Trust in uncertain times: why some platforms matter more than others

Throughout history, consumer trust has faced a few stress tests. More recently, the growth of AI and the announcement of new tariffs. The latter affected the markets, and the impact on public sentiment is showing. 

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer has revealed an increase in widespread grievance. Claims Edelman, “61% globally have a moderate or high sense of grievance, which is defined by a belief that government and business make their lives harder and serve narrow interests, and wealthy people benefit unfairly from the system.”

With trust on the line, businesses are under pressure to prove their trustworthiness and transparency. But, when major economies take a beating, many companies shift into cost-cutting mode — sometimes throwing the tech baby out with the bathwater.

In this blog, we explore why, in times like these, maintaining platforms like Trustpilot isn’t just helpful — it’s essential to amplify the voice of the customer. 

The current consumer mindset

Today’s consumers are navigating a new era shaped by generative AI, and many are placing their trust in it when making purchase decisions. According to Capgemini’s What Matters to Today’s Consumer report, 68% of consumers are willing to act on AI-driven recommendations, and 58% even prefer product suggestions from generative AI tools over traditional search engines.

Layered on top of this technological shift are the ongoing effects of the cost-of-living crisis and rising financial anxiety driven by new tariffs. As a result, consumers are tightening their wallets, spending more cautiously in anticipation of further inflation or, even worse, a recession.

So, in a landscape defined by both innovation and insecurity, what can businesses do to prove their offering is worth the spending risk?

Don’t cut trust tools

Trust sells — especially when consumers are risk-averse. In uncertain times, being seen as a reliable and trustworthy brand can make all the difference. But when budgets tighten, businesses often start trimming the tools they view as “nice-to-haves” — and marketing tech is usually first on the chopping block. According to Gartner’s 2025 CMO Spend Survey, 59% of CMOs say they don’t have the budget to execute this year’s strategies fully. In other words, many CMOs are seeking either AI or tools that can act as a one-man band. But what if you could combine both into one tool? Platforms like Trustpilot come out on top for a few reasons. Strategically, Trustpilot’s main purpose within a company is to acquire customers by building trust with feedback, increase customer retention, and help brands stand out from the rest in a saturated market using well – the measure of trust.

Trustpilot is a trust expert and one of the only open, publicly traded independent review platforms that encourages transparency. The annual Trust Report for 2025 dives deeper into global shifts in consumer trust and how Trustpilot’s platform has grown and adapted to the changing needs of the consumer, with 301 million total active reviews as of 2024. 

To solidify their trust focus, Trustpilot also engaged with lawmakers to shape and define policy on reviews, including the FTC, throughout the development of its Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials rule in the USA.  

With protective measures like this in place, it’s obvious that trust is more than just an abstract concept; it’s measurable, defensible and monetizable. Why would you cut a tool that can utilize trust for revenue?

Where trust meets ROI

So, exactly how does trust sell? Well, it’s down to consumer behaviour. In a 2023 survey, Edelman found that people are 67% more likely to remain loyal to and advocate for a brand they trust. 

With trust also comes social proof (the idea that people make decisions based on the actions and opinions of others), consumers who like brands will shout about it through reviews, word of mouth or user-generated content. Nielsen found that consumers were 77% more likely to buy a product if their friends recommended it.

That trust-driven advocacy creates a powerful feedback loop. The more your customers trust you, the more they promote you — and the more they promote you, the more others trust you and the more business you collect. That’s how trust directly drives ROI, even in times of economic uncertainty. 

Lean on AI the right way

While AI is increasingly monopolizing many spaces and raising concerns about trust, Trustpilot has found a way to harness it for good, keeping reviews safe and legitimate. In 2024, Trustpilot launched a suite of AI-powered tools designed to identify policy violations at scale using generative AI. The company believes that AI, when used alongside human oversight, can play a vital role in strengthening and safeguarding trust.

Trustpilot’s AI tools, like Review Spotlight are designed to help businesses manage large volumes of reviews without sacrificing the human element. 

Review Spotlight harnesses generative AI to quickly summarize the content of your recent customer reviews and identify the common themes that run through them.

It also gives you the option to get weekly or monthly reports that highlight key trends in customer feedback, along with simple, actionable tips to help you stay ahead of what your customers need.

Trust in action

The line, show don’t tell comes to mind. When considering the best use case to include, three questions were asked.  Did they see an impactful increase in conversions? Was brand visibility increased? And, most importantly, did it move the revenue needle?

Simba Sleep, a leading global retailer of mattresses, bedding, and other sleep products, utilizes Trustpilot to drive revenue growth. They knew that social proof, particularly Trustpilot reviews, could significantly impact conversions. But they weren’t sure exactly how impactful it would be for their brand specifically. By running A/B tests on their site with and without Trustpilot widgets, they saw a 20% increase in revenue share per site session.

Final thoughts

Uncertainty is a given. That’s life, and right now, global economic instability is stressing consumers out. But they are still willing to spend, especially on brands that make them feel safe. So while cost-cutting is sometimes a much-needed option in desperate times, consider prioritising the technology that keeps your business human and trust at the center of everything you do.