Flight Centre logo 

Flight Centre video

They are passionate, well-travelled, and are all about getting to know their customers’ holiday style to deliver 5-star, personalised experiences.

Since launching their first store in the UK in 1995, their troop of experts has grown immensely and, with more than 80 stores countrywide, they’re proud to offer anything from a family holiday or city break to a honeymoon or point-to-point flight. Today, [Flight Centre](https://www.flightcentre.co.uk/) is one of the world's largest and most successful independent travel retailers with over 1,300 stores around the globe, located throughout the UK as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the USA, Canada and more. 

To better understand how the business has been using Trustpilot reviews for the last six years, we spoke with Liz Mathews, General Manager at Flight Centre, and Imogen Altmann, Manager at the South Kensington branch. Here’s their story.


Flight Centre Key benefits

Flight centre results

## How Flight Centre use reviews as part of their marketing strategy

“We started using Trustpilot because we wanted to take a very honest look at ourselves and get some very honest feedback from our customers. We find increasingly that it’s not enough just to have financial protection and trade body memberships. The thing that really gives customers the confidence to purchase from us is hearing from real people about their actual experiences,” explains Liz Mathews.

To increase consumer confidence throughout the decision-making journey, Flight Centre leverages Trustpilot reviews absolutely everywhere in their marketing. It features all over their website and social channels, but also on their brochures and inside their stores.


Flight Centre Trustpilot reviews on Facebook

flight centre facebook reviews

Flight Centre Trustpilot logo on instagram

flight centre ads

“I use Trustpilot in a lot of my consultations. You’ll find that a lot of customers will ask you “Why should I book with you?” so showcasing our reviews everywhere is such a good opportunity for us to show that we do deliver 5-star service, we don’t just promise it,” adds Imogen Altmann.

Since showcasing Trustpilot throughout their marketing, Flight Centre found that Trustpilot reviews articulate almost better than any of their marketing materials what they do for their customers, because they are both firsthand and very personal. 

## Learning from Trustpilot reviews

Receiving 5-star reviews is great. That’s why Flight Centre aims to deliver 5-star experiences every single time, but let’s face it, it’s almost impossible to get it right every single time, and so 3 and 4-star reviews can happen. 

When they first joined Trustpilot six years ago, the Flight Centre team wanted to take a very honest look at themselves. So today, the occasional negative feedback gives them the opportunity to go back and find out what went wrong, or at what point the customer felt like the service delivered by Flight Centre wasn’t up to 5-star level. 

Their dedicated customer experience team looks at every single review that comes in and flags any that they believe require action. This allows the business to either fix the issue this time around, or improve the process for the next customer. This has proven to be a successful method as Flight Centre’s TrustScore jumped from 8.8 to 9.8 in the space of just one year. 

The company also uses reviews to get an idea of how their shops are performing, and to make sure that all of their travel consultants are operating at the right level, so that we can reward the people that are excelling.

__"If someone was thinking of partnering with Trustpilot, then I would tell them to go for it. There’s nothing to lose, all you’re going to do is show your customers why they should be booking and buying with you. We have progressed and developed so much thanks to our Trustpilot reviews, and I would certainly recommend it to any business."__

Imogen Altmann, Manager at Flight Centre South Kensington

If you’re looking to build trust, stand out from the competition and gain consumer insights to better your business just like Flight Centre did, request a free Trustpilot demo below.


Flight Centre video case study Trustpilot reviews

How Flight Centre use Trustpilot reviews to better their business

Ann Summers logo

ann summers trustpilot case study

Product reviews can increase sales up to 230%. Learn how lingerie retailer Ann Summers uses Trustpilot product reviews to convert more customers, and improve and grow as a business. 

Ann Summers started using Trustpilot reviews to collect valuable feedback and learn from consumer insights. Indeed, the team sees product reviews as one of the most effective marketing tools out there to collect feedback, learn from customers, and improve their products to grow the business in the long run.

We recently spoke with [Ann Summers](https://www.annsummers.com/) team members Karen Hitt and Laura Whittaker, Senior Online Merchandiser and Senior Online Trading & Marketing Manager, to better understand how the business learns from its Trustpilot product reviews, and how the team leverages feedback to boost their marketing efforts and increase revenue.

## Product Reviews can increase conversions up to 230%

AnnSummers Product Reviews on page example

Ann Summers product reviews

Ann Summers recently carried out some research to better understand how influential their reviews were in their customers' purchasing decisions.

To do so, they looked at a selection of products, checked each product’s star rating, and analysed how the rating score impacted the conversion rate for that specific product. 

Here’s what they found:


AnnSummers Product Reviews Impact on Conversion Rate

Ann summers conversion rate

As seen in the graphic above, the lowest conversion rate observed was 1.44%. This was seen on products with no product reviews and no star rating. Overall, Ann Summers observed an exponential increase in conversion rate as the product star rating increased too. The higher the product rating, the higher the conversion rate. 

The highest conversion rate was seen on products rated 5 stars, meaning a 5-star rating resulted in a whopping 230% conversion increase!

By testing the impact of online reviews on their consumers’ buying decision, Ann Summers found out how much of an impact product reviews placed on product pages can have on their customer journey, as well as on their conversion rate and overall business performance.

### Going from no reviews to a 1-star rating increases conversions by 76%



Unsurprisingly, the higher the star rating, the higher the chances to convert. However, interestingly, products with 1-star reviews still had a higher progression rate than products with no rating at all. 

This really demonstrates how much Ann Summers’ customers value reviews in their purchasing journey, and how much of an impact product reviews can have when shopping online.


AnnSummers Product Reviews Aggregated Conversion Increase

Ann summers increase in conversions

The incremental increase from the different star ratings seen in the graphic above really highlights how big of an impact product reviews can have in the consumer journey. 

Going from no product reviews at all to having a 1-star rating increases the conversion rate by 76%, and a 2-star rating can boost conversions by 149%!

__This proves, once again, how important it is to provide customers with product reviews throughout the buying journey, regardless of the overall rating.__

Interestingly, going from a 4 to a 5-star rating only increases conversions by 12%, but when looking at the graphic above, the incremental gains stack up to an amazing 230% conversion increase for products with 5-star reviews versus products without no reviews at all.

Ann Summers has an amazing 4.5 average star rating on their products. According to the graphics above, this means the brand should see a +218% increase in conversions from just showcasing product reviews on their product pages. Not too shabby!

We believe the numbers speak for themselves: Trustpilot Product Reviews can be an extremely powerful tool to increase your conversion rate, sales and overall marketing performance, and help customers make more informed decisions throughout the buying journey.

## How Ann Summers use reviews to improve and grow

Ann Summers’ mission is to provide their customers with the best products and customer experience they can possibly deliver. To do just that, they are continuously working on improving their products and user experience with the help of consumer insights.

One of the feedback sources their departments use to collect consumer insights are product reviews, which allow the company to highlight what works well, as well as the areas of development. This helps Ann Summers identify ways to grow and better the business.

