The Value of Customer Ratings and Reviews in Advertising in the US

Questo studio di London Research riporta i vantaggi dell'utilizzo delle valutazioni e delle recensioni di Trustpilot nella pubblicità, per creare fiducia e aumentare la propensione all'acquisto.

Questo [studio di London Research](https://londonresearch.com/) riporta i vantaggi dell'utilizzo delle valutazioni e delle recensioni di Trustpilot nella pubblicità, per creare fiducia e aumentare la propensione all'acquisto.

La ricerca affronta inoltre la misura in cui tipi specifici di contenuti di Trustpilot nelle pubblicità online, inclusi il logo e le stelle di Trustpilot, il TrustScore, il volume delle recensioni e l'impatto della testimonianza autentica di un cliente, influenzano i consumatori europei.

Per testare il valore delle valutazioni e delle recensioni di Trustpilot negli annunci pubblicitari, agli intervistati è stata mostrata una serie di pubblicità digitali per un nuovo contratto di telefonia mobile e gli è stato chiesto su quali annunci avrebbero cliccato con più o meno probabilità per effettuare l'acquisto.

### La ricerca in sintesi

Anatomy of a co branded ad - CEU

Anatomy of a co branded ad CEU

- Il 61% dei consumatori residenti nell'UE concorda sul fatto che un buon punteggio su Trustpilot li rende più propensi a fidarsi di un brand.

- Il 62% degli intervistati concorda sul fatto che un buon punteggio su Trustpilot aumenta la probabilità che acquistino da un brand.

- Una pubblicità online con il logo e le stelle di Trustpilot è il 36% più convincente per i consumatori residenti nell'UE rispetto alla stessa pubblicità ma senza questi elementi.

- La probabilità che i consumatori clicchino su un annuncio pubblicitario in co-branding con Trustpilot, che mostra una valutazione del cliente a cinque stelle, il TrustScore, oltre 3000 recensioni e che cita la recensione di un cliente sono più del doppio, rispetto a un annuncio pubblicitario senza alcun contenuto Trustpilot.

- Un annuncio pubblicitario con cinque stelle di Trustpilot, con un TrustScore di 4,8 punti e che mostra oltre 500 recensioni, risulta il 92% più convincente rispetto a un annuncio pubblicitario privo del brand Trustpilot.

- Un annuncio pubblicitario con cinque stelle di Trustpilot, con un TrustScore di 4,8, che mostra oltre 3000 recensioni, risulta il 22% più convincente rispetto allo stesso annuncio pubblicitario mostrante il solo TrustScore.

- Un annuncio pubblicitario con cinque stelle Trustpilot, con oltre 3000 recensioni ha un rendimento migliore del 9% rispetto a un annuncio pubblicitario con oltre 500 recensioni.

- Un annuncio pubblicitario con cinque stelle che mostra un TrustScore elevato con oltre 3000 recensioni e che cita la recensione di un cliente ha un rendimento migliore del 59% rispetto a un annuncio pubblicitario privo di componenti Trustpilot, anche quando il prezzo è più alto del 20% (12€ rispetto a 10€).

## L'importanza delle valutazioni e delle recensioni nel percorso d'acquisto del consumatore

I consumatori hanno ragione nell'essere cauti nel riporre la loro fiducia nei brand quando acquistano prodotti e servizi online. Secondo un rapporto della Commissione europea del 2020, oltre la metà (56%) dei cittadini dell'UE è stata vittima di frodi e truffe nei due anni precedenti; una perdita pari a circa 24 miliardi di euro. In particolare in ambito e-commerce, il 23% è stato vittima di una truffa legata agli acquisti online con costi regolarmente sostenuti fino a 500 euro. Ciò significa che i consumatori sono più che mai desiderosi di accertare l'affidabilità delle aziende da cui acquistano e di spendere in maniera avveduta i propri soldi. Allo stesso tempo, i consumatori stanno diventando più esperti nell'identificare recensioni false utilizzate da brand meno conosciuti che tentano di rafforzare la propria credibilità.

La nostra ricerca mostra che le recensioni e le valutazioni in stelle autentiche dei clienti si sono ora saldamente affermate come fonte di informazioni preferita per la maggior parte degli acquirenti. Il 52% dei consumatori residenti nell'UE afferma di essere "spesso" o "molto spesso" influenzato dalle recensioni dei clienti durante il percorso di acquisto. Una percentuale simile (53%) vale per le valutazioni in stelle (Figura 1).

Ciò non sorprende Kyle Rao, Presidente e CEO di Secure Medical. In qualità di azienda dietro eDrugStore.com, Secure Medical è pienamente consapevole che i consumatori hanno bisogno di vedere che altre persone come loro hanno già utilizzato un servizio e lo hanno valutato positivamente.

Kyle Rao quote

President and CEO, Secure Medical

Figure 1 - CEU

Figure 1

Valutazioni e recensioni svolgono un ruolo importante nell'influenzare le decisioni di acquisto in un'ampia gamma di categorie, dall'elettronica ai viaggi, dagli immobili al noleggio auto. Per ogni settore mostrato nella figura 2, la stragrande maggioranza dei consumatori intervistati ha dichiarato di considerare valutazioni e recensioni come almeno "abbastanza utili".

Figure 2 - CEU

Figure 2

Gli inserzionisti dovrebbero sforzarsi di capire come i diversi touchpoint e canali lavorano insieme per creare fiducia e avere un impatto positivo sul processo decisionale durante il percorso di acquisto.

Oltre alle valutazioni e alle recensioni dei clienti, altri touchpoint frequentemente visitati come motori di ricerca, siti di e-commerce e social media (Figura 1) rappresentano fattori in grado di influenzare una decisione di acquisto. Data la loro utilità e popolarità, i marketer dovrebbero pensare a come poter sfruttare le valutazioni e recensioni su altri canali, inclusa la pubblicità online e offline, nonché attraverso le proprie risorse digitali e campagne email.

SuretyBonds.com is a good example of a financial services brand showcasing star ratings and customer reviews.

Example SuretyBonds

### Vantaggi dei contenuti di Trustpilot attraverso il funnel di conversione

Figure 3 - CEU

Figure 3

La fiducia generata dall'aggiunta di stelle e punteggi su Trustpilot alla pubblicità digitale non solo è positiva per l'immagine del brand, ma è anche fondamentale per incrementare le vendite. Il 62% dei consumatori residenti nell'UE concorda che un buon punteggio su Trustpilot li rende più propensi ad acquistare da un brand, incluso il 20% che concorda pienamente (_Figura 3_). La propensione ad acquistare qualcosa da un'azienda è strettamente legata al livello di fiducia in quel brand. Una percentuale quasi identica di consumatori (61%) concorda sul fatto che un buon punteggio su Trustpilot li rende più propensi a fidarsi di un brand (_Figura 4_).

Figure 4 - CEU

Figure 4

I brand lo notano durante tutto il percorso di acquisto del cliente. Per il fornitore di energia verde Octopus Energy Germany, l'inclusione della valutazione in stelle rappresenta un'opportunità per creare fiducia e allo stesso tempo rafforzare la consapevolezza dei consumatori nei confronti dell'azienda all'inizio del funnel di conversione.

Quote Melanie Schiller

Head of Brand Communication, Octopus Energy Germany

Il brand di moda Bamigo è in procinto di incorporare il logo di Trustpilot, le valutazioni in stelle e le recensioni dei clienti in tutte le pagine dei loro prodotti perché, come rivela il Marketing Manager dell'azienda Freek Rijken, si stanno dimostrando molto efficaci non solo sulla consapevolezza dei consumatori, ma anche alla fine del loro funnel di acquisto. Egli ritiene che ciò avvenga perché tali contenuti trasmettono ai clienti potenziali quanto i clienti già esistenti siano soddisfatti della qualità dei prodotti e dei servizi offerti dall'azienda.

Quote Freek Rijken

Marketing Manager, Bamigo

## L'impatto di Trustpilot

### 1. Il logo con la valutazione in stelle

Abbiamo riscontrato che i consumatori affermano di essere più propensi a fidarsi e ad acquistare da un brand con una valutazione alta su Trustpilot. Uno dei principali obiettivi della nostra ricerca era quello di comprendere l'impatto dei diversi elementi di contenuto di Trustpilot sui consumatori, ovvero il logo e le stelle, il TrustScore (massimo cinque stelle), il numero di recensioni e una citazione tratta dall'effettiva recensione di un cliente.

Come parte della nostra ricerca appositamente sviluppata, ai consumatori è stata mostrata una serie di pubblicità digitali per un nuovo contratto di telefonia mobile ed è stato chiesto loro di indicare su quali annunci pubblicitari sarebbero stati più o meno propensi a cliccare per effettuare l'acquisto.

Trustpilot star rating ads - CEU

Trustpilot star rating ads

La ricerca ha appurato che una pubblicità online con il logo e le stelle di Trustpilot è il 36% più convincente rispetto allo stesso annuncio pubblicitario senza questi elementi.

La ricerca ha anche rilevato che, durante la propria esperienza d'acquisto, i consumatori hanno più del doppio delle probabilità di cliccare su un annuncio pubblicitario in co-branding con Trustpilot con una valutazione dei clienti a cinque stelle, un TrustScore elevato, oltre 3000 recensioni e la testimonianza di un cliente (rispetto a annuncio pubblicitario base senza il brand Trustpilot).

Oltre a cercare di comprendere l'impatto complessivo della suite completa di contenuti di Trustpilot nonché del logo e delle stelle, volevamo inoltre esplorare l'impatto relativo dei diversi componenti del contenuto, ovvero la recensione del cliente, diversi valori di TrustScore e il numero delle recensioni.

Quote 2 Kyle Rao

### 2. Recensione del cliente

I consumatori hanno il 58% di probabilità in più di cliccare su un annuncio pubblicitario in co-branding con Trustpilot quando contiene un'autentica recensione del cliente.

Micael Saillen, CEO e cofondatore del fornitore di energia Tate, ha quantificato che i tassi di click-through degli annunci pubblicitari digitali tipicamente aumentano del 10-20% se si aggiunge una recensione del cliente.

"_È risaputo che le aziende, nelle pubblicità, tendono a mettere in evidenza il loro lato migliore, ma quando un'azienda riporta ciò che le persone dicono di essa, è un chiaro gesto di trasparenza nei confronti del consumatore_", afferma Saillen.

Example reviews in ads - CEU

Example customer reviews in ads

Quote Micael Saillen

CEO and Co-Founder, Tate

### 3. TrustScore

I consumatori residenti nell'UE hanno il 26% di probabilità in più di cliccare su un annuncio pubblicitario comparabile a un annuncio pubblicitario in co-branding con Trustpilot quando specifica l'elevato TrustScore alla base della valutazione a cinque stelle. L'annuncio pubblicitario con un punteggio di 4,8 ha un rendimento migliore del 26% rispetto all'annuncio con un punteggio di 4,2.

Example ad trustscore - CEU

Example ad trustscore

### 4. Numero di recensioni

Secondo la nostra ricerca, un annuncio pubblicitario con cinque stelle di Trustpilot, con un punteggio di 4,8 e che mostra più di 500 recensioni risulta il 92% più accattivante rispetto a un annuncio pubblicitario senza il brand Trustpilot.

example ads with number of reviews - CEU

Example ads with number of reviews

Mike Henderson ricopre il ruolo di Chief Marketing Officer presso SuretyBonds.com, azienda con un TrustScore di 4,9. Egli riconosce che l'aggiunta del numero di recensioni di Trustpilot alla pubblicità digitale dell'azienda ha generato un miglioramento del 20% nei tassi medi di click-through.

