On today's episode, we discuss how Disney+ stacks up against the competition and how Disney-owned Hulu and ESPN+ are getting on. We then talk about the Media Rating Council (MRC) taking its accreditation from Nielsen's measurement services, whether national TV ad minutes per hour are going up or down, and if Apple TV+ will ever be able to enter the real streaming wars conversation. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna.

Consumers can be super picky about shopping. Some will spend hours looking for the right deal, only to back out at the last-minute because of shipping costs. Others won’t consider a product unless it’s accumulated enough positive ratings and reviews—or unless their closest confidants personally recommend it.

eMarketer principal retail analyst Andrew Lipsman explains why second-hand shopping is bouncing back, and gives the most important takeaways from Walmart, Macy’s and J.C. Penney’s Q2 financials. He also explains how much ratings and reviews affect a company’s revenue, which US stores are closing down the fastest and who people are most likely to trust for shopping recommendations.

More brands are using social platforms like Pinterest and Instagram to not only discover new products, but to ultimately buy them. And that seems to be paying off, according to a July 2019 study from rating and review marketing company Yotpo.

Most brands today realize the importance of monitoring customer ratings and reviews. However, businesses need to take the next step and connect their reputation management strategy to the entire customer experience. Yext shares three best practices to build a great reputation across all touchpoints.

Exposing consumers to other brands through connected ratings and reviews. Promoting certain products over others in search results. Adding price and/or delivery perks in the selection process. More people are drawn to deals when their finances are constricted, and they are more likely to sacrifice brand preference for lower cost or greater value. Is it going to last?

“If you took the buy box off every page on Amazon, it would be the largest ratings and reviews site on the planet. It receives a massive volume of product research even for purchases done offline or elsewhere. So, it certainly is a branding platform, and that’s been a mind shift for a lot of the more forward-looking brands, that they shouldn’t necessarily be focusing only on attributed sales.”.

Asian Americans were also 50% more likely to use social media for consumer ratings and reviews. Because of this penchant for reviewing purchases, they could become loyalists after favorable brand experiences, according to Nielsen.

In yet another sign that online reviews can make or break the path to purchase, June 2019 research from Trustpilot found that consumers would lose trust in a brand not only if they saw negative reviews—but also if the brand went one step further and deleted them.