Ann Summers’ customer service team also regularly looks at all their reviews and forwards the bad feedback to the buyers. The customer service team is in charge of flagging the overall trends, and labeling the reviews to pick up the most popular keywords. This gives them a better understanding of how the products perform individually.


Product analytics

Product performance

For example, the company recently found that some customers had trouble turning their products on and off, or couldn’t find where the charging point was. The product reviews helped them address this issue. They now offer product videos and instruction manuals to help out their customers.

Ann Summers also uses reviews to evaluate their third-party products and ensure they continue to sell the best products possible moving forward.

## Using reviews throughout their marketing

The Ann Summers’ marketing team uses Trustpilot reviews too. Indeed, they leverage their reviews and Trustpilot rating throughout all of their marketing channels. Since implementing reviews on their email channel, the marketing team has seen a higher engagement from all of their email subscribers.

The company really believes that their online reviews help them back up what they say about their own products. Since using Trustpilot, the business has seen a positive impact from __adding their reviews and ratings as an overlay to their product images__ both in the product list and on the product page.


product reviews on page

On-site reviews

Ann Summers - Product Reviews in email

Email newsletter

ann summers social proof product page

Product reviews on page

With so much commitment to Trustpilot Product Reviews, Ann Summers is securing a trusted, transparent future. 

Isn’t it time you joined them?

How Ann Summers used product reviews to increase sales by 230%

PL&Partners logo

boost ads performance with social proof

__Trustpilot: How is paid advertising done on social media?__

__Marcin Gasienica:__ Facebook and Instagram are ideal for reaching consumers worldwide in real time, and this applies to all companies regardless of their products or services.
Both platforms offer different tools to capture consumer awareness and make them want to click on an ad.

One of the great benefits of this type of advertising is that it allows us to track consumer behaviour very carefully, and it opens up new opportunities. Because we can follow consumers' digital footprints, we can tailor the ads to the purchase journey, which consists of three stages: the awareness, the reflection and the decision phase. Our data is very accurate, so we can figure out the consumer's next step as we know what stage of the journey he or she is in - it's not just guesswork.

__TP: What are the challenges your customers are facing in terms of paid advertising on social media?__

__MG:__ As far as this type of media is concerned, finding out everything about a specific person simply isn’t possible. Therefore, we can only form a general impression of consumers and work from there.

__TP: Why do you think trust is so important to your customers?__

__MG:__ Trust is the focal point of working with our customers. Our customers listen to our advice and have faith in us and in our work. And when confidence is in place, we can quickly address and deliver outstanding results. But trust is not only important to us - our customers also want to show their own customers that trust is paramount to them as they want to ensure they deliver the best possible experience.

__TP: How do your customers use Trustpilot and what improvements have they seen since leveraging social proof?__

__MG:__ Among our customers, we often see companies with online stores use Trustpilot's widgets and brand material (logo and stars) online and on other marketing channels. They all work towards improving their KPIs, such as conversion rates, bounce rate, and visitor time, which helps boost their sales. In addition, they gain better insights into their products and business so that they know what they are doing well, and where improvement is necessary.

Some of our customers leveraging Trustpilot are Shapeit.dk, UnoEuro and Flypenge. We tested ads with each one of their Trustpilot ratings.

Shapeit.dk is a family-owned company. It was founded in 2015 and specialises in fitness clothing for women. In addition to their online store, Shapeit.dk has two physical stores. When we ran ads for Shapeit.dk, we saw a 28% increase (from 127 to 163) in the number of clicks to the online store, and a 64% increase (from 292 to 479) in product impressions on ads with their Trustpilot rating.


shapeit.dk ads with trustpilot logo

We also tested ads for UnoEuro - a hotel launched back in 2004. In cases where UnoEuro's Trustpilot rating appeared in the ad, their click-through rate increased by 20%, and the number of purchases by 60%.


UnoEuro social proof on ads

Finally, we also tested ads for Flypenge.dk - a private company which airline passengers can turn to if their flights have been canceled, delayed or overbooked, and they would like help in claiming compensation.

The result of our test was that Flypenge.dk’s ads featuring their Trustpilot rating increased their click-through rate by 125% (see picture below). And their number of registrations increased by 400%.

Flypenge.dk uses social proof to boost ads performance

## Social media ads convert better with social proof

There are various ways to optimise ads on social media. With their expertise, PL & Partners have shown that social proof and trust signals are an effective tool for optimising social media marketing.

The three customer examples above show that social proof works especially well in the consideration and decision-making phase, as the increases were all seen on retargeting ads. 

For example, consumers that visited Shapeit.dk but did not buy anything were then exposed to retargeted ads from the company, as they’d previously shown interest in the brand and their products. 
This means that these consumers were in the last two stages of the purchase journey; the reflection and decision phase. 

In the final stages, it is less about the product and more about the brand itself, the consumer expectations and the customer confidence. By fulfilling these needs, a company can provide a good customer service and meet expectations. 

Confidence clearly plays a vital role in the decision-making process of potential customers. With confidence, you can deliver results faster whilst strengthening your reputation with Trustpilot reviews and ratings.

Trustpilot reviews bring businesses closer to their customers as they open up a dialogue, and provide companies with valuable insights into their customers' opinions. With good reviews and ratings, brands can build credibility and power their business forward.

If you’re looking to optimise ads by leveraging the power of social proof just like PL & Partners do with their own customers, just request a free Trustpilot demo below.




Social media agency PL&Partners show us how they boost ads performance with social proof

Noukie's logo

noukie s case study video trustpilot.PNG

Noukie s key benefits.PNG

### Building trusted customer relationships with Trustpilot
 
Since using Trustpilot, Noukie’s have considerably improved the way they work: the team understands how important it is to see things from the customer’s point of view, and the brand has found that reviews are a great way to identify the needs and wants of their customers.

Amaury explains:
“Most of our customers are new mums or pregnant women, so it’s very important for them to get third-party validation when they shop with us. Reading reviews from other customers really reassures them throughout the buying journey, and also helps them to pick the right products.”

To build trust at key touchpoints of the journey, Noukie’s showcase their reviews and TrustScore in a number of different places. Reviews can be found on the retailer’s homepage, on product pages, as well as at checkout.


Noukie s reviews on product pages.PNG

Noukie’s also share their stellar TrustScore in their email signatures, and in digital marketing campaigns. In fact, since obtaining Google Seller Ratings thanks to Trustpilot reviews, they’ve seen their traffic grow considerably, and their conversion rates skyrocket too. 

Finally, Noukie’s like to share flyers with their TrustScore both in-store and inside customers’ parcels.

### Delivering great customer experiences

But that’s not all Noukie’s do. Their marketing team has recently started using reviews to improve product descriptions, product shots, and any product-related issues customers might have had in the past.

They’ve also recently renamed their customer service team to “Customer Happiness”, and work hard on making sure the team is constantly trying to learn from feedback. 

In fact, they’ve recently been focusing on delivering better customer experiences. About 9 months ago, Noukie’s had a great 4/5 TrustScore, and decided to start spending more time identifying key areas of development and working towards better customer service. Today, Noukie’s have reached an incredible 4.5/5 TrustScore from over 5,600 reviews.