Quote Mike Henderson

CMO, SuretyBonds.com

La nostra ricerca sui consumatori mostra anche che un annuncio pubblicitario con cinque stelle di Trustpilot e con oltre 3000 recensioni ha un rendimento migliore del 9% rispetto a un annuncio con oltre 500 recensioni.

Ecco cosa ha affermato Dan Cristo, Director of SEO Innovation presso l'agenzia di performance marketing Catalyst: "_Uno dei nostri clienti nel settore dell'ospitalità ha una media di 2000 recensioni su ogni immobile. Si tratta di esperienze reali di clienti che le condividono volontariamente con altri semplicemente perché desiderano raccontare la propria esperienza. Tale desiderio di condividere disinteressatamente esperienze per aiutare gli altri membri di una comunità è un elemento fondamentale della socializzazione tra esseri umani_".

Quote Dan Cristo

Director of SEO Innovation, Catalyst

### 5. Impatto sul prezzo più alto

La ricerca ha inoltre evidenziato che un annuncio pubblicitario di Trustpilot a cinque stelle, con TrustScore, con oltre 3000 recensioni e la testimonianza di un cliente ha un rendimento migliore del 59% rispetto all'annuncio pubblicitario senza alcun contenuto Trustpilot, anche quando il prezzo è più alto del 20%.

Example ads with higher price - CEU

Example ads with higher price

Includere tutti i possibili elementi di una valutazione di Trustpilot (inclusi logo, stelle, punteggio, numero di recensioni e una citazione del cliente) è risultato sicuramente vantaggioso per PensionBee, azienda operante nel settore tecnofinanziario. Jasper Martens, Chief Marketing Officer presso PensionBee, ha rivelato che l'azienda sta incorporando tutti gli elementi nella sua pubblicità digitale e attribuisce loro un aumento del 15% in termini di tasso di click-through.

"_Per noi il logo di Trustpilot e il nostro punteggio TrustScore fungono da incentivo che spinge i consumatori a conoscere meglio la nostra azienda_", afferma Martens. "_Il numero di recensioni è fondamentale per convincere le persone che la nostra azienda fornisce un servizio di qualità e il fatto che siano oltre 5.000 ad affermarlo, costituisce una conferma agli occhi dei consumatori. In definitiva, è la voce del consumatore a fare la differenza pertanto crediamo che le recensioni dei clienti siano essenziali_".

Quote Jasper Martens

CMO, PensionBee

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### Autori

**Linus Gregoriadis**

Direttore di London Research

Linus è un esperto analista di marketing digitale e autore in ambito finanziario che ha cofondato London Research nel 2017 come consociata di Digital Doughnut, la più grande community mondiale di marketer e professionisti nel settore digitale, e di Demand Exchange, una piattaforma avanzata di lead generation B2B. Ha trascorso oltre un decennio a costruire ed espandere la divisione di ricerca presso Econsultancy, una società di ricerca e formazione digitale attualmente proprietà di Centaur Media. Dopo aver lasciato Econsultancy, dove ha supervisionato la produzione di centinaia di report sulle tendenze basati su sondaggi, guide all'acquisto e guide alle migliori pratiche, ha fondato ClickZ Intelligence per la società di media B2B Contentive.

**Sean Hargrave**

Giornalista e autore di report finanziari

Sean Hargrave è un giornalista e autore di report finanziari che si occupa di media, pubblicità e marketing. Scrive regolarmente per Digital Doughnut e per la sua consociata London Research. Inoltre scrive regolarmente per The Guardian, The Telegraph e Wired su questioni finanziarie e tecnologiche.

**Desideriamo ringraziare le seguenti persone, per aver contribuito alla stesura di questo report:**

●Kyle Rao, Presidente e CEO presso [eDrugstore.com](https://www.edrugstore.com/) / Secure Medical

●Melanie Schiller, Head of Brand Communication presso [Octopus Energy Germany](https://www.octopusenergy.de/)

●Freek Rijken, Marketing Manager presso [Bamigo](https://bamigo.com/)

●Micael Saillen, CEO e cofondatore di [Tate](https://tate.it/)

●Mike Henderson, CMO di [SuretyBonds.com](https://www.suretybonds.com/)

●Dan Cristo, Director of SEO Innovation presso [Catalyst](https://www.catalystdigital.com/)

●Jasper Martens, CMO di [PensionBee](https://www.pensionbee.com/)

### A proposito di London Research

Fondata dall'ex direttore della ricerca di Econsultancy, Linus Gregoriadis, London Research focalizza la sua attività sulla produzione di contenuti basati sulla ricerca per una clientela B2B. La nostra sede è a Londra, ma il nostro approccio e le nostre prospettive sono decisamente internazionali. Lavoriamo principalmente, ma non esclusivamente, con fornitori e agenzie nel campo delle tecnologie di marketing (martech) interessati a dati e risultati di ricerche affidabili per le loro campagne pubblicitarie.

Come parte di Communitize Ltd, lavoriamo a stretto contatto con le nostre consociate Digital Doughnut (una community globale composta da oltre 1,5 milioni di esperti di marketing) e Demand Exchange (una piattaforma di lead generation). Tale cooperazione ci consente di condurre ricerche congiunte e generare lead di qualità elevata.

[Scopri di più su London Research](https://www.londonresearch.com/).

### Metodologia

London Research è stata incaricata da Trustpilot di condurre a settembre 2021 un sondaggio su 3.000 consumatori europei residenti in Germania, Italia e Paesi Bassi. Il sondaggio includeva domande sulle fonti di informazione e sui punti di contatto utilizzati durante il processo di acquisto, oltre a domande specifiche su Trustpilot. Poco più della metà (51%) degli intervistati residenti nell'UE ha dichiarato di essere a conoscenza delle valutazioni e delle recensioni dei clienti su Trustpilot.

Per quantificare le preferenze dei consumatori è stata utilizzata una tecnica di ricerca basata su sondaggi chiamata MaxDiff, in base alla quale sono state mostrate ai partecipanti al sondaggio molteplici combinazioni di una serie di dieci diverse pubblicità, tutte aventi a oggetto un'azienda fittizia chiamata Connect. Agli intervistati è stato chiesto su quali annunci pubblicitari online per un nuovo contratto di telefonia mobile sarebbero più o meno propensi a cliccare per effettuare l'acquisto. La stessa ricerca è stata condotta nel Regno Unito e negli Stati Uniti e sono stati intervistati un totale di 5.000 consumatori, 1.000 per ciascuno dei cinque Paesi in cui è stata condotta l'indagine.

Il valore delle valutazioni e delle recensioni dei clienti nella pubblicità

Truspilot 5 trends that will define the future of fashion

Trustpilot 5 trends that will define the future of fashion

London Research e Trustpilot hanno condotto una ricerca a livello internazionale, secondo cui non solo i consumatori sono più cauti nello spendere quest'anno, ma sanno anche che è importante acquistare da brand e rivenditori di moda etica e sostenibile.

I consumatori stanno cambiando la loro mentalità e il loro comportamento nell'acquisto di capi di abbigliamento, e gli effetti di tali cambiamenti sono destinati a lasciare un segno per i brand e i rivenditori di moda.  

I lockdown nazionali e locali causati dalla pandemia da coronavirus hanno accelerato un cambiamento di mentalità tra gli shopper, portandoli ad essere più attenti gli uni verso gli altri e verso l'ambiente. Le community si sono riunite per combattere un nemico comune e hanno fatto il punto sui valori per loro importanti, che adesso vogliono vedere riflessi nei brand da cui acquistano.

__In che modo le politiche sull'ambiente, le condizioni di lavoro e le questioni sociali influenzano i consumatori di oggi?__

L'ultimo sondaggio di Trustpilot condotto a livello internazionale in collaborazione con [London Research](https://www.londonresearch.com/) ha dimostrato che non solo gli amanti della moda sono più cauti nello spendere quest'anno, ma sono anche estremamente consapevoli della necessità di acquistare articoli da marchi di moda e rivenditori con forti pratiche etiche e di sostenibilità.

Per i brand e i negozianti che operano nel settore del fashion, si tratta dunque di un'opportunità per raggiungere tutti quei consumatori interessati ad acquistare da aziende che si prendono cura dei lavoratori all'interno della loro filiera produttiva, oltre che dell'ambiente.

Ecco perché i brand dovrebbero tenere conto di ciò che i consumatori si aspettano da loro in termini di etica e sostenibilità, così come è emerso da questa ricerca.

### **Cinque tendenze chiave che definiranno il futuro dei brand del fashion**

**1. Quattro clienti su cinque vengono influenzati dalle scelte etiche**

Le taglie e la vestibilità non sono gli unici aspetti da prendere in considerazione. I brand e i negozi di moda devono prendere coscienza del fatto che la tutela dei lavoratori lungo l'intera filiera e il rispetto dell'ambiente sono ormai parte integrante delle decisioni di acquisto di un cliente.

Più di quattro consumatori su cinque (esattamente l'82%) hanno dichiarato che smetterebbero sicuramente (il 31%) o probabilmente (il 51%) di acquistare da un brand che si è rivelato essere privo di standard etici.

**2. I consumatori sono prudenti nello spendere i propri soldi**

La recessione innescata dalla pandemia globale sta modificando le abitudini di consumo nel campo della moda. Poco meno di tre quarti dei consumatori (ossia il 72%) spendono di meno o la stessa cifra rispetto a prima della pandemia.

L'abbigliamento casual e per il tempo libero è la categoria con la più alta percentuale di consumatori che hanno aumentato la spesa (21%), e questo anche in considerazione del fatto che, in diversi settori, i lavoratori hanno cominciato a lavorare da casa. Questa percentuale risulta addirittura quasi il doppio, se paragonata a quella di chi acquista abbigliamento formale o articoli di lusso.

**3. Gli amanti della moda si fidano delle recensioni e si fidano gli uni degli altri**

I consumatori sono alla ricerca di brand e negozi di moda con solide strategie etiche e di sostenibilità.

Per capire quali marchi soddisfano questi criteri, attingono notizie da molte fonti, ma è soprattutto gli uni degli altri che si fidano maggiormente - l'89% dei consumatori ha espresso infatti un livello di fiducia alto o medio nel passaparola e l'85% nelle valutazioni e nelle recensioni.

La fiducia riposta nel passaparola e nelle recensioni è da due a tre volte superiore rispetto ad altre fonti quali riviste, pubblicità e i siti web dei brand stessi. La fonte di informazioni di cui ci si fida di meno sono le celebrità influencer. La gente infatti tende a fidarsi delle recensioni tre volte di più di quanto non si fidi di un personaggio famoso che pubblicizza un prodotto di moda sui social media.

**4. I consumatori sono attenti ai principi etici dei brand e agiscono di conseguenza**

Secondo quanto emerso dalla ricerca, i brand non dovrebbero rimandare oltre, ma prendere immediatamente posizione sulle questioni etiche, dal momento che i consumatori stanno già agendo secondo le proprie convinzioni e la propria morale. Più della metà (il 54%) di essi afferma che l'attenzione dei brand verso le condizioni di lavoro e le politiche di sostenibilità, hanno giocato un ruolo fondamentale nello spingerli ad acquistare (o a non acquistare) articoli di moda.

Quasi altrettanti consumatori (il 41%) sono stati influenzati dall'attenzione dei retailer alle politiche sulla diversità e l'inclusione, mentre il 33% si è lasciato influenzare dal fatto che un marchio fingesse di essere etico, mentre in realtà non portava avanti alcuna azione veramente efficace ("slacktivism").

