Channel Signal’s Runner-to-Runner Report reveals the top issues facing buyers of running footwear included shoelaces, out-of-the-box comfort and the ability to add a custom orthotic.
For the Runner-to-Runner Report, Channel Signal, a provider of consumer data insights based in Park City, UT, analyzed over 120,000 customer reviews from leading running footwear brands: Nike, Brooks, New Balance, Adidas and Asics.
Channel Signal Founder and CEO, Paul Kirwin, said in a statement, “The insights our clients are gleaning from our textual customer review analysis provides a nuanced understanding of the issues that delight and frustrate their customers. This translates into more accurate product marketing, better product design and ultimately – better products.”
Channel Signal said studies have shown 90 percent of shoppers consult product reviews before making any purchase – whether online or in a brick and mortar. The same studies indicate an 84 percent consumer trust score of the reviews read. Of the 120,000+ reviews analyzed for the 2019 Runner-to-Runner Report, 17.4 percent were negative while 82.6 percent conveyed positive sentiment.
“Our first-time clients approach this kind of rigorous customer review analysis expecting the worst – fearing the data will reveal overwhelming negative sentiment. Fortunately, that’s rarely the case. With our help, clients lift insights from negative reviews and use them to improve products and product positioning so the right products are marketed to the right customer. By listening to the consumer conversation, brands can better represent what customers love in their marketing – using the language customers use to describe features. I can’t think of an industry where accurate product marketing matters more than in the running industry,” said Kirwin.
The Runner-to-Runner Report is available at ChannelSignal.com/blog. Founded in 2003, Channel Signal delivers consumer conversation insights into the BI dashboards of global brands like Caleres, BIC, New Balance, and Microsoft.
