Outdoor Research launched Lab Rat 2.0 to take its consumer feedback to the next level by letting consumer posts reviews of all its products and ask questions directly on the product pages on its web site.
“Encouraging useful, direct and honest feedback from customers is deeply rooted in OR’s culture, and we’ve always made that a part of the internal feedback loop that informs the next generation of our products. Constantly improving our gear based on experience from the field is what the original Lab Rat Program was all about,” said Jordan Wand, VP of product and marketing at the Seattle-based gear maker. “Now, with Lab Rat 2.0, we’re taking that program to the next level.”
The new Lab Rat program includes a number of components. Consumers can post reviews or questions directly to the pages showing individual products at OutdoorResearch.com. Under each product, there is a ‘Lab Rat Reviews’ tab and an ‘Ask a Lab Rat’ tab, allowing consumers to review a product or ask a question, and they can also answer questions on OR’s web site. In addition, Outdoor Research’s brand ambassadors and employees will also actively answer questions posted to the site. Employees and ambassadors are badged and identified on the site when they answer questions.
Along with providing a transparent source of product feedback and reviews to other consumers, Outdoor Research will use the information posted about individual products to help improve products and develop new ones in successive product development cycles.
“At OR, we’ve always felt that being approachable and open to consumer feedback has helped us really build strong ties with our customers and helped ensure our products are as reliable, durable and functional as possible,” Wand said. “Now, that same feedback from consumers we’ve gotten behind the scenes will be available publically to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions, choose the best product for whatever activity they may be doing, and ultimately continue to help build community around the OR brand. We’re proud of our products, and proud that people feel strongly enough about the OR brand to share their opinions with us.”