I consumatori si fidano del passaparola e delle opinioni dei clienti rispettivamente tre e due volte di più rispetto alle informazioni diffuse dai media. I brand più attenti dovrebbero perciò cogliere l'importanza di comunicare al loro pubblico in che modo le loro strategie etiche e ambientali soddisfano le aspettative degli shopper di oggi. In questo modo, la loro sensibilità a tali tematiche trasparirebbe dal dialogo che si verrebbe a instaurare con i loro clienti all'interno delle recensioni.

**5. I brand possono trarre spunto dal desiderio di etica e di sostenibilità dei consumatori**

I clienti hanno rivelato quello che vogliono vedere dai brand e dai rivenditori di moda. Per il 46% di essi, l'impegno a favore di buone pratiche di lavoro lungo tutta la filiera produttiva e dell'utilizzo di imballaggi ecologici rivestono la medesima massima priorità, seguite da un servizio di riciclaggio, che ha ricevuto il 41% delle preferenze.

Vuoi saperne di più? Continua a leggere!

## **Introduzione – Per i consumatori più avveduti, i valori contano di più di qualsiasi sconto**

I consumatori stanno cambiando la loro mentalità e il loro comportamento nell'acquisto di capi di abbigliamento, e gli effetti di tali cambiamenti sono destinati a lasciare un segno per i brand e i rivenditori di moda.

I lockdown nazionali e locali causati dalla pandemia da coronavirus hanno accelerato un cambiamento di mentalità tra gli shopper, portandoli ad essere più attenti gli uni verso gli altri e verso l'ambiente. Le community si sono riunite per combattere un nemico comune e hanno fatto il punto sui valori per loro importanti, che adesso vogliono vedere riflessi nei brand da cui acquistano.

Ciò ha spinto London Research, in collaborazione con Trustpilot, a chiedere agli appassionati di moda di Regno Unito, Stati Uniti, Francia, Paesi Bassi, Italia e Svezia di indicare l'importanza che i valori del brand rivestono in relazione a temi quali la sostenibilità, le condizioni di lavoro e la diversità. Su quali principi ci si aspetta che le case di moda e i loro rivenditori si basino?

Inoltre, come fanno a sapere se sono veramente impegnate a favore delle cause che dicono di sostenere e a chi si affidano i consumatori raccogliere le necessarie informazioni e farsi un'idea più precisa?

### **Prima la sostenibilità e poi gli sconti**

[La ricerca di McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/survey-consumer-sentiment-on-sustainability-in-fashion) ha già dimostrato che il lockdown ha costretto i consumatori del settore moda a rivedere le loro priorità. Molto più che offerte, promozioni e sconti, gli shopper desiderano che i brand tutelino l'ambiente e il benessere dei loro dipendenti e dei lavoratori lungo tutta la filiera.

Questo indica un significativo cambiamento nelle priorità dei consumatori, secondo la giornalista di moda Olivia Pinnock. La scrittrice ha creato una serie di eventi, chiamati [The Fashion Debates](http://www.thefashiondebates.com/) (Dibattiti sulla moda), attraverso i quali il settore può riunirsi per discutere su come risanare la cattiva reputazione di avere da sempre avuto una scarsa attenzione verso le condizioni di lavoro e la sostenibilità.

"Dopo gli scandali degli anni '80 e '90, la questione sembrava essere stata spazzata via sotto il tappeto" — dice.

"Ora, però, siamo di fronte a una generazione che è consapevole del fatto che comprare una maglietta per 5 sterline non può essere considerato etico, quando ci sono così tante persone nella filiera di produzione da pagare". Ci sono anche molti dirigenti che spingono per un vero cambiamento, perché sono rimasti scioccati dai precedenti di questo settore e non vogliono più esserne complici".

Pinnock ritiene che la spinta al cambiamento sia reale e che si basi sull'evoluzione della mentalità dei consumatori. Ci sono però due grandi sfide. "I tagli del fast fashion sui diritti dei lavoratori e sull'ambiente ci hanno abituati tutti all'abbigliamento a buon mercato" — spiega.

"Hanno alterato la nostra percezione dei costi. E poi c'è la questione della disponibilità. La stragrande maggioranza dei vestiti, al di fuori di una pandemia, viene acquistata nei negozi e sono solo le grandi catene che offrono prezzi altamente competitivi, a potersi permettere di aprire filiali in ogni città".

### **I consumatori spendono... ma con cautela**

Non sorprende che, nel bel mezzo della pandemia globale da coronavirus, la maggior parte degli intervistati non spenda di più in moda. Al contrario, tende a spendere come prima o addirittura a risparmiare.

In media, il 28% dei rispondenti al sondaggio ha affermato di spendere di più. Il 25% ha dichiarato di spendere esattamente quanto prima della pandemia, mentre quasi la metà (il 47%) ha rivelato di aver fatto dei tagli (Figura 1).

Figure 1: How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted your overall monthly spending on fashion and clothing products?

Come mostrato nella Figura 2, la categoria che si distingue per l'aumento della spesa è quella dell'abbigliamento casual e per il tempo libero (21% dei consumatori), quasi il doppio della percentuale degli intervistati che spende di più per l'abbigliamento di lusso (11%) e decisamente di più della percentuale di consumatori che ha incrementato la propria spesa per l'abbigliamento elegante (13%).

In tutti i mercati internazionali presi in esame, coloro che sono stati sottoposti a misure di isolamento e di distanziamento sociale hanno chiaramente dato priorità all'abbigliamento comodo per uso domestico, rispetto alla spesa per l'abbigliamento formale per l'ufficio o ai costosi articoli di lusso per le serate in grande stile.

Figure 2: How has the Covid-19 crisis impacted the amount you’ve spent on the following types of fashion and clothing products?

- I consumatori negli Stati Uniti tendono a spendere di più per l'abbigliamento casual (28%), le calzature (20%), l'abbigliamento elegante (20%) e i prodotti di lusso (15%) rispetto a quelli degli altri Paesi presi in esame.
- Il Regno Unito, che si prepara a registrare la peggiore recessione economica di sempre, è in testa alla classifica degli acquirenti più cauti. Poco più di un quinto di essi (il 22%) rivela di aver tagliato la spesa per la moda di oltre la metà.

### **Più prudenti... o semplicemente più coscienziosi?**

Che i consumatori siano più cauti quando si tratta di spese che riguardano la moda, è un dato ormai chiaro. Il fatto che si tratti di una decisione di natura economica o di una scelta ambientalista si capirà meglio quando la situazione si sarà stabilizzata e la recessione globale causata dalla pandemia si sarà attenuata.

La riduzione dei consumi è ciò che Olivia Pinnock definisce "l'elefante nella stanza". Oltre a cercare le etichette del commercio equo e solidale e a esigere l'impegno da parte dei brand a rispettare gli standard etici e ambientali, ritiene che i consumatori moderni si renderanno presto conto di dover acquistare meno vestiti.

Si tratta di un messaggio a cui ha fatto eco Laurel Wolfe, VP of Marketing presso la piattaforma di pagamento differito [Klarna](https://www.klarna.com/it/).

"La pandemia ci ha fatto riflettere attentamente su come, dove e perché fare acquisti - che si tratti di acquisti online oppure in negozio o con marchi locali più piccoli", ha affermato.

"Per noi, questo ha significato aiutare le persone a essere consumatori responsabili e a fare in modo che comprino oggetti che useranno e apprezzeranno veramente". Abbiamo condotto delle campagne, in particolare con degli influencer, rifacendoci ai consigli sulla gestione del capitale che offriamo sul nostro sito e invitando i consumatori a 'porsi tre domande', prima di acquistare un determinato prodotto: È veramente ciò che voglio? Lo userò? Ne vale la pena?"

Il messaggio sottolinea come il mercato, nell'essere più attento a come vengono trattati i lavoratori della filiera produttiva e a mitigare l'impatto dell'industria sull'ambiente, si stia evolvendo per ritornare a ciò che era prima dell'avvento del 'fast fashion'.

## **I consumatori si fidano gli uni degli altri e delle recensioni, non delle celebrità e delle riviste**

La gente è indubbiamente più cauta nel fare acquisti, data la grande incertezza che grava sull'economia globale. Con i budget ridotti, i consumatori cercano di essere sicuri che gli articoli che acquistano siano adatti a loro. Ma questo non riguarda più l'aspetto, le dimensioni e il prezzo.

Come dimostrato dalla nostra indagine, i clienti sono attratti da brand che condividono i loro stessi valori etici e sono gentili con i loro lavoratori e con il pianeta. Con l'etica, la sostenibilità e l'ambientalismo che giocano un ruolo importante nelle decisioni d'acquisto, a chi si possono affidare i consumatori per ottenere consigli su cosa comprare?

Qui, la ricerca fornisce una risposta che non lascia spazio a dubbi. I consumatori si fidano gli uni degli altri. Il passaparola di amici e parenti è la fonte più accreditata tra gli shopper, con il 44% che ne che ne attribuisce un livello di fiducia "alto". Seguono le valutazioni e le recensioni dei consumatori (36%) (Figura 3).

Figure 3: How would you describe your level of trust in the following sources of information when you are researching fashion products and retailers?

In totale, l'89% dei consumatori attribuisce un alto o medio livello di fiducia al passaparola, mentre l'85%, invece, lo attribuisce alle valutazioni e alle recensioni.

Queste due tipologie sono due o tre volte più affidabili di altre fonti di informazioni di alto profilo sulla moda, come riviste, pubblicità e social media.

La moda è un settore pieno di noti stilisti, modelle e celebrità che vengono seguiti ogni giorno per quello che indossano. Ciononostante, un elemento chiave emerso dalla ricerca è che le celebrità influencer sono poco attendibili come fonte di informazione secondo quasi due consumatori su tre (63%).

La ricerca non potrebbe essere più chiara. I consumatori vogliono prendere le giuste decisioni in materia di moda, di vestibilità, di prezzo e di look, ma anche di sostenibilità ed etica. Quando si tratta di prendere tali decisioni, si fidano molto di più dei consigli o dei giudizi degli altri piuttosto che dei social media e della pubblicità, dove i brand pagano cifre esorbitanti per farsi notare.

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- Gli Stati Uniti e l'Italia si distinguono per essere i mercati in cui le recensioni godono di maggior fiducia (43% dei consumatori).
- Quasi la metà dei consumatori di Svezia e Paesi Bassi (rispettivamente il 49% e il 48%) dichiara di fidarsi maggiormente del passaparola.

## **La fedeltà del cliente dipende dall'etica**

Tutti hanno bisogno di vestiti ed è ragionevole affermare che la forza trainante nelle decisioni di acquisto dipenderà dall'abbinamento dei capi con il senso dello stile e del budget delle persone. Tuttavia, all'immagine e al prezzo si aggiunge sempre più spesso un nuovo criterio. I clienti vogliono essere certi che un'azienda condivida i loro stessi valori.

Molti di noi desiderano avere la consapevolezza che un business sia gestito in modo etico e che faccia del suo meglio per garantire che le persone che vi lavorano all'interno siano trattate con rispetto e pagate in modo adeguato, senza perdere di vista l'attenzione alla sostenibilità.

Uno dei principali risultati di questa ricerca è che più di quattro clienti su cinque (l'82%) smetterebbero "sicuramente" (il 31%) o "probabilmente" (il 51%) di acquistare da un determinato marchio che si è rivelato essere privo di standard etici (Figura 4).