“Overall, Trustpilot has been a great tool to help us develop the eCommerce side of the business. It’s also been amazing at helping us grow our community and improve customer retention, customer satisfaction, and communication,” explains Amaury. 

If you’re looking to learn from feedback and deliver better user experiences just like Noukie’s do, just request a free Trustpilot demo below.






How Noukie’s use Trustpilot to deliver better experiences

Looka logo

How social proof helps Looka shine as a new brand in a new industry

Trustpilot x Looka Case Study

Looka's business statistics from using Trustpilot

Looka's Key Benefits from Using Trustpilot

## Why a trustworthy brand reputation matters to Looka

The team at Looka has a singular goal: to make great design accessible and delightful for everyone. 

Small business owners turn to their platform as a trusted design tool in the first crucial steps of their entrepreneurial journey. Rather than seeking out a designer, customers use Looka’s [logo maker](https://looka.com/logo-maker/) to take [creating a brand identity](https://looka.com/) into their own hands. 

And they need to trust that by using Looka’s service, they’ll get a beautiful design that represents their unique business. 

## Boosting recognition and awareness after rebranding

Looka is still a young pup of a company. Because it was only founded in November 2016 (with the name “[Logojoy](https://looka.com/rebrand/)”), and subsequently rebranded in May 2019, they thought it would be an uphill battle to gain the entrepreneurial community’s trust.

They realized that a typical entrepreneur would approach their company with a skeptical eye. They might subconsciously ask themselves all sorts of questions, including:

- Will Looka take my money and run? 
- Will they deliver all the logo files that were promised? 
- Will Looka’s customer success team be available for post-purchase support?



How Looka works

## Building trust in a new industry

To further complicate matters, Looka’s industry barely existed until this decade.

Back then, logo makers were unsophisticated, with the quality of designs falling around amateur at best. So it’s safe to say that the logo-making industry needs a publicist. It needs to inspire more trust.

By contrast, graphic designers have historically inspired plenty of trust. They were able to work closely with entrepreneurs (in person, over the phone, via email) and hold their customer’s hand throughout the process.

They could answer specific design-related questions and provide the logic for their proposals. The designer may have also held a fancy degree or had previous clients to use as references.

Unfortunately but understandably, Looka’s graphic design platform doesn’t offer any of this. So they needed their customer reviews on Trustpilot to give prospective customers reassurance that:

- They truly didn’t need any design skills to create their logo
- They could make changes to a design after buying a logo package
- They could really design a logo in under an hour
- They were getting a cost-effective solution to get a logo designed
- They'd be getting higher quality designs than the competition
- They'd have an unlimited number of logos to choose from



Looka Customer Review Highlight Reel

Looka has had to scale a mountain when it comes to building trust in a new industry with a brand new identity. But thankfully...

## Trustpilot verified reviews to the conversion rate rescue.

Funnily enough, Looka stumbled upon Trustpilot. They were researching [Google’s guidelines](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375474?hl=en) about the third-party companies it trusts when deciding whether to give a company [Google Seller Ratings](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-wont-my-google-seller-ratings-show-up-and-4-other-gsr-questions), and Trustpilot seemed to be the most credible of all the options available.

Because Looka had accumulated close to a million customer signups (and 50,000 purchasers) at the time, they knew they could use Trustpilot’s manual [review invitation](https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/201765266-Manually-invite-your-customers-to-write-reviews) feature, allowing them to retroactively email past customers en masse to kickstart their success even before putting [automatic review invitations](https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/213703667-Automatic-Feedback-Service-AFS-2-0-setup-guide) in place.

And that’s exactly what they did when they first joined Trustpilot, and they gathered an impressive 1,000+ verified reviews in just one month.

Looka Review Invitation Best Practices

The team at Looka made sure to employ best practices in their email invitations, which ensured that their conversion rate for review responses was as high as it could possibly be.

First, they kept the email super short and to the point. Second, they let them know it would only require two minutes of their time. Turns out response rates skyrocket when you manage expectations and respect busy schedules.

As a result of this influx of new verified reviews, any time a prospective customer would Google “Logojoy reviews” or “Looka reviews,” they’d see Looka’s Trustpilot listing pop up.

And since Looka’s average review has consistently been over 4.5 stars, prospective customers instantly saw that they can use the platform with confidence, increasing Looka’s signup-to-purchase conversion rate.

On top of these rapid improvements to their online reputation, Trustpilot also adds value to many distinct teams at Looka.

## The customer success team: Striving for perfection in all areas of the business

The customer success team at Looka uses Trustpilot [reviews and insights](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/turning-reviews-into-revenue-how-to-get-insights-from-your-feedback) as a way of gathering feedback on all areas of the business (positive or negative). They then action this feedback by making recommendations on how they could tweak the product features, marketing messaging, or customer interactions.

Their internal recommendations can be as minor as editing a couple of words on Looka’s website. One example would be changing “business cards” to “business card designs,” so that customers aren’t misled into thinking they’re getting physical cards mailed to them.

Or it could be as complex as developing a new product feature that allows someone to use a monogram symbol as the first letter of their company name in a logo design. In fact, many of Looka’s newest and most well-liked product features started out as a suggestion in a Trustpilot review.

Finally, taking the time to respond to reviews daily gives Looka’s customer success team a chance to follow up on issues that may have been missed in other chats or emails. Responding to all reviews (both 5 star and 1 star ones) brings the team closer to their customers by allowing them to [have an open dialogue](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/5-reasons-why-customer-experience-is-the-pulse-of-every-business) after purchase.

The customer success team doesn’t just see these responses as a form of engagement. They see it as a way to inspire trust in potential customers — and let them know they care about them every step of the way.

Looka uses Trustpilot reviews to improve their customer experience

Customer Success Example from Looka

## The marketing team: Social proof helps build a brand customers can feel confident buying from

The marketing team at Looka makes the most of the Trustpilot widget in every way possible. From Google Seller Ratings, [Review Snippet stars](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-does-google-care-if-your-business-has-online-reviews-in-2019) in organic search, and [TrustBoxes](https://business.trustpilot.com/features/trustboxes) on landing pages, to quotes from the [Image Generator](https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010415047-Style-review-content-with-images-and-share-it-on-social-media) on social media.

Simply put, Looka wants their prospects to know they’re in safe hands. Showing off the great experiences of their recent customers is a great way to do that.

It’s all about the social proof for the marketing team. [Social proof](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/what-is-social-proof-and-why-is-it-important-for-marketing) is the influence that the actions and attitudes of the people around us (either in real life or online) have on our behavior. The "proof" element is the idea that if other people have done it and it went well, it must be correct.

So if people are buying from Looka and rating them with five stars, then people who have never used a logo maker are more likely to do the same.

### Google Search Network: Seller Ratings lead to more sales for Looka

Every day, Looka spends thousands of dollars on Google Ads. Other industry players do the same, so the competition is fierce to say the least.

