The impact of reviews in UK advertising: how much do they help and does the reviews website make a difference?

We all know that showing your star rating and reviews can have a big impact on how much potential customers trust your brand. But how much of an impact do they have on the effectiveness of your ad campaigns? And how much of an impact does Trustpilot have, compared to other customer review sites?

We commissioned independent research firm London Research to survey 1,000 UK consumers and show them a collection of ads to see which ones they responded to the most. Below are some of the most interesting takeaways from their findings. 

For UK consumers, there is only one transparent platform that the majority of consumers are familiar with 

When asked which platforms they were aware of, none of our competitors came close to our levels of brand awareness in the UK. And when consumers aren’t aware of your brand at all, it’s hard for them to know if a platform has transparent reviews or is a transparent platform.

Using a review platform that consumers are familiar with gives them a little more trust in your business and your commitment to having transparent reviews. 

There are many factors that impact a consumer’s decision to purchase

Search engines, reviews, ratings, and TV advertising all can have an influence on a consumer’s purchasing behavior. And different channels will influence different consumers. 

Every business only has so many resources. But the more of these channels you’re able to utilize, the more chances you have at influencing the customers you’re looking to convert. 

In the UK, your ROI is significantly more effective with some customer review sites than others 

With the kind of brand recognition we have in the UK, it’s no surprise that your ROI on ads is going to be higher with Trustpilot. UK consumer awareness for Trustpilot stands at 92%. This compares to 39% for Feefo, 17% for Reviews.io, and 6% for Yotpo. Social proof isn’t just about seeing a star rating, it’s about seeing a brand you know you can trust. 

And the results make choosing between customer review sites a no-brainer. Even small improvements in the effectiveness of your advertisements can have a major impact on ROI for that campaign and your bottom line as a whole. When compared with reviews website Feefo, we’re two and a half times as effective as their equivalent ad. And when compared with Yotpo or Reviews.io we’re three and a half times as effective. 

Want to see the rest of the findings?