Figure 4: Would you stop buying from a brand or fashion retailer you knew to be lacking ethical standards?

Questo risultato dovrebbe servire da monito per i brand che non hanno ancora messo l'etica al centro della loro strategia aziendale. Mentre quasi un terzo interromperebbe decisamente la propria attività se venissero scoperte pratiche non etiche all'interno dell'azienda o, più in generale, della filiera produttiva, metà del mercato prenderebbe in considerazione questa eventualità.

Questa non è solo una situazione ipotetica. Per qualsiasi brand di moda che si stia chiedendo quando il mercato si evolverà fino al punto in cui la cattiva pubblicità sulla propria etica gli farà perdere clienti, la risposta è che ciò sta già accadendo.

Più della metà dei consumatori (il 54%) afferma infatti che l'attenzione alle condizioni di lavoro e le politiche di sostenibilità dei brand hanno influenzato la scelta di acquistarne (o di non acquistarne) gli articoli in vendita (Figura 5). Quasi altrettanti consumatori (il 41%) sono stati influenzati dall'attenzione alle politiche sulla diversità e l'inclusione dei rivenditori di moda, mentre il 33% si è fatto influenzare dal fatto che un marchio fingesse di essere etico, mentre in realtà non portava avanti alcuna azione veramente efficace ("slacktivism").

Figure 5: Has positive or negative coverage relating to any of the following issues impacted where you buy (or don’t buy) fashion and clothing items from?

Sophie Slater, che ha co-fondato l'azienda di moda etica femminile online [Birdsong](https://birdsong.london/), non è sorpresa dei risultati. I lavoratori dell'azienda di Londra sono pagati secondo il London Living Wage, per produrre capi di abbigliamento in cotone biologico confezionati da un ente di beneficenza che sostiene gli adulti con difficoltà di apprendimento. Proteggere il personale dal Covid-19 ha significato chiudere la produzione, potendo comunque contare sul fatto che i clienti avrebbero accettato dei ritardi nelle consegne, perché la moda etica non è il fast fashion.

"Abbiamo visto le aziende del settore della moda parlare di sostenibilità negli ultimi anni, ma nel corso dell'ultimo anno si è sicuramente assistito a un aumento delle persone che tengono la questione etica in forte considerazione", dice.

"La gente ha visto in che modo brand molto noti trattano i lavoratori nelle fabbriche di Leicester (nel Regno Unito)... per questo il fast fashion ha ricevuto molta cattiva pubblicità. Noi ci affidiamo alla buona stampa e ai social media per far arrivare il nostro messaggio a tutti coloro che hanno a cuore l'inclusione sociale e il trattamento etico dei lavoratori; ecco perché pagheranno un po' di più per i vestiti confezionati da persone che vengono retribuite secondo il London Living Wage."

- I consumatori italiani sono senza dubbio i primi quando si tratta di prendere decisioni d'acquisto basate sulla copertura mediatica dei brand. Più di 3 su 4, infatti, sono stati influenzati da storie circa l'etica dei brand (il 79%) e le condizioni lavorative che questi offrono (il 77%). Ciò, con ogni probabilità, è dovuto al fatto che l'Italia è il primo produttore di abbigliamento in Europa, per cui l'impatto ambientale e le condizioni lavorative sono fattori che toccano più da vicino gli acquirenti italiani.

## **Fiducia - conquistare la metà "moderatamente fiduciosa" dimostrando attenzione per i lavoratori e per la natura**

La buona notizia per il settore in generale è che più di un quarto dei consumatori (il 28%) esprime un livello di fiducia "molto" (il 9%) o "abbastanza" (il 19%) elevato nei confronti dei brand di moda e dei rivenditori per quanto riguarda i loro standard etici (Figura 6).

La cattiva notizia è che questo dato viene annullato dal fatto che un quarto dei consumatori del settore (il 26%) dichiara di avere un livello di fiducia "molto" (7%) o "abbastanza" (19%) basso nei confronti degli stessi brand e rivenditori. Questo lascia quasi la metà dei consumatori (il 46%) in disparte, con un livello moderato di fiducia nel settore.

Figure 6: How would you describe your level of trust in fashion brands and retailers in terms of their ethical standards?

Con un quarto del mercato che si fida del settore e un quarto che invece non lo fa, la vera sfida è chiaramente quella di conquistare i cuori e le menti della restante metà, che mantiene una posizione abbastanza neutrale.

Dato che quattro intervistati su cinque hanno anche rivelato di essere pronti a boicottare un marchio che tratta i lavoratori o l'ambiente con negligenza, l'obiettivo dovrebbe essere quello di convincere i consumatori moderatamente fiduciosi, che un determinato brand si impegna veramente a trattare con rispetto i propri lavoratori e il pianeta.

Il brand di moda ecosostenibile [SANVT](https://sanvt.com/) (che in tedesco significa "gentile con la natura") sta sperimentando nuovi modi per accrescere la fiducia del suo pubblico. L'Head of marketing e co-fondatore dell'azienda, Benjamin Heyd, rivela che l'azienda si dedica a lavorare con fornitori che utilizzano cotone biologico e non impiegano sostanze chimiche tossiche nel processo di tintura. Per sottolineare questo aspetto, hanno adottato un approccio insolito per quanto riguarda la trasparenza e le promozioni.

"Manteniamo basso il nostro impatto ambientale e alti i nostri standard etici utilizzando una fabbrica nell'UE, in Portogallo", afferma.

"Offriamo un tour virtuale della fabbrica, per dare alla gente la possibilità di vedere con i propri occhi gli elevati standard a cui ci atteniamo. Inoltre, non offriamo promozioni mirate ad aumentare le vendite, ma solo la possibilità di piantare più alberi all'interno del nostro programma di compensazione delle emissioni di anidride carbonica, ogni volta che le persone acquistano gli articoli pubblicizzati. Non credo che siamo ancora arrivati al punto in cui la sostenibilità sia l'aspetto più determinante nella scelta di un brand, rispetto al design e alla vestibilità dei capi di abbigliamento che questo produce. Tuttavia, si tratta di una prospettiva destinata a diventare realtà nel lungo periodo, e i brand dovranno presto essere in grado di dimostrare ai consumatori di essere eco-friendly ed etici".

- La Svezia e i Paesi Bassi si distinguono per essere i mercati con la più bassa considerazione dei marchi di moda e dei loro rivenditori. In ciascun mercato, solo il 4% dei consumatori si fida molto di loro. Segue la Francia, in cui a malapena il 5% dei consumatori esprime un livello di fiducia alto.
- Gli Stati Uniti hanno il maggiore livello di fiducia "molto alta" nei brand e nei rivenditori di moda (il 14%), seguito da un livello di fiducia "abbastanza alta" del 20%.
- Nel complesso, l'Italia è la nazione che ha maggiore fiducia, con più di un terzo dei consumatori (il 39%) che ha livelli di fiducia "molto" (8%) o "abbastanza" (31%) elevati.

## **I consumatori hanno bisogno di marchi di moda etica e sostenibile**

È evidente che i consumatori del settore moda di oggi cominciano a cercare qualcosa di più di semplici oggetti che si adattino al loro stile. Si tengono alla larga da brand scoperti ad agire in modo non etico e non sostenibile. Inoltre, si aspettano che i brand abbraccino la diversità e si dimostrino inclusivi.

Quindi, cosa significa ciò in termini pratici? Quali sono le strategie, gli impegni e i servizi che i consumatori di oggi si augurano di vedere di più in futuro da parte dei marchi di moda e dei negozianti? Potendo indicare tre aspetti in grado di provare che un'azienda porta avanti azioni concrete e non fa soltanto chiacchiere, che cosa scelgono?

In cima alla classifica, per quasi la metà degli intervistati, troviamo pari merito l'impegno a garantire buone condizioni di lavoro lungo tutta la filiera produttiva e il packaging ecosostenibile (entrambi al 46%). Segue il servizio di riciclaggio al terzo posto (41%), mentre al quarto e al quinto si posizionano gli abiti realizzati con materiali riciclati (38%) e le iniziative volte a ridurre le emissioni di anidride carbonica (36%)(Figura 7).

Methodology note: Respondents could select up to three options.

Figure 7: What three things would you like to see more of in the future from fashion brands and retailers?

Per il marchio di abbigliamento maschile [The Savile Row Company](https://savilerowco.com/), non è una grande sorpresa che l'imballaggio ecologico sia in cima alla lista, insieme all'etica.

La Marketing Director, Lee-Anne Harris, rivela che l'azienda ha sostituito i sacchetti di plastica con sacchetti biodegradabili fatti con la fecola delle patate, e ha rimpiazzato le tradizionali clip di plastica che tengono fermi i colletti e le spalline delle camicie con dei fermagli realizzati in carta.

"I dati che stiamo ricevendo dalle nostre recensioni su Trustpilot mostrano che i clienti stanno reagendo bene al fatto che gli ordini arrivano in imballaggi di carta riciclabile e in una busta biodegradabile", afferma.

"Non abbiamo preventivamente chiesto ai clienti cosa ne pensassero di questa iniziativa; per noi è stata una scelta naturale, perché è così che intendiamo il futuro, ed eravamo abbastanza sicuri che anche i nostri clienti la pensassero allo stesso modo. Bisognerebbe chiedersi piuttosto: perché no? È il minimo che si possa fare".

The Savile Row Company has replaced plastic packaging (left) with a recyclable paper bag (right).

Al di là delle recensioni positive, la Harris conferma che l'imballaggio riciclabile è una caratteristica che i clienti apprezzano, ma che non richiedono ancora come standard. Tuttavia, ritiene che sia solo una questione di tempo prima che i clienti "pretendano dalle aziende di moda di rendere conto dell'enorme quantità di rifiuti in plastica che producono". Per questo è importante essere preparati per tempo.

- I consumatori americani sono molto più avanti rispetto a quelli europei per quanto riguarda i valori che vogliono rivedere nei marchi e nei rivenditori di moda che non sono stati inseriti nella lista dei principali cinque qui sopra. Tra questi vi sono la collaborazione con enti di beneficenza (35%), l'offerta di gamme di prodotti inclusivi (27%), la garanzia del rispetto della diversità nella pubblicità (26%) e la presa di posizione sulle questioni sociali (24%).
- Questi numeri sono molto probabilmente il risultato della profonda riflessione che gli americani stanno portando avanti recentemente, nell'anno in cui il movimento Black Lives Matter (BLM) ha guadagnato un'enorme forza trainante sia a livello nazionale che globale. Il sostegno ai brand che prendono posizione su questioni sociali quali il BLM, è più del doppio negli Stati Uniti rispetto a tutti gli altri Paesi presi in esame, ad eccezione dell'Italia.

## **Come i brand possono abbracciare l'etica e la sostenibilità**

Conoscono la loro taglia, conoscono il loro stile e cominciano ad avere un'idea abbastanza chiara di cosa si aspettano dai marchi e dai retailer di moda. Ma quali sono gli indicatori che i consumatori cercano per scoprire se un marchio condivide i propri valori nel trattare le persone e l'ambiente dignitosamente e con cura?

La sfida per le aziende consiste nel fatto che non c'è un unico elemento distintivo che i consumatori cercano. Al contrario, ci sono quattro fattori chiave di fiducia che sono attivamente ricercati da poco più della metà (il 58% e il 59%) dei consumatori del settore moda (Figura 8).

Per gli intervistati, i valori e le politiche trasparenti, i badge e le certificazioni del commercio equo e solidale, le valutazioni e le recensioni sul sito e quelle esterne al sito rivestono mediamente tutti la stessa importanza.