With Google Ads, the name of the game is to outcompete your competitors on CTR (click-through rate) and ROAS (return on ad spend). Getting [Google Seller Ratings](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-to-land-great-reviews-and-boost-your-google-seller-rating) had a big impact on both of these metrics for Looka.

Let’s start with CTR. You wouldn’t be shocked to hear that a prospect is more likely to click an ad if it includes 4.5 bright yellow stars (with the reassurance that this is the average rating of hundreds of reviewers). So it leads to a higher CTR.

With this higher CTR, Google assigns you a [higher quality score](https://www.wordstream.com/quality-score) (a grade out of 10 that rates the relevance of your ad to the search and searcher).

With a perfect quality score (10/10), you can achieve up to a 50% discount on ad inventory over an “average” competitor. And it doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that a 50% reduction in your ad costs will lead to a higher return on ad spend.


Seller Ratings earned through Trustpilot lead to more sales for Looka

Looka Seller Ratings Example

### SEO: The sky's the limit with star ratings in organic search

For Looka, cultivating a presence on a third-party review site was a great move for [off-page SEO](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-does-google-care-if-your-business-has-online-reviews-in-2019) and building up credibility in the eyes of almighty search engines.

As a newer brand, growing their presence on Trustpilot helped them show off their authority, relevance, and trustworthiness to Google, leading to a steady increase in their organic rankings, especially around key search terms for their business like "logo maker". 

When potential customers type "Looka" or "logo maker" into Google, they're likely to come across Looka's business profile page on Trustpilot at the top of organic search results, complete with trustworthy review snippet stars. On top of additional clicks through to their site from their Trustpilot profile, this kind of brand authority even moves the needle for their overall organic SEO strategy. 

### Landing pages: Tipping them over the edge at the moment of truth

There’s a concept in marketing called “[moments of truth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_truth_(marketing)),” which was first coined by the CEO of Procter & Gamble, A.G. Laffley. These are the most important touch-points you have with your audience — ones where you can truly earn their loyalty and see an increase in engagement.

For Looka, one of those moments of truth [occurs on their landing pages](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/5-ways-to-win-the-zero-moment-of-truth-with-reviews) when they ask people to start designing a logo by typing in their company name.

At this point, customers may have many objections. Will this take hours? Do I have to sign up for an account? How much will I have to pay? Do I need any design skills?

Looka tries to address as many objections as possible through clear and educational copy. But there’s one objection that no amount of copy can address: have other customers had a positive experience using Looka?

That’s why Looka turns to TrustBoxes to make their [landing pages more trustworthy](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/5-ways-to-instill-trust-on-your-landing-pages-to-increase-conversions). They’re beautifully designed, mobile-responsive, clickable, and strike the fine balance between attention-grabbing and subtle. Most importantly, they provide all the social proof we need during a crucial moment of truth.

As a result, Looka gets a higher visitor-to-signup conversion rate by having these present under each of their CTAs.


Looka boosts CTA conversions with social proof thanks to Trustboxes

## The operations team: Getting the top 1% talent to sign on the dotted line

When the operations team is trying to attract and retain top talent, they’re often asked about whether they’ve achieved product-market fit. Since many candidates won’t have heard about Looka before interviewing there, they want to know that we have a large and passionate customer base.

The best way to prove this out is to show off their Trustpilot reviews with the carousel widget. The carousel widget pulls in the 25 most recent 5-star reviews, with a timestamp, the customer name, the title, and details of the review. The timestamp, while subtle, lets candidates know that Looka is selling hundreds of logo packages every day.

While Looka can’t prove what impact the carousel widget has on the quality and quantity of applications, they’re willing to bet that having Trustpilot reviews on their careers page helps us attract more of the top 1% of talent in Toronto.



Reviews on Careers page

## The product team: Removing the most painful pain points

The product team looks at any one or two star reviews to make sure there are no recurring bugs or major pain points that multiple customers are experiencing.

As soon as they identify any such cases, they’ll log them in Asana as a bug and have a developer look to squash the bug ASAP.

The below example perfectly summarizes an example where there’s a bug that we wouldn’t have been able to catch and action without the help of (unfortunately but fortunately) [negative reviews](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-remove-negative-feedback) on Trustpilot.



Product team uses reviews to fix pain points

## Unlocking business development opportunities through customer feedback

Looka has also been able to prove to potential business development partners that they truly are best-in-class by comparing their Trustpilot rating with their competitors. 

Doing so has allowed them to develop an affiliate partnership with Wordpress.com, which has unlocked significant growth.



How reviews lead to business development and growth

## Looka powers their innovative business forward with customer reviews

As a company that’s just shy of its third anniversary, Looka faces the same challenges that other young companies face.

One of their primary challenges is product innovation — finding ways to stay ahead of the curve and be able to compete against their competitors in the design space.

As their product evolves, Looka’s main focus is maintaining customer happiness. The team at Looka understands that they wouldn’t be where they are today without them, so they’re constantly aiming to support and educate them as they change moving forward.

Ready to take a page out of Looka’s book and make customer reviews work for all aspects of your business? Create a Trustpilot free account on the link below.

EventyrSport logo

Eventyrsport x Trustpilot Video Case Study (DK)

Eventyrsports key benefits of using Trustpilot

Eventyrsport Key Benefits v2

### Creating a stellar customer experience for online shoppers

Believe it or not, Lars personally reads every single review left about Eventyrsport on Trustpilot. And why is that?

Because he believes that internalizing customer feedback is the only surefire way to futureproof a business and offer the best customer experience possible. After all, even the occasional bad review creates an opportunity for eCommerce greatness.

According to Lars and his team, negative reviews can be a huge help when it comes to spotting and correcting minor business issues before they become full fledged problems. And we couldn’t agree more.

In fact, this commitment to customer experience is alive and well across the whole organization at Eventyrsport. The team has a very high bar for customer experience, and they’re well aware that online shoppers care very much about the experiences of those who shopped before them.

That’s why Eventyrsport decided to use Trustpilot in their marketing materials to show off their excellent reputation at the very top of the buying journey. From their cross channel ads, newspapers and newsletters, to the prime real estate on their website — they put what customers are saying about their business front and center.

And because they’re aware that even customers shopping in their retail locations are likely to to do [online research](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/6-ways-to-make-trust-your-essential-brand-differentiator) while in store, Eventyrsport has started featuring their customer feedback from Trustpilot reviews throughout their retail displays.

With their eight year commitment to customer experience and building trust with online audiences, we have no doubt that Eventyrsport is on the road to future proof success in eCommerce.



Eventyrsport Trustpilot Case Study Video

How Eventyrsport offers a stellar eCommerce customer experience with reviews 

Giglio logo

Giuseppe Giglio

Giglio Video Case Study

Giglio's Key Benefits from using Trustpilot reviews

Overview of the improvements gained by Giglio thanks to Trustpilot

Giglio realized that a stellar online presence can be a key to success in the eCommerce space, where it’s not as easy to build up a personal relationship with customers. 

With the goals of opening a dialogue with their customer base and better communicating with a worldwide audience, Giglio decided to partner with Trustpilot in 2017. 
 
