How Thingtesting Became Yelp for DTC and CPG Brands

What role do reviews have in building a business and how can they aid in building community? What is the value of print versus in-person events and the typical stream of digital content? Listen in to hear what Natalie Sportelli as she tells us about the future of commerce.

“The Trustworthiness of Tone”

• {00:07:42} “What really sets us apart is creating a Yelp equivalent of trusting other people's experiences with brands to help inform your own.” - Natalie
• {00:12:46} There is really interesting psychology behind why people like to write reviews, whether it be to help the brands or to help other people like perhaps reviews have helped them
• {00:16:04} Natalie finds the most interesting reviews to be the three-star reviews that start with phrases such as, “I really wanted to like this, but…” because they offer more insight and also can bring more understanding to the whole of the experience
• {00:18:28} “The role of reviews will only become more important as companies continue to think about building with consumers, community formation, and then creating a product that is actually innovative and is going to stand out and break out in the market.” - Natalie
• {00:24:52} At the end of the day, a person responsible for content wants to create content that people really want
• {00:27:50} Printed content has a unique ability to continue to engage with your audience for a longer period of time and in ways that build more depth in the relationship, and there is a lot more for brands to discover in their use of printed content over just digital content
• {00:29:44} “What we do on the Internet is not just ephemeral, it's also asynchronous. Asynchronous communication requires a level of attention and detail that leaves a gap between you and the person that you're communicating with, and doing things in person allows us to help eliminate some of that gap and be human together.” - Brian

Associated Links:

• Find out more about The Visions Summit at RICE 2023 and make plans to meet us there!
• Learn more about Natalie Sportelli and Thingtesting.
• Have you checked out our YouTube channel yet?
• Get your copy of Archetypes, our newly published 240-page journal. Check it out at ArchetypesJournal.com
• Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more of what we are witnessing in the commerce world!
• Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on Futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.