviewers Who Boost Trust and Sales

Topic: Program Benefits

Read Time: 5 minutes

How valuable are product reviews? According to one survey, 93% of customers claim that ratings and reviews affect their purchase decisions.1 Even if tech shoppers are entering this final phase of their customer journey with momentum and enthusiasm, a review can still drastically influence the final sale.

Brands should see reviews as a significant opportunity to provide valuable peer perspectives and add an additional confidence boost—especially during a product’s launch. That’s one of the biggest benefits of programs that seed product reviews, like Best Buy’s Tech Insider Network (TIN), which jumpstarts the initial customer conversation about new consumer electronics products on the Best Buy website.

Discover how consumer electronics brands like yours can benefit from TIN by getting a peek behind the scenes from the reviewers themselves.

Who are the reviewers behind TIN?

The Tech Insider Network is an invite-only group of consumers with a passion for trying out the latest tech and a proven ability to write fair, well-written product evaluations. Best Buy gives them access to a new product, and they test it out thoroughly before providing a detailed onsite review.

Talking to these reviewers reveals that they take their task seriously. “I spend at least 3 hours (and often 10­‒20 hours) per item received running it through various tests,” says Paul D. “I like to be able to ‘sink my teeth’ into something new and exciting and really learn it inside and out.”

Although TIN members are technology professionals or self-described tech geeks, several mentioned the importance of making their reviews accessible.

“I try to put myself into the shoes of the average consumer while also considering how the product might work for people with different levels of technical expertise.”
Richard B.
Tech Insider Network Reviewer

They also take a thoughtful approach to their writing and pay attention to providing useful and trustworthy content. “I never know who’s going to read my review and why they want to buy the product being reviewed,” Richard B. says. “I try to write it from an unbiased and objective point of view so all potential consumers find it helpful.”

Impartiality is another important quality for these reviewers. Steve P. says he takes his accountability to other consumers seriously: “I share most of my reviews with friends and family after I write them. I wouldn’t recommend a product in a review that I wouldn’t recommend to a personal friend.”

“I read a lot of reviews myself before buying an item and would want to read honest reviews, whether good or bad, and decide for myself if I should buy the item or not.”
L. Barnes
Tech Insider Network Reviewer

Adds Van B, “As product reviewers, it’s our duty to put feelings aside and look at each product in an objective manner, so we can deliver an honest and meaningful review to potential consumers.”

This honesty is an important part of TIN’s proven methods. The fact that reviews aren’t automatically 100% positive helps build trust among Best Buy shoppers. “As long as the reviews are honest and educated, we know that products with over 20 onsite reviews early in the product’s lifecycle have a higher conversion rate and a lower return rate,” says David Bowler, Onsite Product Reviews Program Manager at Best Buy.

TIN reviewers aren’t afraid to have fun, either. Many enjoy adding their personality into their writing or even trying a product that’s outside their usual interests. “I’ve had a really fun experience reviewing some small appliances I normally would not have purchased for myself but have become family staples,” Steve P. says.

“I try to write with a little humor and keep from being too techy so anyone who reads my review can easily digest what the product is like.”
Dave H.
Tech Insider Network Reviewer

At the end of the day, the enjoyment is a big draw that keeps our top reviewers coming back to do more. As Dave H. puts it, “Writing reviews for Best Buy makes it feel like a community, and it’s fun to do.”

Create a foundation of quality reviews for your product

Ready to learn more about our seeded review program and how you can start the conversation about your upcoming products? Reach out to a Best Buy Ads team member to tap into the Tech Insider Network today.

Contact a Best Buy Ads Partner & Category Marketer

    *1. Power Reviews, Survey: The Ever-Growing Power of Reviews (2023 Edition)