Ever since, they’ve used the Trustpilot platform to monitor their customer satisfaction, maximize their eCommerce conversions, and grow their bottom line.



Head of Marketing Operations

### How Giglio uses Trustpilot’s features and integrations

Driven by their automatic review collection strategy, Giglio empowers their customers to communicate insights, questions, and concerns directly to the team through reviews. This provides the business with valuable customer feedback they can show and use in their marketing emails and SERP ads. 

Adding this kind of social proof to their marketing materials has also boosted their performance in key metrics.

After adding review content to their website and showcasing their Trustpilot star rating in Google Ads campaigns, Giglio saw an incredible 20% click-through rate increase in adverts displaying Trustpilot stars.

But their use of Trustpilot doesn’t stop there at the very top of the funnel — Giglio has also made the most of TrustBox widgets on their website to build trust, which is known to [boost eCommerce conversions](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/browsers-to-buyers/15-ecommerce-tips-to-drastically-increase-your-conversion-rate).


The widget TrustBox in the shopping cart page 

The TrustBox in Giglio's shopping cart web page

Screenshot of Giglio's shopping cart web page including a few articles

Thanks to this simple integration, and according to A/B test results on their checkout page, Giglio __increased their conversion rate by 7%__ with their TrustBox.

A/B test results measuring the impact of a TrustBox on Giglio's checkout page

A/B test showing an increase of the conversion rate of more than 7%

A/B test results about the usage of the TrustBox

Another key widget in Giglio’s marketing strategy has been the [TrustBox Newsletter](https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/115007375487-Add-a-TrustBox-Newsletter-to-your-email-campaigns), which Giglio implemented throughout their email communication in hopes of increasing the trustworthiness of their company communications. 

In this case, the A/B test results also show that __click-through rate increased by almost 10%__, which is especially significant considering the many kinds of emails Giglio sends to their potential customers.

Thanks to this powerful tool, Giglio showcases their star rating in email marketing campaigns and transactional emails, allowing them to benefit from social proof across channels, and at different stages of the eCommerce customer journey. 



Example of a TrustBox Newsletter in one of Giglio's emails

The widget TrustBox Newsletter in Giglio's email

Screenshot of a reminder email including the TrustBox Newsletter

On top of the steady stream of customer reviews, constant and customized support are among the Trustpilot features that Giglio appreciates the most. But of all their favorite features, the __plug and play Trustpilot API__ is definitely at the top of the list. 
 
Thanks to this option, Giglio’s Customer Relationship Management system — which is managed and constantly updated by their developers — can easily be hooked up to connect with Trustpilot’s platform in real time. 
 
This allows Giglio to stay connected with both systems on a daily basis while collecting valuable information from reviews. And perhaps most importantly, it offers the Customer Service and Social Media teams a real time window into customer sentiment. 




### Powering the family tradition of personal customer service with reviews 

That said, the power of reviews and savvy systems integrations can only go so far if those insights aren’t communicated widely to the right departments at the right time. 

Because of the way Giglio shares customer reviews across departments, and the ongoing support of Trustpilot’s Customer Success Managers, customer reviews not only helps the company grow, but also highlight which aspects of their business can be improved, and what the biggest challenges are for their customers.	

Trustpilot reviews even allow Giuseppe Giglio, the CEO of the business, to maintain the personal and family-owned feel they established back in their brick and mortar days by interacting directly with customers and replying to feedback left in reviews.   

“I inherited the culture of the family business from my family,” he says. “We are on the front line. When a client is unhappy with our service, I answer personally to understand what went wrong, to apologize, and to understand what actions we can take to set things right and correct our mistake.”

From a small shop to a publicly traded company, the story of Giglio’s family has roots that run deep in their past and traditions, but that hasn’t stopped them from future-proofing their business with the help of a trusted third-party review partner like Trustpilot. 

When mature brands move to the online space, it’s not enough to simply be present. Now it’s essential to interact with customers and demonstrate that you hear their feedback. 
 
With Giglio’s ongoing efforts to meet their customers exactly where they are, we have no doubt that they’ll continue to succeed in the eCommerce space — and be at the frontlines of whatever shopping innovation comes next. 

*Special thanks to Marta Zugliano and Stefano Cruciata for the original version of this article. 
*



How Giglio went from local retailer to international brand in the era of social proof

Auto Trader logo

auto trader online reviews trustpilot case study

### Building a great brand reputation with online reviews

“We chose to partner with Trustpilot because of the platform’s great reputation, brand awareness and recognition with customers. We knew that we wanted to partner with a platform which could really help us to build trust in the UK marketplace with our private sellers”, explains Marc.

The auto industry isn’t well-known for its great reputation, especially when it comes to buying a car. Auto Trader understands the challenges the market is facing, and leverages Trustpilot reviews to build trust with both consumers and customers. 

Since using Trustpilot, Auto Trader has also considerably increased its conversion rate. The business has also adopted a ‘voice-of-the-customer strategy’.

“The feedback is really, really valuable. That communication and that link with consumers breeds loyalty and is a great advert to all our prospective customers", says Marc.

The brand has also found the Trustpilot platform really easy to use. Gabriella explains:

“Our ‘voice of the customer’ team uses Trustpilot every day, so it’s really important that we use a platform that is easy to pull insights from. Trustpilot offers different ways to generate reports, which we do quite regularly to monitor our reviews and TrustScore, and make sure we keep getting better and better.”

Auto Trader understand that receiving a bad review isn't bad for your business or for your reputation. The business has learnt how to handle negative feedback, and how to turn bad reviews into positive stories. Taking time to answer reviews proves that your team takes all customer experiences seriously, and wants to work towards delivering great customer service and experiences. In this day and age, there’s nothing more trustworthy than a customer-centric brand. 

“If you really do focus on your reviews and the feedback that your customers are giving you, and if you work hard towards improving your service and customer experience, you really can improve your reputation", says Gabriella.

If you're looking to build trust with customers and manage your online reputation just like [Auto Trader](https://www.autotrader.co.uk/) does, request a free Trutpilot demo below.


How Auto Trader builds trust throughout the automotive market

CardsDirect logo

CardsDirect x Trustpilot case study

CardsDirect x Trustpilot Case Study

We sat down with the team to learn how CardsDirect used Trustpilot reviews to help grow not one, but three highly trusted brands, and uncover some of the trust-building secrets behind their glowing online reputation.

Today we share __five takeaways that we hope will inspire any business to start using transparency, openness, and reviews__ to attract and retain more customers.


CardsDirect Key Benefits

## 1. Your About Us page is the perfect place to share an open and transparent brand mission statement.

We live in a time where [54%](https://www.bopdesign.com/bop-blog/2015/10/15-crazy-branding-stats/) of shoppers say they [don’t trust brands](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/5-online-reputation-management-strategies-for-driving-brand-trust). But with three distinct trusted brands, we’ll take it from CardsDirect that trust begins with how you communicate as a business.

It might seem like a no-brainer, but the opportunity to share your brand story on your About Us page is not one to be missed. It’s prime brand-building real estate, and a perfect opportunity to kindle a relationship with your customers.

