eKomi Debuts SMS Review Collection Service at DMEXCO 2016

Company also to offer support and special pricing promotion for
businesses impacted by the recent Google Seller Ratings policy change

BERLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#CX–eKomi, the worldwide feedback solutions provider, introduced at DMEXCO
its latest game changing product to help businesses capture feedback
online: SMS Review Generation. Through this new service eKomi, who in
2015 received a strategic investment from Goldman Sachs, will enable
merchants of all sizes to request customer reviews and feedback via SMS
text message.

“Our experience shows that businesses who collect the most feedback tend
to be the most successful online, therefore our R&D team are always
looking at means to accelerate review collection and to make customer
insights easy to collect. Requesting reviews via SMS message was a
natural progression to provide choice and ease of use for consumers to
leave merchant feedback,” Michael Ambros, eKomi co-founder and CEO
commented.

Research studies show that people react far more frequently to SMS
messages when compared to traditional email collection methods. SMS
has a final read rate of 98% on average and 90% of SMS messages are read
within the first 3 seconds of receipt.*

Ambros expanded further on how this translates to generating high review
volumes by saying, “During our beta trial of SMS review requests, we saw
outstanding review generation rates. For example, a London minicab
company used our SMS review service and saw 56% of sent messages
converting into reviews. The end result was over 2,500 reviews indexed
and recognized by Google along with an average rating of 4.7 stars which
can now be proudly displayed alongside their Google AdWords campaigns
and alongside certain organic listings to boost conversion and lower
their advertising costs.”

On 30th August, Google published changes to its policy on
the number of reviews required to display seller ratings (up to five
gold stars) next to Google listings. Previously the rule was 30 reviews
over a rolling twelve-month period; this has now increased to 150
reviews making eKomi’s SMS Collection Service vitally relevant for
businesses to speedily act upon. This change has seen many SMB
businesses with 30-149 reviews lose their coveted Google Stars. Simon
Woods, GM & VP of Global SMB Sales commented, “Since this policy change
from Google, we’ve seen many of our own customers and those using other
review solutions contacting us for help and advice on how to get their
Google Seller Rating (Stars) back. With our Account Management team
providing expert advice on optimizing existing collection methods such
as email, tablet and pop-up review requests, many merchants are seeing
the high response rates from SMS reviews, which achieve up to 5x the
response from email as a fast solution to reinstate their Google Stars.”

To coincide with the formal launch of the revolutionary SMS service at
DMEXCO and to support SMBs who are facing challenges since this policy
change, eKomi is offering their new SMS service at a 50% discount for
the next two months. New and existing eKomi customers can add on this
service for as little as €10 per month.

Added Michael Ambros, “At eKomi we’ve always been champions of business
growth and consumer feedback. We want to help businesses get vital
feedback and the marketing benefits associated with powerful Google
Seller ratings, so we want to make this generous 50% off SMS review
collection offer available to all prospective and existing eKomi
customers who wish to add the service as well as to other businesses
using alternative review services that can no longer get enough reviews
to retain their Google Stars.” DMEXCO attendees can visit
the eKomi exhibits in Hall 9, Stand C-014 as well as Hall 7, Stand
A55-B58.

Notes to Editors:

For more information related to SMS data source findings, please refer
to the Mobile Intelligence Review report: http://info.dynmark.com/hs-fs/hub/307137/file-650880813-pdf/whitepapers/Intelligence_Review_Edition2.pdf

About eKomi

eKomi The Feedback Company was founded in 2008 by Michael Ambros and is
Europe’s premier and largest independent SaaS provider of
transaction-based reviews & ratings and customer experience management.
As a Goldman Sachs backed firm and Google worldwide partner with over
200 employees and headquartered in Berlin with additional offices in
London, Paris, Madrid, and the US, eKomi has gathered and published well
over 40 million reviews for customers. More than 14,000 companies
worldwide successfully leverage eKomi´s social commerce solution to
strengthen trust, increase sales, reduce returns, and drive organic
traffic through genuine user generated content. eKomi´s groundbreaking
social commerce technology enables businesses to generate customer and
product reviews as well as social recommendations, thereby creating
viral effects on websites and social media, while search engine
integration allows for an immediate revenue-generating impact for
business. For more information and to take advantage of this offer or
arrange a demo, please visit http://www.ekomi.com

Contacts

eKomi
Carrie Wick, Head of Global PR & Communications
Phone: +49-30-2000-444-814
Email: cwick@ekomi-group.com