Virginia Beach, Va.—The notices are in from all over the nation, from Sioux Falls, S.D. to Jackson, Miss.; Waukesha, Wis. to Freedonia, N.Y.—and ALL the most important reviewers have spoken: “Marie the Entertainer,” “Sandy the Homemaker,” “Dash’s Mom,”  “The Quilter,” “Mommy of Girls” and even “Ron from Kentucky.”

Who are these writers? Where have they been published?

They are Lillian Vernon’s most ardent supporters and taskmasters, and www.lillianvernon.com  publishes them—daily.

They’re customers, energized by the new PowerReviews application on Lillian Vernon’s website. Here, have some samples, there are plenty to go around:

On the Christmas Tree Switch (SKU 424100)…

“I ordered enough for all my end table lights, as there is no more reaching up to turn off the light. So easy, and for under your [Christmas] tree, just step on switch and turn on/off the tree, no more climbing under the tree to unplug. Great!"--The Party Planner

On the Sand Grabber Beach Umbrella Holder (SKU 944C00)…

“It worked just as advertised! It held the umbrella firmly in 25 mph winds. Very well designed. All devices should work this well and do what they’re advertised to do. An exceptional product. It exceded my expectations."--Ron from Kentucky

And on the subject of personalization, the reviewers are unanimous…

“The Heart Throw (SKU 012812) is the perfect gift for people you love. I like it very much because it's personalized, and whoever we give them to will remember us forever!"--Ruby from Freemont

“The Garment Bag (SKU 753400) will last for many years. I had one previously, but I  had to change my monogram when I remarried. It’s nice when you are in a swanky hotel because everyone thinks you’re ‘someone special.’”--Golfperson

“By engaging customers to give us their feedback with reviews, we gain valuable insight into both our products and our customer,” said Kristen Montella, Vice President of Lillian Vernon Online. “PowerReviews gives us an additional ‘touch point’ to our customers with a friendly, post-purchase invitation to review the product ordered. As a company, we learn what our customers like and how to improve our offerings. Customers in turn embrace the opportunity to interact with us as more than a purchaser because we have actively solicited their opinion and are responsive to it. At its core, this is simply a 21^st Century take on the time-honored concept of ‘word-of-mouth’ as the best form of advertising. It’s an easy way to make the customer a permanent part of our Lillian Vernon family.”

PowerReviews is a fully managed customer review solution that utilizes a patent-pending tag-based approach to offer at-a-glance “Review Snapshots” to make it faster and easier for shoppers to reach a confident purchase decision.  PowerReviews delivers more credible reviews by clearly identifying comments written by “Verified Buyers.” Because of these unique features, consumers preferred PowerReviews two-to-one to Amazon reviews for making informed purchase decisions in research conducted by Keynote Systems in Oct 2006.

“We chose PowerReviews because they offer a tag-based review solution.” Montella said. “Additionally, PowerReviews creates keyword-intense pages for each of our products, perfect for natural search optimization, thereby increasing our demand from search engines.”

In addition, PowerReviews provides social merchandising capabilities that utilize the tag-based review content to power “Social Navigation”—assistance from actual product users to help shoppers narrow product selection—and  “Affinity Recommendations”—suggestions from “people like them” to help shoppers make the right decision for their lifestyle.

“We are pleased to bring the PowerReviews customer review solution to Lillian Vernon to help further strengthen their commitment to customer satisfaction and personalization,” said Andy Chen, CEO of PowerReviews.  ”By utilizing PowerReviews’ tag-based approach to reviews, Lillian Vernon is one of the first catalog and online retailers to help its customers get feedback and advice from existing product owners with similar lifestyles and needs.”  

Judging by early results, this tool not only has momentum, it has perpetual motion. Consider what “Ro” from Austin, Texas recently said about a pair of Zebra-Print Sun Readers (SKU 032089):  

“I love these shades! They’ll be great at the beach or by the pool reading magazines or flipping through catalogs!”  

Keep flipping through those catalogs, Ro! Keep flipping… and reviewing… and ordering! After all, the most important writers agree that at Lillian Vernon, “100% Satisfaction is guaranteed,” and “Personalization is Free—Always.” And that’s a Five-Star Review if ever there was one.  

About Lillian Vernon Corporation

Lillian Vernon Corporation is a leading American catalog merchant and online retailer that sells household, organizational, children’s and fashion accessory products. A pioneer in customized merchandise, Lillian Vernon offers 14 different kinds of personalization and personalizes 5.3 million products a year. With one of the largest personalization departments in America, Lillian Vernon offers a wide variety of products that allow customers to make a personal statement at a low cost. In business since 1951, the company publishes two catalog titles: Lillian Vernon and Lilly’s Kids. Lillian Vernon’s corporate headquarters and distribution center are located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lillian Vernon has been owned by Sun Capital Partners, Inc. since 2006. 

About Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

Sun Capital Partners, Inc. is a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in market-leading companies that can benefit from its in-house operating professionals and experience. Sun Capital affiliates have invested in and managed more than 140 companies worldwide with combined sales in excess of $33.0 billion since Sun Capital’s inception in 1995. Sun Capital has offices in Boca Raton, Los Angeles, and New York, and affiliates with offices in London, Tokyo, and Shenzhen, China. 

About PowerReviews

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