Fuelling trust in Aotearoa: Kora Fuel improved its credibility and application completion rate by 35% with Trustpilot

Friday 2 February 2024

As a disruptor and entrant into the fuel card industry, Kora Fuel needed a way to build credibility among its competitors, as trust is a vital commodity in a small country like New Zealand.

Providing safe journeys with trust

Kora Fuel Cards, a fuel card company based in Aotearoa, New Zealand, offers New Zealanders an easier way to buy petrol or diesel. In New Zealand, fuel cards are payment cards specifically designed for purchasing fuel at petrol stations and truck stops. What sets Kora apart from other fuel card providers, is that they offer various benefits to businesses and individuals alike, making them a popular choice for managing fuel expenses.

Kora Fuel works with major fuel brands (Waitomo and Mobil) and is one of New Zealand’s newest entrants into the fuel card industry.

“Trust,” says Liza Cox-Hancy, CEO of Kora Fuel, “is so important in a small country like New Zealand. Especially when you are in the business of offering a finance product.”

Kora Fuel needed to align with a partner to gain credibility and instil trust in businesses and consumers alike. Recommended by their digital agency at the time, Kora partnered with Trustpilot.

Besides maintaining an excellent 4.6 TrustScore rating, once Kora Fuel added Trustpilot widgets to their online fuel card application form, the completion rate increased by 30 – 35%, and they experienced a 15.6% increase in review invitation conversion.

“We see Trustpilot as an integral part of our future, as we value the reviews and the credibility they help build. We also like to ensure that we can add a Trustpilot widget or star rating to some of our bespoke marketing activity. At the end of the day, it’s all about promoting confidence in our brand and being legitimate.”

Establishing trust through comfort

The Kora Fuel team recognised the power of online reviews in fostering customer trust and driving business growth. Their implementation of Trustpilot yielded impressive results, demonstrating the platform's effectiveness in boosting brand perception and influencing customer behavior.

Customer reassurance was paramount for Kora Fuel. They strategically placed Trustpilot widgets throughout the application journey, allowing potential customers to access existing reviews and feel confident in their decisions easily. This transparency increased application completion rates by 30-35%, highlighting the effectiveness of social proof in driving action.

Kora Fuel went beyond simply placing Trustpilot widgets. They seamlessly integrated the platform with their email system, triggering automated review requests at key stages during the application process and after account creation. This ensured timely outreach and a natural flow within the customer journey. Additionally, tagging invitations to customer accounts facilitated efficient follow-up if needed.

Kora Fuel extended its review strategy beyond the initial application. They send review invitations after account approval and card delivery, ensuring ongoing feedback and solidifying positive customer experiences. Additionally, utilising Trustpilot widgets on their website, landing pages, and even the online application form provided consistent visibility and accessibility for reviews.

Kora Fuel's meticulous approach to review generation translated into tangible results. Their automated invitation conversion rate of 15.6% speaks volumes about the effectiveness of their strategy, and the significant increase in application completion underlines the influence of positive reviews on customer confidence and brand trust.

“Sometimes people apply for a deal without understanding what they are applying for - this is a huge challenge for us as it results in a high churn the month after someone has applied. Trustpilot reviews often discuss topics pertinent to our product - it almost creates an additional FAQ source for our customers to read.”

Fuelling understanding and reducing churn with customer experience

The team at Kora Fuel noticed that some customers were applying for Kora Fuel cards without understanding the full extent of their subscription, eventually leading to a high churn rate.

Using Trustpilot reviews prolifically and as user-generated content (UGC) on their website meant that customers had access to customer discussion topics relating to the product - which created an additional FAQ source for Kora Fuel.

Overall, the partnership between Trustpilot and the innovative minds at Kora Fuel has yielded exactly what they were looking for: trust. Their TrustScore currently stands at 4.6, an excellent rating.

“We see Trustpilot as an integral part of our future as we place a lot of value on the reviews and the credibility they help to build. We also like to ensure that we can add a Trustpilot widget or star rating to some of our bespoke marketing activity. At the end of the day, It’s all about promoting confidence in our brand and being legitimate,” concluded Liza.

Kora Fuel leveraged Trustpilot’s brand authority to build credibility in New Zealand, a small market where authentic peer validation is essential. Are you keen to demo Trustpilot yourself? Request your demo today.