Think All Publishing: Overdoing testimonials

Placement of endorsements is a judicious counter-balance to unsolicited mass-marketing e-mails.

The Site

Think All Publishing, a US-based direct-to-consumer software retailer, has a simple catalogue website divided into seven sections reflecting its range of home and office products. All pages throughout the site carry customer testimonials in a right-hand content panel.

The panel shows two testimonials at a time, with each one replaced sequentially approximately every five seconds from a set of six. Except on order pages, where the testimonials appear beneath a special offer order form, there is no other content in the panel.

The Takeaway

With so many unsolicited offers for software daily filling our e-mail in-boxes, Think All’s placement of testimonials across its site is a judicious counter-balance that underscores its credentials with its predominantly family-based customer base. The use of a revolving set of endorsements helps give the impression of a healthy volume of contented customers as well as allowing Think All to highlight satisfaction across a range of its service features without overcrowding the page to the degree that the testimonials outweigh the product and sales information.

However, while the number of testimonials on view at any one time keeps them from being over-distracting, the constantly changing display does quickly become diverting. The problem lies in their being shown on every page. Think All should consider restricting use of the feature to the home and section overview pages, especially as there is a Testimonials page in the ever-present site utilities menu.

First published on 04 May, 2006