If you need inspiration, look no further than the [About Us page](https://www.cardsdirect.com/aboutus.aspx) of CardsDirect, where they come right out with their commitment to hands-on customer service and satisfaction, even in the internet age where it can be shockingly easy to hide phone numbers and effectively avoid customers.

Why is this so important? According to consumer research from KPMG, shoppers are most likely to trust a business that [makes it easy to contact people](https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2017/01/the-truth-about-online-consumers.pdf) at the company.

On top of using their About Us page to make their contact information crystal clear, CardsDirect goes a step further with transparent communication by explaining *how* they’re able to offer such good prices on their products.

Recent research from Trustpilot shows that [83% of consumers](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/6-ways-to-make-trust-your-essential-brand-differentiator) find it easier to trust a company when it’s transparent about how it sources its products, so it’s a great idea to share this kind of information not only on your about page, but across your product pages as well.

Lastly, because they tend to be designed with SEO in mind, your About Us page is likely to show up in search results when new shoppers Google your brand. And with [62% of customers](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/6-ways-to-make-trust-your-essential-brand-differentiator) researching a company they’re unfamiliar with, it’s a great idea to set yours up to be a source of helpful information — that also represents the values of your brand.

## 2. Decide on a review collection strategy to create a feedback loop with your customers

By now it’s well established that reviews are one of the [most effective ways to communicate](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/learn-from-customers/trustworthiness-in-advertising-what-consumers-have-to-say) your trustworthiness to potential customers. But how do you begin building up this super effective form of [social proof](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/what-is-social-proof-and-why-is-it-important-for-marketing)? 

We recommend coming up with a [review collection strategy](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/a-beginners-guide-to-getting-good-customer-service-reviews), that allows you to automatically send review invitations to your customers at the perfect moment in the shopping journey.

And before you imagine crickets chirping, or worry that people only leave reviews about awful experiences — think again. [Trustpilot research](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/why-do-people-write-reviews-what-our-research-revealed) has revealed that shoppers write reviews for a whole range of reasons: 

- Venting frustrations about a negative experience
- Spreading the word if an experience with a brand was positive
- Wanting to be recognized or acknowledged for having certain knowledge or taste
- Feeling like part of a community and wanting to give back

But perhaps most interestingly, this study also revealed that __shoppers also leave reviews simply because they feel a need to express themselves, and reviews empower them to do so__.

The team at CardsDirect has caught onto the best way to empower their customers to leave reviews, and it’s as simple as asking them at the right time. 




CardsDirect Trustpilot Review Invitation

Rather than sending their customers an automatic review invitation once a customer has placed an order — which could certainly make sense for some businesses — CardsDirect has customized their review collection strategy to capitalize on the moment of delight for *their business*. 

Translation: they only ask customers for a review once the package has been delivered safely.


CardsDirect Trustpilot Testimonial - Leah Sanchez Brand Manager

And to close this customer experience feedback loop, the team at CardsDirect aptly sends a personal reply to each reviewer in the form of a handwritten card, often times personalizing the content of the written reply based on the review itself.  

When you put a review collection strategy in place, online reviews go from a platform for the most satisfied (or disgruntled) customers, to a proactive communication channel between businesses and customers. 

You just need to tap into it. 


## 3. Your customers’ words have power, so highlight what they’re saying about your brand across the shopping journey.

Creating a feedback loop through online reviews is a fantastic start to customer centricity and overall satisfaction, but we’ve also seen brands use online reviews to directly grow their bottom line. 

As it turns out, featuring reviews [throughout the shopping journey](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/how-flinders-use-reviews-to-build-trust-throughout-the-customer-journey) is a high impact way to boost conversions.

In a time where online shoppers see a staggering [4,000-10,000](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/08/25/finding-brand-success-in-the-digital-world/#252ee6eb626e) advertising messages per day, why not let your [customers cut through the noise](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/your-guide-to-customer-advocacy-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important) and play a larger role in sharing your brand’s values? 


CardsDirect x Trustpilot Testimonial - Travis Helling Brand Marketing Manager

We couldn’t agree more, and there’s lots of social proof inspiration to be gleaned from how the team at CardsDirect puts their reviews to work.

They display customer reviews on their homepage:


Trustpilot reviews feature prominently on the homepage of BrookhollowCards.com, which is just one of the brands in CardsDirect’s portfolio of greeting card businesses.

Brookhollow Cards Trustpilot Reviews

On their landing pages across all brands: 

CardsDirect uses reviews across all landing pages

On their landing pages specifically for paid search:

CardsDirect Trustpilot Reviews in Paid Search Landing Pages

CardsDirect uses Trustpilot reviews in direct mail

But do online reviews really have a place to shine outside of the digital realm? 

Leah Sanchez, Brand Manager at CardsDirect thinks so. __Because reviews are so effective for marketing to new and existing customers__, she has big plans to feature their favorite Trustpilot reviews in their 2019 holiday print catalog. 

At the end of the day, all brands can benefit from adding trust signals like star ratings, TrustScore, or even the Trustpilot logo across their website, and even on their marketing materials.

In fact, we’ve even heard that [87% of consumers](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-87-of-consumers-find-ads-more-trustworthy-with-trustpilot) find ads more trustworthy with the Trustpilot logo.

And on that note —


## 4. Ads are more trustworthy with a helping of social proof

There’s been a wealth of recent consumer research confirming digital marketers’ worst suspicions: [few consumers](https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/can-online-reviews-revive-consumer-trust-in-advertising) think ads are trustworthy sources of information, and they seldom take ad claims into account for purchasing decisions. 

Yet, [84% of consumers](https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/84-percent-of-people-trust-online-reviews-as-much-.html) trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation from a friend. 

That’s exactly why the team at CardsDirect made sure to choose a review partner that could help them earn [Google Seller Ratings](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/why-wont-my-google-seller-ratings-show-up-and-4-other-gsr-questions) on their paid search ads — or in other words, add a proven trust signal to their ads to boost trustworthiness.


CardsDirect shines in paid search with Google Seller Ratings, earned with some help from their Trustpilot reviews

CardsDirect got Google Seller Ratings with Trustpilot

After carrying out some formal split testing on their paid search ads, they couldn’t help but notice that the ads featuring a [star rating](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/get-seen-in-search/rich-snippets-stars-for-product-reviews-can-boost-seo) had [better click-through rates](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/browsers-to-buyers/a-channel-by-channel-guide-to-improving-your-ctr) than the ones without.

They’ve also noticed a positive impact on landing page conversions after adding [Trustpilot widgets](https://business.trustpilot.com/features/trustboxes) to their paid search landing pages.


CardsDirect x Trustpilot Testimonial - Dean Eldridge

But adding trust signals to your online marketing and advertising doesn’t have to stop there. 

Other [sources](https://instapage.com/blog/customer-reviews-marketing) have found that ad creative featuring [user-generated content](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/build-trusted-brand/a-beginner-guide-to-building-brand-loyalty-with-user-generated-content) can lead to the stellar combination of four times higher click-through rates, and a 50% drop in CPC. 