Figure 8: Do you look for any of the following to give you confidence that you are buying from an ethically responsible fashion brand or retailer?

Per il rivenditore online di moda di lusso [FARFETCH](https://www.farfetch.com/) si tratta di aspetti particolarmente importanti. Il suo Director of Sustainable Business, Thomas Berry, spiega che il brand non solo aiuta i clienti a fare acquisti più etici e sostenibili, ma offre anche programmi di rivendita per estendere la vita degli articoli.

"Come parte di Positively FARFETCH, abbiamo un'ampia collezione di articoli Conscious che i clienti possono acquistare, utilizzando sia i filtri, sia le nostre modifiche personalizzate, per assicurarsi di ottenere articoli che soddisfino buoni standard di sostenibilità e di certificazioni indipendenti", dice.

"Abbiamo anche due offerte di servizi che aiutano i nostri clienti a prolungare la vita dei capi e degli articoli inutilizzati. FARFETCH Second Life è un servizio di rivendita, attraverso il quale i clienti presentano un prodotto vecchio e ottengono un preventivo sul suo valore; successivamente organizziamo il ritiro e, una volta verificato l'articolo, il prezzo quotato viene aggiunto come credito al loro conto FARFETCH.

"Facciamo lo stesso con il nostro servizio FARFETCH Donate, attraverso il quale i clienti hanno la possibilità di riempire una borsa con qualsiasi articolo di moda che non desiderano più; gli articoli vengono poi venduti e parte dei proventi devoluti in favore degli enti di beneficenza scelti dai clienti stessi, mentre a loro viene riconosciuto il valore di un terzo del ricavato, sotto forma di credito FARFETCH. In entrambi i casi qualcun altro può godersi gli articoli rivenduti, mentre a tutti viene data la possibilità di fare la propria parte nell'aiutare l'ambiente, riducendo il consumo complessivo di articoli nuovi di fabbrica".

La prova che i clienti adesso vogliono fare acquisti più etici e sostenibili, secondo Berry, risiede nel fatto che le vendite della gamma Conscious stanno crescendo a una velocità significativamente maggiore rispetto al resto delle transazioni che hanno luogo sul sito. Inoltre, in tutto il settore, prevede che le vendite di abiti nuovi cresceranno al massimo del 3%, mentre quelle degli abiti usati aumenteranno tra il 15% e il 30%.

## **In conclusione**

Probabilmente, gli elementi dominanti nel mondo della moda saranno sempre il look, il feeling, il design e il prezzo di un articolo. È però sempre più diffusa la consapevolezza di dover fare una cernita tra i brand e i rivenditori di questo settore, sulla base di ciò che fanno (o non fanno) in materia di sostenibilità e di etica.

Questa 'nuova' tendenza in realtà c'è sempre stata, anche se non è mai venuta fuori in maniera così evidente; la pandemia globale sembra però aver spinto i consumatori a fare un bilancio di ciò che è veramente importante e a valorizzare quei marchi che si dimostrano sensibili nei confronti dei lavoratori e dell'ambiente.

Una ricerca coordinata dall'Università di Cardiff ha rilevato, per esempio, che la percentuale di inglesi che ritengono urgente affrontare il cambiamento climatico è passata dal 62% al 74% tra l'agosto 2019 e l'agosto 2020. Inoltre, quasi la metà della popolazione del Regno Unito (il 47%) ha promesso di volare meno di prima, una volta che le restrizioni saranno abolite. Negli Stati Uniti, le notizie riportate dai media hanno messo in evidenza come l'inquinamento dell'aria sia diminuito del 30%, in conseguenza del fatto che molti hanno smesso di guidare ogni giorno per raggiungere il proprio posto di lavoro.

Questi temi dovrebbero riscuotere un certo interesse tra i brand e i rivenditori di moda, dato che quattro consumatori su cinque si sono dichiarati disposti a non acquistare i prodotti di un marchio che manca di valori etici e di sostenibilità. Inoltre, la metà dei consumatori ha già rivelato di essersi tenuta alla larga da aziende del settore moda che hanno ricevuto dai media una cattiva pubblicità a causa della loro negligenza nei confronti dei loro lavoratori e del pianeta.

**I consumatori si sono espressi chiaramente. Ciò che vogliono sono brand che:**

- trattano i lavoratori in modo equo lungo tutta la loro filiera produttiva
- producono abiti senza danneggiare l'ambiente
- usano imballaggi riciclabili
- offrono programmi di riciclo mirati a estendere la vita dei capi di abbigliamento
- si impegnano in iniziative mirate alla riduzione delle emissioni di anidride carbonica
- operano secondo valori aziendali trasparenti

Questi sono i punti d'azione che i brand di moda e i retailer devono adottare per conquistare non solo quella metà del mercato che attualmente si fida solo in parte delle aziende di questo settore, ma anche quel quarto di consumatori che invece non si fida affatto di loro.

Quando si tratta di fiducia, devono tenere presente che gli shopper di moda si fidano molto dei consigli e delle recensioni online, due o tre volte in più rispetto agli articoli di riviste patinate, ai social media e alla pubblicità. Mentre, per quanto riguarda le celebrità, queste sono la fonte di informazioni meno affidabile a disposizione dei fashion marketer.

Il messaggio non può essere più chiaro. I consumatori vogliono vedere una moda sostenibile ed etica, e si affidano al passaparola e alle recensioni su quei brand che esprimono questi valori, non ai media e sicuramente non a ciò che le celebrità influencer sono pagate per dire.

### **Metodologia**

London Research è stata incaricata da Trustpilot nel settembre 2020 di condurre interviste su 2.800 consumatori rappresentativi a livello nazionale del Regno Unito (n=1.000), degli Stati Uniti (n=1.000), della Francia (n=200), dei Paesi Bassi (n=200), dell'Italia (n=200) e della Svezia (n=200).

La ricerca è stata condotta utilizzando un gruppo di indagine su Toluna. Per la realizzazione di questo report, London Research ha anche realizzato una serie di interviste.

### **Ringraziamenti**

London Research e Trustpilot desiderano ringraziare le seguenti persone per il loro aiuto nella stesura di questo report:

- Thomas Berry, Global Director of Sustainable Business, FARFETCH
- Lee-Anne Harris, Marketing Director, The Savile Row Company
- Benjamin Heyd, Head of Marketing e co-fondatore, SANVT
- Olivia Pinnock, giornalista di moda e creatrice di The Fashion Debates
- Sophie Slater, co-fondatrice, Birdsong
- Laurel Wolfe, VP of Marketing, Klarna.

Perché i brand di moda etica e sostenibile hanno il futuro assicurato

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Risultati di uno studio indipendente sul ruolo delle recensioni dei consumatori nel mercato italiano

Con le vendite online di prodotti e servizi schizzate alle stelle durante la pandemia, conoscere l’importanza che le recensioni sono arrivate ad assumere per i consumatori, in particolare quelli italiani, risulta più che mai essenziale per assicurare un futuro al proprio business.

Una recente indagine condotta da __YouGov__, l’autorevole società internazionale di ricerche di mercato, ha fornito interessanti spunti su come le recensioni influenzano le decisioni di acquisto dei consumatori italiani, consentendo a __Trustpilot__ di realizzare questo nuovo report.

- Con quale frequenza i cosumatori leggono le recensioni prima di acquistare un prodotto o un servizio?
- Quali sono i fattori che i consumatori tengono maggiormente in considerazione quando vogliono acquistare un prodotto online?
- Che cosa conquista la fiducia di un cliente: un'azienda che risponde pubblicamente alle recensioni negative, oppure un'azienda che non commette mai alcun errore?

Scarica subito il report per saperne di più e scopri come pianificare al meglio le tue strategie commerciali per portare il tuo business al livello successivo.

#### 

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Come i consumatori italiani utilizzano le recensioni per i loro acquisti online

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Our new report explores what approaches CMOs take in relation to brand purpose, and what consumers look for in brands. Taken together, we hope this research will help marketers better resonate with customers through their purpose driven initiatives. 

Read our report to better understand:

- How much a brand’s purpose matters to consumers today
- The top social, political and environmental stances consumers consider when making a purchase, compared to the stances CMOs adopt
- The top motivations and barriers for CMOs when adopting purpose
- Six practices for brands to follow in order to successfully use brand purpose

Brands that take a stand: Marketers who match consumers’ desire for purpose and honesty come out on top

How trust-based marketing
and insights can help brands
reconnect with customers

How trust-based marketing and insights can help brands reconnect with customers

In this report, we take a look at how trust-based marketing and insights can help brands reconnect with customers.

If you're interested in sharing this report with others, why not download the free PDF version? It's quick and easy, just click the link below.

Turning transactions into trusted relationships

This research explores the value of showcasing customer ratings and reviews in advertising, and in particular the impact of Trustpilot content in digital campaigns. Based on a survey of 1,000 US consumers and interviews with Trustpilot business customers

If you're interested in sharing this report with others, why not download the free PDF version? It's quick and easy, just click the link below. 


Alternatively, you can download the infographic, with all of our research's findings.

This [London Research study](https://londonresearch.com/) reports on the benefits of using Trustpilot ratings and reviews in advertising to build trust and increase propensity to purchase.

The research also looks at the extent to which specific types of Trustpilot content in online advertisements influence US consumers, including the Trustpilot logo and stars, TrustScore, the volume of reviews, and the impact of an authentic customer testimonial.

To test the value of Trustpilot ratings and reviews in ads, 1,000 American consumers were shown a series of digital advertisements for a new cell phone plan, and asked which ads they would be most and least likely to click in order to buy.

### Summary of the research

anatomy of a co branded ad

Anatomy of a co branded ad

- 63% of US consumers agree a good Trustpilot score makes them more likely to trust a brand.
- 61% agree a good Trustpilot score makes them more likely to buy from a brand.
- An online advertisement with the Trustpilot logo and stars is 37% more persuasive than the same ad without them.
- Consumers are two-and-a-half times more likely to click a Trustpilot co-branded ad showing a five-star customer rating, TrustScore, 3,000+ reviews, and a customer review, than an ad with no Trustpilot content.
- A Trustpilot five-star advert with a 4.8 TrustScore showing 500+ reviews is more than twice as compelling as an ad with no Trustpilot branding.
- A Trustpilot five-star advert with a 4.8 TrustScore showing 3,000+ reviews is 31% more compelling than the same ad just showing the TrustScore.
- A Trustpilot five-star advert with 3,000+ reviews performs 10% better than the one with 500+ reviews.
- A five-star ad showing a high TrustScore with 3,000+ reviews and an actual customer review performs twice as well as an ad with no Trustpilot components, even when the price is 20% higher ($48 versus $40).

## The importance of ratings and reviews in the buyer journey

Consumers are right to be cautious about putting their trust in brands when they’re looking to buy products and services online. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans have lost $588m to scams during the pandemic era alone, which makes people even more eager to ensure they’re buying from a reputable business and spending their money wisely. At the same time, consumers are becoming increasingly savvy about fake reviews used by less-known brands to bolster their credibility.

Our research shows that authentic customer reviews and star ratings are now firmly established as a go-to source of information for the majority of shoppers. Sixty-four percent of US consumers say they’re ‘often’ or ‘very often’ influenced by customer reviews during the journey to purchase, while 63% say the same for star ratings (Figure 1).

This does not surprise Kyle Rao, President and CEO of Secure Medical. As the company behind eDrugStore.com, they are fully aware that consumers need to see that people like them have used a service before, and rated it highly.

