Shooting for the stars: competitive benchmarking of hair oil brands, using keyword analysis of online consumer reviews

Background: The research underlying this paper intended to identify the drivers of product satisfaction of Indian customers towards six hair oil brands that they purchased from the Amazon website. The study was based on customer feedback posted on the site in the form of product ratings and reviews. Methods: A comparison of customer reviews was done using the word cloud approach to identify key themes of feedback and drivers behind the high or low ratings. The analysis was augmented by comparing the distribution and trends of star ratings across products. Results: On the whole, customer feedback on the purchase, usage and experience of the product was found to have received positive traction for every brand. Perception towards the product’s composition and customer experience emerged to be the two crucial factors that influenced the nature of reviews- pure/natural ingredients and good usage experience were emphasized in positive reviews, while adulteration and hair fall problem featured more in the negative ones. Conclusion: Insights drawn from specific themes highlighted in product reviews (of their own product and those of their competitors) can help each brand to make necessary modifications in their marketing strategies.