Product Recommendations Encourage Brand Discovery

Many consumers are all for product recommendations—whether it's through reviews from peers or via an algorithm analyzing their purchasing behavior. 

In a recent study from Periscope By McKinsey, which looked at CPG shopping trends, just 8.5% of US internet users said they don't like product recommendations when shopping digitally. Overall, most welcome them. 

Indeed, nearly four in 10 said that they appreciate getting recommendations for similar products they usually buy, but from a different brand.

Others, primarily those who are happy with the brand they've been using, welcome product suggestions from that same label (28.3%). And similar to what Amazon has been doing for some time, 26.1% of respondents like when they get recommendations for "frequently bought together" items. 

But while consumers rely heavily on user-generated reviews, they aren't always so quick to trust brand recommendations. According to a February 2018 Salsify survey, only 16% of US digital shoppers said they place trust in brands when searching for useful product information or recommendations.