Retailers Use Blogs to Cement Customer Relationships

[mandy]

Few retailers have blogs on their Web sites. Increasingly, though, many are monitoring what bloggers are saying about their products and using that information to generate support.

Eva Yusa is not crazy about eBay. One problem for her -- just to name one -- is that you have to wait a while to find out if you won the bid. It is not her idea of a customer-friendly shopping experience, she writes in her blog. "It's like breadlines in Russia. Please pick me, take my money!"

EBay may not be worried about Yusa, specifically -- at least not yet. It would take more than one person's grousing to make a dent in the auction house's popularity, despite the proven power base the blogosphere has established for itself.

Retailers are finding that a blog that is supportive can translate into measurable new sales, but they are exercising caution, despite the word-of-mouth advantages blogging can bring. Blogging is a dual-edged sword: A well-trafficked blog that is critical can deliver a blow.

full article: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/48817.html