We have a feeling most brands could benefit from that kind of lift in marketing performance. 


## 5. When you respond to reviews, you improve star ratings and become a better business

Like most brands, CardsDirect considers new customer acquisition and customer retention to be the main challenges to their business.

And they’ve found that collecting customer reviews has helped with that.

Sure, favorable reviews have straightforward benefits for building trust with new and existing customers, but unfavorable reviews present a unique opportunity in their own right. 

CardsDirect x Trustpilot Testimonial - Lynell Brown

Not only that, but the team at CardsDirect has noticed that __one third of customers go back and update their unfavorable reviews to be more positive__ once someone from the company reaches out about the issue.

Because of these great results, responding to customer feedback is taken seriously at CardsDirect. The team reads every single review that comes in, and if a poor review is spotted they respond ASAP and do whatever they can to make it right. 

It’s clear to the team that reviews not only help them deliver [excellent customer service](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/3-ways-reviews-can-help-you-deliver-excellent-customer-service), but also provide a roadmap for how they can get better as a business.

So far, their reviews have provided insights into products and services that customers want that the company might not have considered. They also help the team spot trends that the company ought to look into, such as issues with shippers or printers, or even the product design itself. 

One example is when they noticed that several unfavorable reviews all mentioned that the font size of a particular product was too small. Thanks to this clear pattern in their reviews, it was easy for customer service agents to relay this feedback to the product team, who swiftly updated that product online. 

### A dedicated review strategy is essential for a trustworthy reputation. Build yours with Trustpilot.

When asked why they chose to build their online reputation with Trustpilot, the CardsDirect team says it best:

*“The Trustpilot platform has an intuitive interface, and offers easy-to-use integrations that allow us to keep our brand identity. Set up was simple, so we were able to hit the ground running collecting reviews across multiple brands.”*

And while we appreciate their kind words, we admire their __commitment to consumer trust__ even more. 

*“‘Trust’ by definition is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone. It’s our goal at CardsDirect to exemplify all three of these brand traits. There wouldn’t be CardsDirect without trust.”*

If you’d like to learn more about reviews, and how they help you grow brand trust and show brand trust, request a demo today. 

We’d love to help.



5 Trust-building tactics any brand can learn from CardsDirect's review strategy

Protect Line logo

Protect Line case study trustpilot

In this case study, we speak to Lewis Murray, Digital Marketing Executive at Protect Line, to better understand why the business chose Trustpilot to build consumer trust, and what results they’ve observed since using reviews throughout their marketing.

They’re a non-advised brokerage, which means they provide their customers with the facts to help them make an informed decision before purchasing a policy.

They offer level, increasing & decreasing term life insurance, as well as whole of life and over 50’s non-medical options. They have a panel of 13 of the UK’s leading insurers which includes Legal & General, LV=, Aviva, HSBC, and more. 

Protect Line are passionate about providing 5-star service and continuing their mission to reduce the UK’s life insurance deficit, protecting more families every day.

With over 28,000 reviews (99% of them classified as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Great’ reviews), it is safe to say that Protect Line take their customers’ satisfaction very seriously.

In this case study, we speak to Lewis Murray, Digital Marketing Executive at Protect Line, to better understand why the business chose Trustpilot to build consumer trust, and what results they’ve observed since implementing online reviews throughout their marketing channels.

## Why Protect Line chose Trustpilot

Protect Line started trading in 2010 and [signed up for Trustpilot in 2012](https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/protectline.co.uk). The business understands the importance of the voice of the customer, and the power that user reviews can have to influence potential customers throughout their decision-making journey. 

Trust is a powerful tool for any business, but it’s especially prevalent for those working in financial services and the insurance industry. 

“Many customers feel fatigued by the idea of insurance due to negative interactions with house and home insurance – so much so that some feel that products like life insurance will not pay out. The reality is that 98% of claims are paid out by life insurance providers, so countering the theories and misconceptions is especially challenging for our business. Our trustworthiness is a key pillar in helping us operate effectively, and Trustpilot are absolutely crucial in showcasing trust. We are passionate about being transparent and open in everything we do, and the customer reviews being generated on the platform definitely help us achieve this,” says Lewis.

## Protect Line’s customer reviews increased CTR by 14%

The Protect Line team recently A/B tested pages with and without TrustBox widgets, and saw a 14% increase in CTR on pages with TrustBoxes.

Since then, they’ve implemented TrustBox widgets on their homepage as well as on specific campaign landing pages. They now feature Trustpilot prominently on their website. 

The Protect Line team also likes to observe how their customers interact with their landing pages using heatmaps and session recordings. Using those tools to measure their pages’ performance, they have seen positive interactions with Trustpilot reviews throughout their website.

## Using social proof to build trust throughout the funnel

Protect Line use Trustpilot in a variety of different ways. To start with, their marketing team feature Trustpilot prominently in all of their marketing campaigns, and across a variety of mediums – web, print and social. This helps with the trust factor, and has been shown to increase click-through rate when used well too.

Internally, Protect Line employees are targeted on their Trustpilot reviews. Providing exceptional customer service is extremely important to the business, and that’s why they choose to reward their teams when they succeed in generating positive Trustpilot reviews.

“We’re all about celebrating success and as a company we highlight the best reviews that come through to us. This does go both ways however; we also use the feedback we receive from customers to educate and teach any team members who may be struggling, and use this feedback to also influence our internal processes. If we can be doing something better for our customers, we’ll go ahead and get it done based on the feedback we receive. Having our fingers on the pulse of how our customers are reacting to the experience we provide is a very valuable resource for us,” Lewis points out.

Protect Line also found that including the Trustpilot branding as well as their star rating in ads increased their conversion rate by 4.3%. That’s one of the reasons the team now likes to make sure Trustpilot is always used in their marketing. 

The company uses Trustpilot reviews and ratings across everything they promote through marketing campaigns – this includes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. They always feature the Trustpilot brand mark and their 5-star rating, whilst sometimes promoting customer reviews which stand out. These will often be featured in videos as well as static images, as seen below.

Protect Line review highlights

Protect Line also feature Trustpilot in all of their email campaigns, usually opting to use the provided widget so that the number of reviews is always up-to-date and relevant.

Protect Line’s email signature

“One of the quirky and fun ways we’re using Trustpilot is by using a custom-built internal API to display reviews in real-time with animated GIFs on the information TV screens we have across our offices. Sadly this is yet to go live properly due to the COVID-19 lockdown, but it’s just one thing we have lined up for when our people are back in the office.”

## The benefits of using Trustpilot

“One of the biggest advantages we see from using Trustpilot is that customers mention it to us when we’re speaking with them and it definitely provides our business credibility and a significant trust increase due to the brand power that Trustpilot has,” explains Lewis.

“We can also see first-hand the word-of-mouth influence that Trustpilot has on our brand – when customers mention our business to their friends or colleagues and suggest they also look into life insurance, one of the deciding factors other than their friend’s recommendation is that we’re so highly rated on the platform. This extra credibility has definitely had a measurable impact on how well our refer a friend campaigns perform.”

