Show&Tell is an online review platform aimed at boutique fashion retail sites which lack the specialization or resources to implement a dedicated online review system. Show&Tell works by machine learning which kinds of reviews a specific user will find the most helpful based on user-feedback, and then shows users those reviews first. On the review-writing side, Show&Tell presents an easy-to-use interface designed to guide users through the review-writing process while making it easy to focus on text or uploading supplementary images. Finally, Show&Tell compiles the information for each user into a reviews feed, so that they can see reviews from other users they might like, along with information about other users (spending habits, number of reviews, etc.)
From our survey on online review systems, we found that 1) users tend to prioritize differently when reading and writing online reviews and 2) users tend to break into few, but definite preference groups in terms of what they look for in an online review. With respect to the former finding, review writers tend to prioritize pricing and personal anecdotes while review readers tend to value discussion of functionality, images, and comparisons with other products. With respect to the latter finding, users usually feel strongly that either more text or supplementary images contribute to a review, but not both. Similarly, survey responders were strongly divided on the relative importance of the product’s rating and tone. Thus, Show&Tell seeks to re-align priorities when writing and displaying reviews so that readers will find the system most helpful. In particular, it provides customized templates when writing, and users must decide whether they are adding more text or images.
The strategy of Show&Tell is to target boutique fashion sites which lack the expertise or resources to implement a dedicated online review system, which is decidedly fractured as most sites either omit a review system or implement their own, unique system. As shown in the graphic, Show&Tell would be integrated into the retail site directly and in some cases, replace the already existing review system. By providing a universal platform for reviews, the platform will encourage writers to post across a greater number of websites and promote trust for readers on sites with lower volume and fewer reviews. Moreover, through the newsfeed, Show&Tell seeks to drive volume between sites for our partners.