Ratings and reviews play an important role in influencing buying decisions across a wide range of categories, from electronics to travel, and property to auto rental. For every sector shown in Figure 2, at least half of consumers surveyed regard ratings and reviews as ‘useful’ or ‘very useful’.

Advertisers should strive to understand how different touchpoints and channels work together to build trust and positively impact the decision-making process during the customer journey.

After customer ratings and reviews, the next most frequently visited touchpoints in influencing a buying decision are search engines, followed by ecommerce sites and social media (Figure 1). Given their usefulness and popularity, savvy marketers should think about how they can harness ratings and reviews across other channels, including both online and offline advertising, as well as across their own digital properties and email campaigns.

### The benefits of Trustpilot content through the funnel


The trust engendered by adding Trustpilot stars and scores to digital advertising is not just good for brand image, it is also a core component in driving sales. Sixty-one percent of US consumers agree a good Trustpilot score makes them more likely to buy from a brand, including 26% who strongly agree (Figure 3). The propensity to buy something from a company is very closely linked to the level of trust in that brand. A very similar percentage of consumers (63%) agree that a good Trustpilot score makes them more likely to trust a brand (Figure 4).

Brands are seeing this throughout the customer journey. For Octopus Energy Germany, a green energy supplier, adding its star rating is a way for it to build trust while also raising awareness at the top of the funnel.

At fashion brand Bamigo, work is under way to add the Trustpilot logo, star rating and customer reviews to all its product pages because, as the company’s Marketing Manager Freek Rijken reveals, they are proving highly effective at the purchasing end of the funnel as well as the awareness stage. He believes this is because they convey to prospects how happy existing customers are with the quality of its products and service.

## The impact of Trustpilot

### 1. Logo with star rating

We have seen that consumers say they’re more likely to trust and buy from a brand with a high Trustpilot rating. A key objective of our research was to understand the impact of different Trustpilot content elements, namely the logo and stars, TrustScore (out of five), number of reviews, and an actual quote from a customer.

As part of our proprietary research, consumers were shown a series of digital advertisements for a new cell phone plan, and asked which ads they would be most and least likely to click in order to buy.

The research found that an online advertisement with the Trustpilot logo and stars is 37% more persuasive than the same ad without them.

Another finding from the research was that consumers looking to buy something are two-and-a- half times more likely to click a Trustpilot co-branded ad with a five-star customer rating, high TrustScore, 3,000+ reviews, and a customer testimonial (compared with a baseline ad with no Trustpilot vs. branding).

As well as seeking to understand the overall impact of the full suite of Trustpilot content and the logo and stars on their own, we also wanted to explore the relative impact of different content components, namely the customer review, the TrustScore at different levels, and the volume of reviews.

### 2. Customer review

US consumers are 88% more likely to click through on a Trustpilot co-branded ad when it contains an authentic customer review.

Micael Saillen, CEO and Co-Founder at energy supplier Tate, has quantified adding a customer review as typically improving digital advertising clickthrough rates by 10% to 20%.

“People know brands say they are great in their adverts but when a company shows what people actually say about them, consumers know the advertiser is showing they have nothing to hide,” he says.


### 3. TrustScore

US consumers are 30% more likely to click through on a like-for-like Trustpilot co-branded ad when it specifies the high TrustScore behind the five-star rating. The ad with a 4.8 score performs 75% better than the ad with a 4.2 score.

### 4. Number of reviews

A Trustpilot five-star advert with a 4.8 score showing 500+ reviews is more than twice as compelling as an ad with no Trustpilot branding, according to our research.

Mike Henderson is Chief Marketing Officer at SuretyBonds.com, which has a 4.9 TrustScore. He credits adding the number of Trustpilot reviews on the company’s digital advertising with delivering a 20% improvement in clickthrough rates.

Our consumer research also shows that a Trustpilot five-star advert with 3,000+ reviews performs 10% better than the one with 500+ reviews.

According to Dan Cristo, Director of SEO Innovation at performance marketing agency Catalyst: “One of vs. our clients in the hospitality space has an average of 2,000 reviews on each property. These are real experiences customers volunteered to share with others simply because they wanted to tell their story. This desire to share experiences with others as a way to ‘pay it forward’ and help others in the community is a core part of how humans socialize.”

### 5. Impact on higher price

The research also found that a Trustpilot ad with five stars, TrustScore, 3,000+ reviews and a customer testimonial performs twice as well as the ad with no Trustpilot content, even when the price is 20% higher.

Adding all the possible elements of a Trustpilot rating — including logo, stars, score, number of reviews and a customer quote — is certainly paying dividends at fintech business PensionBee. Its Chief Marketing Officer, Jasper Martens, reveals the company puts all elements on its digital advertising which it credits with delivering a 15% rise in clickthrough rate.

“For us the Trustpilot logo and our score are a nudge to check us out,” he says. “The number of reviews is crucial in convincing people you’re providing a good service because if you have more than 5,000 people know it’s real, it’s very powerful. Ultimately, the customer voice is the main convincer, we believe, so customer reviews are essential.”

### Authors

__Linus Gregoriadis – Director, London Research__

Linus is an experienced digital marketing analyst and business writer who co-founded London Research in 2017 as a sister company to Digital Doughnut, the world’s largest community of marketers and digital professionals, and also to Demand Exchange, an advanced B2B lead generation platform. He spent more than a decade setting up and building the research function at Econsultancy, a digital research and training company now owned by Centaur Media. After leaving Econsultancy, where he oversaw the production of hundreds of survey- based trends reports, buyers’ guides and best practice guides, he launched ClickZ Intelligence for B2B media company Contentive.

__Sean Hargrave – Journalist and business report writer__

Sean Hargrave is a journalist and business report writer covering media, advertising and marketing. He regularly writes for Digital Doughnut
and sister business, London Research. He also regularly writes for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and Wired on business and tech issues.

__We'd like to thank the following people for contributing to this report:__

- Kyle Rao, President and CEO, [eDrugstore.com](https://www.edrugstore.com/) / Secure Medical
- Melanie Schiller, Head of Brand Communication, [Octopus Energy Germany](https://www.octopusenergy.de/)
- Freek Rijken, Marketing Manager, [Bamigo](https://bamigo.com/)
- Micael Saillen, CEO and Co-Founder, [Tate](https://tate.it/)
- Mike Henderson, CMO, [SuretyBonds.com](https://www.suretybonds.com/)
- Dan Cristo, Director of SEO Innovation, [Catalyst](https://www.catalystdigital.com/)
- Jasper Martens, CMO, [PensionBee](https://www.pensionbee.com/)

### About London Research

London Research, set up by former Econsultancy research director Linus Gregoriadis, is focused on producing research-based content for B2B audiences. We are based in London, but our approach and outlook are very much international. We work predominantly, but not exclusively, with marketing technology (martech) vendors and agencies seeking
to tell a compelling story based on robust research and insightful data points.

As part of Communitize Ltd, we work closely with our sister companies Digital Doughnut (a global community of more than 1.5 million marketers) and Demand Exchange (a lead generation platform), both to syndicate our research and generate high-quality leads.

[Find out more about London Research](https://www.londonresearch.com/).

### Methodology

London Research was commissioned by Trustpilot to carry out a survey of 1,000 US consumers in September 2021. The nationally- representative survey included questions about sources of information and touchpoints used during the buying process, and also questions specifically about Trustpilot. A third (33%) of respondents said they were aware of Trustpilot customer ratings and reviews.

A survey-based research technique called MaxDiff was used to quantify consumer preferences when respondents were shown different combinations from a series of 10 different advertisements. Survey respondents were asked which online ads for a new cell phone plan they would be most and least likely to click in order to buy. The Appendix shows the 10 different ads shown to consumers, and the full results for the MaxDiff analysis (with relative levels of engagement expressed as percentages). The same research was carried out in the US, UK, Netherlands, Germany and Italy (5,000 consumers in total).

The value of customer ratings and reviews in advertising in the US

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Our new report Brand integrity: the new frontier for marketing explores consumer expectations surrounding purpose-driven brands, including which social, political and environmental stances make them more or less likely to buy from or recommend a brand.

The consumer research uncovers: 

- How much a brand’s purpose matters to consumers today
- The top social, political and environmental stances consumers consider when making a purchase 
- Which factors make consumers less likely to buy from a brand
- Which information sources consumers check to find out if brands live up to their claims 


Brand integrity: the new frontier for marketing

the importance of social proof in fintech trustpilot report 2019

The challenge is not just a technological one. They need to convince customers to switch from the wellknown names they are familiar with, by soliciting, and then displaying, positive ratings and reviews.

When London Research and Trustpilot surveyed start-ups and scale-ups, the conclusion was very clear. Customer experience is seen as the most important differentiator for emerging brands, ahead of product innovation.

This is because good ratings create a virtuous circle through which delighted customers encourage new users to sign up. This makes the fintech more investable, which then funds feature improvements which encourage more customers to sign up and rate the service highly.

The survey of 143 start-ups and scale-ups found that:

- More than a third (35%) find ratings and reviews ‘critical’ for converting prospects into new customers, and a further 57% said they are ‘important’ or ‘quite important’.
- Nearly a third (31%) believe that positive reviews and social proof are critical for generating interest from investors, and a further 52% said they were important.
- Around a fifth (21%) of those surveyed have been asked by investors to provide customer centricity proof points such as ratings and reviews, and a further 43% have proactively provided this information.
- More than half (52%) advertise their customer ratings on their websites, while 46% take to social media and nearly a third (31%) use email to display ratings.
- Around two-thirds (65%) of those surveyed strongly agree that they have built their business around an understanding of what customers really need.

The key for start-ups and scale-ups is to engage with and manage the review process, to make sure the resulting rating accurately reflects customers’ opinion of the business. This doesn’t mean removing bad reviews from view, since occasional criticisms reassure users that the good reviews are genuine.

As noted above, they also provide crucial feedback for improvement. Companies should be actively soliciting reviews from their customers, and use them to their advantage by funnelling that information back into the business to improve processes, products and services. The opportunity for a five-star rating is too important to be left to chance.

## Introduction

According to [KPMG](https://home.kpmg/uk/en/home/media/press-releases/2019/02/uk-remain-leader-in-fintech-investment-but-loses-global-crown.html), fintech investment across the world doubled to $111.8 billion in 2018, with the US, China and the UK leading the way. In the UK alone, total investment in fintechs in 2018 was almost four times higher than 2017 levels ($20.7 billion versus $5.6 billion).

These record-setting levels of investment show there is a clear appetite to try new services and fund them, but it means standing out in a crowded marketplace is a major challenge.

The ultimate aim of fintech start-ups and scale-ups is to repeat the success of a company like TransferWise. It has signed up more than five million users since launching in 2011 and, through its latest round of funding, saw its [market valuation double to $3.5bn](https://www.ft.com/content/812966e4-7bb2-11e9-81d2-f785092ab560) in May 2019.

A key element of TransferWise’s strategy was to use the ratings from its customers to demonstrate to potential investors it was meeting an unfulfilled need. This report is based on research conducted for Trustpilot by London Research, which shows that this type of social proof is increasingly used by fast-growing businesses, including those in the fintech sector, to show investors that they are highly investable, as well as to gain traction among customers.

The research also shows that companies are using ratings and reviews to improve their customer experience, and innovate on their products and services.

## Section 1: Building customer trust through social proof

Every disruptive start-up or scale-up needs to leverage consumer dissatisfaction with the way things are traditionally done in their sector, and channel it into engagement with their own challenger service.