Protect Line have also found that responding to Trustpilot reviews is an amazing way to turn negative experiences into positive ones, and to really learn from their customers’ feedback. 
“We’re really pleased with how Trustpilot provides us another way to interact with our customers, and we see the platform being an integral part of our business for the foreseeable future,” explains Lewis.

Trustpilot likes to help businesses overcome any challenges they might encounter. One of the biggest challenges that Protect Line face as a business is getting their customers to answer their phones. As a life insurance broker, the entire process is largely done over the phone due to the in-depth questions they are required to ask to make sure that cover is suitable and correct for every customer’s needs. Once people answer the phone, they are far more likely to get through their funnel. 

“Like many businesses that rely on phone calls, the first stage of the funnel can often be tough. Trustpilot helps us here, too. We use automated SMS and email campaigns to reach out to customers who have enquired but have so far not answered the phone – we include a link here to our [Reviews page](https://www.protectline.co.uk/about-us/reviews/) where Trustpilot is featured prominently,” explains Lewis.


Protect Line homepage reviews

Just from including the URL in their SMS’s, Protect Line have seen contact increase by 2.6%, which is a great start. Today, they continue to A/B test and refine their messaging whilst monitoring performance.

If you’d like to find out more about reviews and how you can achieve better marketing results using social proof, just like Protect Line have, request a free Trustpilot demo below.

Protect Line show us how to boost CTR and conversions with social proof

Hermes logo

Hermes case study Trustpilot

In this case study, we speak to Gemma Dunning, Head of Customer Experience at Hermes, to better understand why the business chose Trustpilot to build consumer trust, and how the team leverage online reviews as part of their marketing strategy.

Hermes provides a range of flexible and affordable delivery options and has a mission to be the UK’s carrier of choice.

Within the UK, Hermes operates a network of over 15,000 couriers and over 4,500 ParcelShops. This multi-channel approach offers a convenient and hassle-free delivery experience and ensures that  more than 95 per cent of their parcels are delivered the first time around.

Hermes also works with a wide range of leading retailers.  With over [1.3 million reviews](https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.myhermes.co.uk), a fantastic 4.3/5 TrustScore, and over 83% of reviews rated ‘Excellent’ or ‘Great’, it’s safe to say that Hermes take its customers’ satisfaction very seriously.

In this case study, we speak to Gemma Dunning, Head of Customer Experience at Hermes, to better understand why the business chose Trustpilot to build consumer trust, and how the team leverage online reviews as part of their marketing strategy.

## Why Hermes joined Trustpilot

“We chose Trustpilot as a review partner back in 2014. We wanted to grow our brand reputation and enhance our review strategy to hear more from customers, and get a better understanding of the service we’re providing. It also gives us the opportunity to show our potential customers the quality service our brand provides alongside third-party validation,” says Gemma.

“As we change and modify our review strategy, Trustpilot has been there to support our goals and momentum towards being proactive with our customers and showing more of our customers’ voice across our channels to let them tell our story.”

## How Hermes uses customer feedback to improve and innovate

This year has been quite a milestone year for Hermes. It reported a record-breaking year in parcel delivery, heightened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as their key workers continued to deliver to homes across the country. They also exceeded volumes that they’d only previously seen during the peak Christmas season, and executed their five-year growth plan in just five
months, whilst continuing to learn from every single review they received in that period of time.

Since  joining Trustpilot in 2014, Hermes has collected a whopping 1.2 million reviews. Hermes implemented a wider scoping proactive strategy for Trustpilot in 2018, which contributed to the rise in reviews. 

To better understand their audience’s needs and wants, Hermes produces a weekly summarised report of their customers’ feedback, which is shared across the business – including its department leaders and members of its Customer Experience committee.

“Our Trustpilot ratings and reviews are an important metric of our customer service for the board and heads of departments, and it’s a great indication for our business and helps employees understand the bigger picture around customer satisfaction across the industry. A lot of our departments leverage the customer insights we collect. Everyone in the business is interested in
the performance of our reviews. The insights are always utilised in a way that provides guidance and direction for our department leaders,” says Gemma.

Hermes uses [Trustpilot’s Review Insights tool](https://uk.business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/introducing-trustpilots-new-machine-learning-tool-review-insights) to extract trends and positive and negative sentiments from their reviews. This also helps them get an overview of their response rate, performance, and TrustScore.

Gemma explains: 

“Every week, we focus on a different key topic and highlight our customers’ stories and experiences around this. This lets us dive deeper into specific areas to understand what’s working well and what we need to improve. It provides us with actionable insights so we can start investigating areas we need to focus on.”

Using the Review Insights tool, Hermes can identify patterns which allow the team to delve deeper into the experiences raised by  customers. Based on previous feedback, Hermes has now placed a number of resolutions across the customer journey, including making updates to the contact page.  The team are continuously working to improve  service and go the extra mile for
their customers. Since implementing these changes, Hermes has observed an improvement in customer sentiment.

Other Hermes teams also like to use customer feedback to assist in their projects:

“Our tech team has also benefited greatly from the customer feedback we’ve received regarding our Hermes App. As we’re able to pull out specific insights regarding the app, we’ve identified new aspects of the UX we haven’t uncovered before, and it gives us a great understanding of
what our customers are thinking and feeling. Our app recently won an 'App of the Year' award, and for the submission of that award we used
our Trustpilot reviews to show how appreciated and useful the app is to our users.”

## How Hermes showcases customer feedback

Hermes is proud to showcase its Trustpilot rating and reviews across their marketing channels, including all of its social media platforms, digital ad campaigns, and client-facing materials.

Hermes Trustpilot reviews example

The business actually found that ad campaigns which included Trustpilot content resulted in lower average CPCs and brought their average CPA down significantly.

Hermes also uses Trustpilot’s Image Generator tool to create organic posts on social media and showcase some customer reviews.

Hermes Trustpilot Image Generator

Hermes Trustpilot Image Generator 2

But that’s not all. Hermes is also developing its strategy to incorporate Trustpilot ratings and reviews across other marketing channels, such as TV, in order to share the message more broadly.

Hermes also likes to celebrate special Trustpilot achievements, like its 1 million review milestone, or improvements in TrustScore, by sharing them on social media.


Hermes social media Trustpilot

## The final word…

“We aim to be an open, transparent and a responsible business seeking feedback across the customer journey, including via invitations to all our customers, as we’re keen to promote our partnership with Trustpilot as a trusted, well-respected platform,” explains Gemma.

“With the use of TrustBoxes across our website pages, we showcase that we’re a leader in consumer parcel delivery. We know that the “Excellent” badge is a great thing to be able to share, to not only earn the trust of our customers, but also to encourage customers to continue sharing their honest opinions because we take that very seriously.

Showcasing our reviews across our customer journey is also a way for us to direct customers and potential customers to our Trustpilot business profile page, so they can read all of our reviews, and use it as the official channel to share their own thoughts.”

If you’re interested in collecting actionable consumer insights, and building trust at every stage of the customer journey, just like Hermes has, why not request a free Trustpilot demo? It’s quick and easy, just click the link below.

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