inside costco
Costco word of
mouth goes digital
A COMMON TRAIT among Costco members is the tendency to voluntarily evangelize
about all things Costco.
Costco has become an inevitable topic at
cocktail parties, school events, family gatherings, club meetings, conventions—virtually
anywhere an enthusiastic member finds an
opportunity to inform others about the wonders of their membership.
Now, with the digital age, members can
explore a new array of word-of-mouth opportunities provided by Costco.
Costco.com
Customer ratings and reviews are an
effective way for Costco.com to enable mem-
ber feedback about products. When you click
through to most product pages on the web-
site, you’ll see a star rating and an indication
of how many customer reviews follow. A rec-
ommendation and a five-star rating from a
Costco member who bought a product car-
ries a lot more weight than just reading the
manufacturer’s marketing points.
Facebook
Costco maintains an official Facebook
page (
www.facebook.com/Costco) where
members from around the world weigh in
with likes and dislikes, kudos and rants, about
all things Costco. Posts from the company
steer members to Special Events, Costco.com
specials, Connection articles, discussion topics
and more. It serves as the collective voice of a
portion of the member community, and the
enthusiasm for the company is contagious.
Costco only moderates the Facebook
page, so don’t expect the company to reply to
questions via the posts. It’s purely a member-to-member platform, even though occasionally Costco employees unofficially pitch in
with helpful pointers.
The Online Edition
The company Costco uses to host the
digital version of The Connection provides a
number of options for sharing the magazine
content—an improvement over ripping out a
page and sending it to a friend or relative
across the country.
Clicking the “Share” button on the Online
Edition navigation bar allows you to:
Email a Connection page to a friend
Create a link to a Connection page to
embed in a document, or to include in
a blog or website
Post a Connection page directly to your
social network page
Analog methods of spreading the word
still work, but the new digital tools have taken
word of mouth to a whole new level for
Costco members—among family, friends and
coworkers.—David Wight
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