These relatively small but ambitious companies are at an obvious disadvantage compared to globally known brands with huge advertising budgets. They are also competing against all the other start-ups in their sector, some of which will be spending their VC investments launching expensive marketing campaigns.

Persuading a prospect that a new market entrant is trustworthy is a challenge, particularly in the financial services sector where customers’ savings and future financial health can be at stake. Although fintechs can point out that they operate in a highly regulated industry, many say that their most effective message is the reassurance offered by existing customers giving their service a high rating or a good review.

Such is the importance of the customer experience that it outweighs innovation in the eyes of start-ups and scale-ups. 

According to the London Research survey, almost half (46%) felt the most important differentiator for their business was the quality of the customer
experience it offered, compared to 38% for ‘product / innovation’, traditionally seen as a startup’s raison d’être. Customer experience is also seen as significantly more important than brand awareness (7%), online reputation (5%) and price (4%).

Start-ups and scale-ups need to capitalise on the quality of their customer experience for marketing purposes. The research also showed that more than a third (35%) of the companies surveyed view positive ratings as ‘critical’ for turning prospects into customers, and a further 47% regard them as ‘important’.

### Ratings are crucial for establishing trust

Smart Currency Exchange helps people transfer money between different countries and currencies. The company’s Digital Marketing Manager, Ricky Bean, is all too aware how nervous customers can be when they are asked to hand over their life savings to a third party to help them buy their dream property in the sun.

The company, like any other currency exchange in the UK, is highly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This provides reassurance for potential
users. However, Bean believes ratings are still incredibly important for its prospective customers.

“Our real differentiator is customer service and that’s what the Trustpilot ratings show,” he says.

“When we onboard somebody, we ask them to consider rating us and when we’ve made a transfer, we send them another email, from the person who helped them, asking for a rating and a review.

“Then when we talk to, or email, our next prospect, we always mention our five-star Trustpilot rating. For people to know we’re highly rated is crucial when it comes to such an emotional purchase using their life savings. It’s why we have our score front and centre on our home page.”

### Using ratings to improve customer service

Abba Newbery, CMO at mortgage broker Habito, agrees ratings and reviews are crucial. The company, which has already raised more than £27m in investment, uses ratings to reward staff for providing great customer care which, in turn, encourages better reviews to help persuade more new customers to sign up.

Habito aims to make getting a mortgage a lot simpler and quicker by matching customers with the best package and providing them with a customer care
assistant to hold their hand throughout the process. Customers can rate both the service and the assistant who helped them.

“User reviews are absolutely vital in getting new people to try your service,” Newbery says. “Broking has always been a part of financial services that relies heavily on word of mouth, and so we encourage our customers to rate us to show we make one part of buying a house a lot easier. Our customers build a close relationship with their advisers, who ask them to rate the service they receive.

“We value this Trustpilot score so highly we not only put in on our home page, but we also use it for members of staff in our employee reviews process.”

### How fintechs encourage reviews

The London Research/Trustpilot survey shows that 55% of start-ups and scale-ups actively encourage consumers to leave reviews. The most common method is by email (75%), followed by verbal requests for a rating (64%). One in three companies surveyed are also taking to social media to secure ratings from
their – hopefully – happy customers.

Once a fintech has secured some positive ratings, the next step is to ensure prospects know about them. The most common channel for displaying positive ratings is the brand’s website, used by just over half (52%) of scale-ups and start-ups. Social media channels are harnessed for this purpose by nearly half of those surveyed (46%), with email being used by one in three (31%).

## Section 2: The importance of customer ratings to investors

Ask any investor what they look for in a business asking for funding and there will be some common answers. A start-up or scale-up needs to have a great team behind it. Financiers ultimately invest in people they trust to turn a business plan into a thriving company that will offer good returns and, one day, a valuable exit route.

It must also answer a customer need. The London Research survey shows investors are now also looking for social proof to establish if a company
offers a good service which people rate highly.

Nearly a third (31%) of the start-ups and scale-ups surveyed deemed positive reviews and social proof to be ‘critical’ for generating interest from investors, and a further 52% said they were important.

### Ratings tell investors the real story

Every VC wants to find the next big thing. At techfocused VC Draper Esprit, Investment Director Vinoth Jayakumar explains that his firm, which takes a
longer-term view than many, looks for people who can break the mould. To judge how well a service is going down with consumers, he looks beyond the
metrics over which the company may have control to focus on what the public thinks.

For this, Jayakumar goes beyond the ‘organised sanity’ of Net Promoter Score (NPS) and marketing questionnaires, and delves into the live environment
of ratings.

“__Companies will show us their NPS figure, but I also always look them up on Trustpilot because it captures the essence of what it’s like for consumers using the service,__” he says. “It’s important that you know these are genuine people, who aren’t being paid in any way. They let you see the direction of travel is correct.

 “We know that a five-star rating is better than four-star but exactly how many new customers that attracts, we don’t know for sure. We invest in
companies for the long term. We know their score may change, hopefully for the better, and so we look for a rating to show that someone has built a
proposition that people want.”

Our research shows that not all investment companies are as tuned in to the importance of positive consumer sentiment as Draper Esprit. Around a fifth (21%) of start-ups and scale-ups surveyed have been asked by investors to provide customer centricity proof points such as ratings and reviews, but a further 43% have proactively quoted social proof such as ratings when dealing with investors.

Peer to peer lending company Funding Circle certainly understands the link between how investable a company is and its Trustpilot score. It has successfully helped more than 49,000 businesses access finance. It’s the job of Bernard De Barbeyrac, Head of Decision Science, to assess how suitable a
company is for investment and band them based on potential risk.

“In the first instance we take a quantitative approach to build up the risk profile of a business wishing to go onto our investment platform,” he says. “After this, the underwriting team take more of a holistic approach to assess creditworthiness. They also look at external facing proof points such as Trustpilot and customer reviews to see if there are any potential reputational problems for future investors.”

### When your users are your investors

Just as fintechs are changing the way the public
interacts with financial services, technology has also
disrupted traditional investment models by allowing
the public to crowdfund businesses they believe in.

That means some of the brightest ideas in financial services have many individual investors looking for a public-facing scorecard to gauge how well the business is doing in serving existing customers and, hence, attracting new ones.

Richard Cook, Online Community Manager at Monzo Bank, explains that a __fintech needs to look at its ratings not just for itself, but also to ensure its customers and investors are happy, because they are often the same people.__

 “We’ve now got 36,000 investors and our Trustpilot ratings and reviews are something that crops up on our forums all the time,” he says.

“People who have backed us want to talk about our latest scores and what we are doing to move them in the right direction because they understand new customers want a good reason to sign up to a challenger bank. They don’t come better than positive ratings and reviews.”

### Ratings reach an investment and marketing sweet spot

Crowdfunding also provides another huge benefit for fintech start-ups. As a growing company reaches out to the public for backing, they are also raising
awareness of their new service.

Hence, according to Roberto Napolitano, Marketing Director at Seedrs equity crowd funding platform, there is a virtuous circle developing. Platforms such as his are used by start-ups to raise awareness of their new service, attract new sign-ups, solicit positive ratings so they not only secure additional users, but also encourage members of the public to invest.

“We certainly see a lot of start-ups use the platform to help build awareness about themselves and get people to try them out so they can rate it,” he says.

 “These ratings show potential investors that a company is interested in engaging with customers and improving on what they have to say; that they’re not solely about raising revenue. __Ratings are a very powerful tool for investors to take the pulse of a potential investment to see if anything needs to be improved.__

“It’s also useful for allowing start-ups and scale-ups to see how other companies are doing, what scores they’re getting, where they’re doing well, and where they’re getting tips on how they could improve.”

## Section 3: Harnessing consumer feedback for improved CX and innovation

Start-ups and scale-ups are finding that developing a great solution to a nagging problem in financial services is a great start, but it is only a start. Moving beyond a great idea to build scale by listening to customers, and being seen to do this, are top priorities.

As can be seen in Figure 5, __two-thirds (66%) of companies strongly agree that a reputation for openness and transparency is crucial for their
brand__ and, encouragingly, a similar percentage (65%) strongly agree that they have built their business around an understanding of what customers really need.

To achieve this, they need to take control of their ratings, listen to feedback, act on it, improve their offering and then, crucially, encourage users to rate them so their scores evolve and more new customers sign up.

### The need to take control

Fintechs are going to be rated whether they have engaged with the process or not. It’s only by being proactive with review collection that you can get an
accurate picture of your customers’ views.

When Monzo’s Cook decided to explore the use of Trustpilot ratings, for example, he found that they were lower than he expected. The bank looked like it was providing an inferior service, which other evidence suggested was not the case.

“Trustpilot always came up first on a Google search for our reviews and we were shocked to see we were only a three out of five,” Cook recalls.

“We knew our customers generally thought we were doing a good job and that we were much better than a three-star rating. When we drilled down, we
were getting some bad reviews from people whose accounts we had to freeze. We’re a licensed bank and so we have to apply the law and that sometimes
means freezing accounts.

“That’s when we decided to really get to work on our ratings and we now regularly ask our members to review us, so the good reviews far outnumber the bad ones. We’re very nearly at a five-star rating and, when we are, we intend to use the stars in our advertising.”

### Listen and improve

The business side of banking shares many of the frustrations that consumers experience with traditional banking brands. Laborious form-filling and lengthy decision-making processes, combined with nontransparent fee structures, prompted Capital on Tap to launch a service that is upfront about fees and can let a company know if they qualify for a loan within two
minutes.

The business lender’s Head of Growth, Alex Miles, reveals that it is only by listening to customers that the company can take the initial discontent with the banks and turn it into repeat business from customers who are happy to spread the word about what they have found to be a better alternative.

__“We use our ratings to show prospects how popular we are with users but, crucially, we use the feedback from them to keep on improving our service,” he says.__

“We’ve made many improvements but the biggest we were getting asked about, in our Trustpilot rating reviews, was integration with accountancy packages, such as Xero. So that’s something we’ve done, and we’ve encouraged our users to try out the better service and rate us, so we create a virtuous circle of
better features leading to higher Trustpilot scores, which encourages more people to try out the service.”

### A barometer for business success

It may seem obvious that user ratings are a useful barometer for how a company is serving its clients, and that more people will sign up for a new service if existing customers have expressed their delight.

An interesting question, though, is what happens when the opposite occurs, and ratings dip? The mortgage broker, Habito, found that it could use its
Trustpilot score as a guide not just to how well it was performing, but how well other parts of the business were impacting that performance.

“We had a major marketing drive to get more people on the platform, which worked really well,” Habito’s Newbery says.

__“The problem was it probably worked too well, and we found that we had more customers than we could serve to our usual very high standard. We noticed our Trustpilot scores started to drop off a little, and so we knew we had to take immediate action and scaled down the marketing activity.__

“Our Trustpilot rating is too valuable to us in the longer term to allow it to go down and risk discouraging people to sign up and try us out.”

## Conclusion: Ratings help create unicorns

It is no secret that every fintech start-up and scaleup is trying to follow in the footsteps of the likes of TransferWise and Revolut to become the next billionpound ‘unicorn’.

This research shows that to do so, they are concentrating more on the customer experience they provide than on innovation (46% vs. 38%). Despite
the sector being crowded with emerging tech-driven companies that have a new approach to how legacy financial services are handled, providing customers with the best experience possible is the top priority.

