I had the good fortune this weekend to find myself in France, invited by the owner of an ancient vineyard to sample the barrels he was considering blending for the UK market. His family had never sold Beaujolais outside of France before and was keen to get some UK opinion. We were pleased to oblige and left with a few cases and the intention of telling all our friends about him.

In the marketing world this falls into the category of ‘brand influence’. Some research by OMD which came out at the end of ’07 which showed that amongst our European neighbours, Brits are the most likely (63%) to offer an unprompted opinion online and we are also the most likely to pass a negative comment (26%).

What this says about the UK psyche is a large topic, but suffice to say, we’re not backwards in coming forward when we don’t like something, but also, we’re more motivated than most to share a good customer experience.

And with 38% of UK online purchasers taking other customers’ opinions into account before purchasing, UK online retailers need to think more about strategies to recruit repeat customers as brand ambassadors – ensuring that good news about the restaurant or hotel for example, is actively promoted.

I’m not suggesting they take them out to France and ply them with wine – though that would be a nice idea – but simply asking repeat customers if they would consider telling other people about their experience (via the established review sites) on the basis that if they’ve come back, they must have had a good time.

With more brand ambassadors you recruit more new customers which in turn means even more brand ambassadors and so on. A virtuous online marketing circle.

Or, if my new French friend is reading, the more promotional Beaujolais sent to me = more customers = more brand ambassadors = more customers and so on.

Researching online book stores recently it struck me how similar many of them are in selling style. Surfing them is a bit like being on the receiving end of an Andy Roddick serve ( I was watching the French Open this weekend)  – boom, the latest bond book – Devil May Care goes past you on one side, half price, boom, there goes Sepulchre by Kate Mosse on the other only £4.79.

Occasionally one comes your way that you think you might be able to get your racquet on – i.e., it might actually be something you’d normally look for in a conventional bookshop.

In Waterfoyles (a fictional but representative big book chain) you’ll see the best sellers and suggestions at the entrance but the shop is easily navigable so that you can find, say, the military history section without trouble and start looking at stuff you’re actually interested in.

So why don’t online bookshops offer the same level of navigation and personalisation? A lot of it is probably down to the e-commerce software available for the job which is largely generic, allowing a thin skin of branding to sit over it.

Cost, as always is an issue but online booksellers need to factor into their business plans the resource to offer customers something unique and personalised, otherwise they’re likely to throw their racquet in frustration and find an easier arena to play in.