Now one of the most recognised sights on the web, TrustPilot was the brainchild of Danish entrepreneur Peter Mühlmann, who founded the online review service in 2007 after seeing his parents shop with fear during their first forays into the world of internet shopping.
By 2013, Peter’s company had opened its international offices in New York and London, and today, the highly regarded service employs over 500 people who vet, monitor and approve over 500,000 unique reviews each and every month.
Mühlmann’s concept was a timely one, honing in on the fact that everyone has an opinion about absolutely everything these days – and that they have an overwhelming desire to share it the world.
The days of wandering into a store and making a purchase after seeing a TV or billboard advert had gone, and with so many reviews, videos, and messageboard opinions to tap into, online shoppers now had the power to thoroughly research the things they were interested in buying before parting with the cash
The challenge was to make these reviews more easily accessible, and ensure the companies hosting them weren’t able to manipulate them in any way…
Sites including TripAdvisor and Amazon were renown for being plagued by fake, strange, and negative reviews, whilst famous companies the world over had also been criticised for censoring negative comments on their sites. The project needed to address these concerns, and provide reviews that could truly be trusted.
As an aggregate service, TrustPilot combats these concerns by providing a genuine and ethical review platform, that ensures transparency and impartiality from real members of the public with authentic accounts – making it one of the most trusted sources of feedback out there.
It’s because of this that TrustPilot has been embraced by businesses and the online community alike, and with over 25,000 companies to look after, including household names such as the Royal Mail, Superdry, Travelex and Virgin Pure, it’s no wonder the brand has built up such kudos.
This includes ourselves here at Boxed Up, having just surpassed our first full year with the TrustPilot widget built into their site. As of January 2017, we have received a respectable 113 unique reviews and an impressive TrustScore of 9.6 stars.
The reviews take pride of place the home page of our website, and Kate Hulley, the company’s CEO can’t get enough of them.
Speaking about the first years’ worth of reviews, Kate commented, “Installing TrustPilot is one of the most satisfying improvements we’ve made to our website.
“From a customer point-of-view, it takes away all that nervousness and apprehension from making a first-time purchase – especially if your business is making a significant investment. The TrustPilot logo carries real authority, and giving our customers the ability to click-through to see real people making genuine comments is a priceless way of promoting what we’re all about.”
TrustPilot is good for business too, both in terms of sales and morale. According to research, customer reviews are 12 times more trusted than manufacturer descriptions – which results in an 18% increase in sales on average, something that Kate is particularly pleased about.
“Seeing such positive feedback is like a good old fashioned pat on the back, so I’m absolutely delighted that the hard work and dedication of our team is being recognised. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority, and when it results in an uptake in sales too, it’s a win-win for all concerned. For us, TrustPilot offers great value, and with public opinion becoming increasingly important, we hope the fabulous feedback is a trend that continues.”
