Although it is imperative that retailers have a consistent marketing strategy that extends across all channels, more consumers are relying on peer feedback, ratings and reviews to make their buying decisions.
The Pearl Source, an online retailer specializing in pearl jewelry, struggled to provide customers with an outlet where they could share their thoughts and opinions about products and their overall brand experiences. The company partnered with Trustpilot to develop a dedicated location for customers to share reviews. Within 30 days of implementing the solution, The Pearl Source witnessed a 38% increase in click-through rates and a 5% decrease in cart abandonment.
“Companies can try to fill up the web site with as much content and information as possible,” explained Emma Schrage, Marketing Director at The Pearl Source, in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “But at the end of the day, there will still be customers that require a certain amount of trust before they can finally make a purchase — especially with high-value purchases like jewelry.”
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Trustpilot is a community-driven review platform where consumers can share their unique experiences with different brands and retailers. All reviews that are published on Trustpilot are then syndicated on retailers’ web sites and product pages.
Schrage explained that providing consumers with an area where they can see credible feedback only enhances the shopping experience. “With Trustpilot, we are already proving to potential customers that we are legitimate before they even land on our web site.”
An active community of consumers flock to Trustpilot to share their experiences, opinions and insights with others. Schrage noted that the reviews that are automatically published on the Trustpilot web site do not span over a prolonged period of time; the platform refreshes with the latest reviews shortly after they are created.
The platform not only gives retailers additional exposure to potential customers, but also provides shoppers with an outlet to view merchandise before they even click through to an e-Commerce site. The platform automatically updates widgets placed on the company’s web site in order to reduce the retailer’s need to manually interact with customer reviews.
“Trustpilot doesn’t require any activity on our end,” Schrage noted. “The platform accurately updates the reviews not only on our homepage and the Trustpilot site, but throughout the entire web site so customers have the information they need prior to purchase.”
