Social Media and Online Reviews Affecting Your Supply Chain?

According to a recent article in Consumer Goods Technology (CGT), more people than ever are not only following retailers on social networking sites, but accessing online customer reviews. While a study cited in the article only discussed how many customers are accessing online reviews from mobile devices while actually in stores (47 percent), one could conclude from the article that the number of people accessing online reviews outside of stores or on their home computers or laptops would likely be much higher.

Two questions the CGT article may make supply chain professionals want to ask themselves are: 1. Are social networking sites and online customer reviews affecting my logistics operations, and if so, how? and 2. If social networking sites and online customer reviews aren't affecting my supply chain, should they be?

Online reviews, in particular, can do a lot to inform retailers, manufacturers, and supply chain/logistics professionals about how happy their customers are or are not with their shipping practices, pricing, and delivery times. By monitoring how your company is being perceived online and determining the role your supply chain plays in affecting that perception, it may now be easier than ever for you to make changes to your logistics operations that will actually improve your company's reputation and increase sales.