Customer reviews now on Walmart.com

BRISBANE, Calif. Wal-Mart today announced the launch of customer reviews and ratings on its Web site at Walmart.com (http://www.walmart.com). This new feature, which allows customers to submit ratings and write reviews of merchandise, is available on all products offered at Walmart.com -- including online-only items as well as products that are featured both online and in stores.

"Reviews and ratings is the No. 1 customer-requested feature online at Walmart.com, and we're pleased to offer this service to better help our community of customers shop smart and make informed decisions about the products they purchase both in our Wal-Mart stores and online," said Cathy Halligan, Walmart.com's chief marketing officer.

Wal-Mart introduced a test phase of customer reviews and ratings in June to gauge overall performance and customer feedback which generated favorable results.  According to the company, with today's official launch of the feature, close to 15% of items in favored categories, such as electronics, home and garden, and baby, have published reviews.

The review process works by allowing customers to submit a review by viewing a product page online at Walmart.com, or by e-mail invitation sent a few weeks after they have placed and received an order. The product reviews are published within approximately five days of submission.