It is clear that this is because they realise that focusing on the customer builds a virtuous circle, based on ratings and reviews. These are considered
as ‘important’ or ‘critical’ by a majority (82%) of start-ups and scale-ups. This is because praise from delighted users is fundamental in convincing
prospects to sign up. 

It helps grow the user base and provides compelling evidence that the company is answering a consumer need with a popular service that, in turn, helps it stand out as highly investable.

It comes as little surprise, then, that nearly two in three of the fintech companies surveyed revealed they had been asked to provide ratings scores or they proactively decided to include them in presentations when seeking funding.

The research shows that a great customer experience rates above innovation, brand awareness and price when it comes to winning new customers. This
means that ratings are a crucial tool in achieving fintech companies’ top-line strategy of both attracting new users and accessing the necessary investment to deliver on their vision of becoming the next unicorn.

__*Please note that this report was written in August 2019 and optimised in February 2021.*__

### Methodology

As well as conducting the interviews for this research, London Research also carried out a survey of 56 start-up and 87 scale-up businesses across all major business sectors, including fintech companies. The survey was promoted via email and social media channels by both London Research and its sister company Digital Doughnut in May 2019. The vast majority of responding companies were in the USA (43%) and the UK (35%). The breakdown by region was as follows: North America (45%), Europe (43%), Asia Pacific (5%), Other (7%).

### Acknowledgements

London Research and Trustpilot would like to thank the following people for their insights.

- Ricky Bean, Digital Marketing Manager, Smart Currency Exchange
- Richard Cook, Online Community Manager, Monzo Bank
- Vinoth Jayakumar, Investment Director, Draper Esprit
- Alex Miles, Head of Growth, Capital on Tap
- Roberto Napolitano, Marketing Director, Seedrs
- Bernard De Barbeyrac, Head of Decision Science, Funding Circle
- Abba Newbery, Chief Marketing Officer, Habito.

The importance of social proof in FinTech

Trustpilot - building trust in financial services

Trustpilot - Building trust in financial services

Companies with familiar names used to be able to rely on consumers to trust them but they now face a wave of disruption. They must work harder than ever to earn that trust.

The global financial crisis of 2008 placed a huge dent in the public’s trust of financial services providers. The brands that had lectured consumers on fiscal prudence were suddenly exposed and, in some cases, needed taxpayer bailouts.

Over that same timeframe digital technology has empowered a fintech revolution, with new brands providing innovative online and mobile services built around delighting customers rather than plodding along with legacy technology and organisational silos. Established brands have had to raise their game to keep up.

The resulting increase in choice begs the question: how do consumers know whom to trust? London Research, working in association with Trustpilot, has
produced this report based on a survey of 1,000 consumers in five different markets: the UK, the US, France, the Netherlands and Italy.

The research has found that advertising is not particularly trusted by consumers for choosing financial services providers when used in isolation. Instead, trust is primarily established through two main sources of information, the brand’s website and customer ratings. 

## 1. Whom to trust. Bankers, ad execs or consumers?

According to a London Research survey of 1,000 consumers, carried out exclusively for Trustpilot across five different countries, the deterioration in trust in financial services is still evident, even a decade on from the financial crisis. Consumers are 50% more likely to say that their level of trust in financial services providers has decreased rather than increased over the last three years (30% versus 20%, see Figure 4, appendix).

In the age of the fintech revolution, the question on all financial service providers’ lips is how can they build or repair a trusting relationship with consumers, and through which means?

Brands who look at this conundrum have two major challenges if they decide to advertise their way into the consumer’s heart. Trust in bankers, and by implication, financial services more broadly, is low and ad executives behind campaigns are the least trusted of all professions.

That is according to the [2018 Ipsos MORI Veracity Index](https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/advertising-execs-rank-below-politicians-britains-least-trusted-profession) which further warns that if brands were to switch tactics and get a PR to convince newspapers
to write good things about them, they hit another snag. Journalists are only trusted by one in four people.

Clearly, the answer to convincing the public a financial services brand is trustworthy is to rely on the ‘ordinary man or woman in the street’ who is trusted by 62% of the population, according to Ipsos.

This realisation shifts the onus for brands from paying for awareness to engendering positive ratings among consumers through providing best-in-class customer experiences. Devise an exciting proposition, execute it brilliantly to delight customers and they will tell peers what a great service they enjoy — both through word of mouth and its digital equivalent, ratings and reviews. 

## 2. Customer journey focus underpins trust

Trust in financial services is largely maintained through the work of industry regulators, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.

However, while this may help to engender faith in the industry as a whole, trust in individual companies is best established through understanding and
influencing the user journey, suggests financial services marketing expert Sanjit Badhan, formerly Head of CRM at money transfer company TransferGo.

“Historically, choice has been very limited in financial services,” he says. “That means trust is interwoven with customers’ learnt behaviour. There’s now more choice, but how do you get over that inertia and convince people it’s worth looking around and committing to one of these new exciting providers?

“For me, the key is a better user journey. Too many new brands are just intent on acquiring new customers, and they don’t devote as much time and effort to providing an excellent journey and customer experience that builds trust.”

Badhan believes that financial service providers need to be clear about their proposition in terms of whether they are price-led or experience-led. Either is fine, and will build trust, but consumers need to know which side of the price or service fence a brand sits on.

“You can be the brand that can’t be beaten on rates or you can be the brand that empowers customers to get on with their lives through the best service available,” he says.

“Brands have to be able to show which they are. Too many brands are trying to be both but it’s too expensive to offer the best service, a smart app in
every language available with telephone support, as well as not being beaten on price. Brands need to choose a side. Consumers understand, and they will pick which is more important to them and build trust around how well the company delivers its brand promise.”

## 3. Where do people find trust?

Financial services decisions used to be very simple. Most people would visit a local high street bank or call a highly familiar provider that had been in
business for generations and was likely to have been patronised by friends and family.

This centuries-old model has now been replaced by digital disruption through the fintech revolution.

However, our survey shows that the most important source of information in this new landscape is still what a company says about itself and, just like in the days of word of mouth, what other people say about
the provider and its service.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the top influencer for consumers is the company’s website (rated as ‘very important’ or ‘important’ by 68% of consumers), followed by consumer ratings and reviews (61%). In fact, ratings and reviews are more trusted by consumers making decisions relating to financial services and products than aggregators and search engines.

It is understandable that many brands surrounded by so many new names are trying to raise awareness, but our findings show that consumers are around three times as likely to regard the company’s own website and consumer ratings as ‘very important’ than for TV advertising, online display ads and social media.

Conversely, people are three times more likely to ascribe zero influence to TV and online advertising over their financial product decisions, compared to ratings. The same applies to social media, only five times over.

## 4. Data-driven services delight customers

The question around trust, then, is less about what brands say about themselves in traditional and digital advertising channels. Instead, it is more a case of what they can convey on their websites and apps, and how they back that up with high levels of service.

For Duncan Leslie, Head of Product Experience at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, this means the key to getting customers to trust a financial services brand is customer experience. This requires helpful customer services experts, available online and on the phone, but that is just the start.

In his experience, a brand needs to build a service around focusing every use of technology on customer needs. The benchmark is being set increasingly higher by companies in all sectors beyond banking, he warns.

“Expectations aren’t just set by financial services providers, they’re set by the likes of Amazon, that’s how simple and convenient you have to be to use,” he says.

“We use a lot of data from our customer interactions to understand what customers want and how we can give them the best experience possible. One
key learning from this approach was realising our first mobile app was a little ‘flat’. It offered a bit of everything, even though the data showed most people just want the quickest way to get logged on and check their balances.”

The result was a reworked, simpler app that allowed people to check in and out conveniently but can still offer further information for those wanting to explore further. It is here that the brand’s customer experience strategy is focused around intuitively knowing what the client is most likely to be interested in.

“We’re constantly updating our app and online service by using machine learning to understand what type of customer is logging on, and what they might be most interested in,” says Leslie.

“That way, we can personalise offers of additional products around their likely understanding and comfort with financial products. A seasoned investor may be shown a product that requires more understanding and confidence than someone who is less au fait with financial products.”

## 5. Relevance is key to personalised customer experiences and trust

Almost two-thirds of consumers (63%) agree that financial services providers personalise the online experience with relevant information and recommendations based on their needs (Figure 6, appendix).

Building products and services around the customers they serve is the new mantra all financial services operators must adhere to in order to be successful, according to Firas Khnaisser, Head of Decisioning at Standard Life.

He lives by the simple rule that “the customer has to be at the heart of everything we do”.

“Although we’re an established name we try to think like a start-up when we’re looking at delivering new products and services", he says. "It helps us to not get tangled up in organisational silos, processes and technology, and to really put ourselves in the customers’ shoes.

“We have invested significantly in our data, analytics and customer engagement capabilities. This allows us to develop a deeper understanding of our customers which allows us to better deliver against their needs. 

"We first used this capability in the marketing space but now we see it being used across the whole organisation, from customer service and operations, to sales and distribution, to fraud prevention. This goes to show that for good customer experience to happen the entire company needs to be pulling in that same direction.”

He says the data and technology available to the business allows them to have more relevant, timely and personalised interactions with their customers across multiple touchpoints.

“Organisations that are able to leverage the data and the technology available to them are able to deliver a far superior experience to their customers which will, in turn, deliver better business outcomes,” he adds.

Khnaisser agrees that online reviews give increased transparency into the type of service customers could expect to receive from a brand. The more
transparent brands are, the easier it becomes for customers to trust the brand. 

## 6. Consumers base decisions on ratings

Our research shows that three-quarters (75%) of respondents agree that positive consumer ratings would make them more likely to become a customer of a bank, compared to only 9% who disagree (Figure 2).

The importance of consumer reviews hasn't escaped the attention of challenger banks, including Atom Bank which displays its Trustpilot rating on its home page with the number of 'excellent' ratings constantly updated.

Atom Bank's Head of Marketing, Neil Costello, says: 

"We think smart brands should always let people coming to their site know how other people rate them.”

“We don’t really advertise but I always think brands like Purplebricks, that also include their ratings scores in their advertising, are really smart. There’s no better way of transparently showing the public what other consumers think of you than proudly displaying those stars. It shows you’ve got nothing to hide, that you can be trusted.”

Costello believes that many of the most familiar names in financial services, who were the only choices before digital disruption came along, are hamstrung by concerns the reviews may not be too favourable.

“The big brands are probably just waking up to the power of reviews, now that they tend to be used a lot more by challengers and disruptors to show the public how trustworthy they are,” he says.

“The trouble is, they may well have far too many bad reviews in the past that are holding back their averages and they may be worried by more coming in which they are not set up to deal with.”

Ratings are not just critical for choice of bank but across every service a financial services company provides. Mortgages are slightly ahead as the
product where most consumers seek confirmation from ratings (Figure 3). However, it is worth noting that more than half of consumers regard ratings as at least ‘important’ for choosing a wide range of products, including loans, credit card, pensions, life insurance and an investment platform. 

## 7. Ratings improve customer service

The cornerstone of a great customer experience is good customer service. This is where money transfer business Azimo believes it gets some of the best value from embracing reviews.

Its Head of Digital Marketing, Laura Bent, points out that in addition to reviews showing a brand is willing to have a transparent, open and honest relationship with its customers, there is also a lot to learn from what customers are saying.

The brand carries out regular Net Promoter Score studies to understand what consumers are thinking about its products and services, but these are, by definition, internal reviews. By displaying ratings on its home page, she believes Azimo is able to join in a conversation with consumers and show that it is willing to deal with any issues that arise. 

“Reviews and ratings are a great tool for both listening to our customers and then acting on those insights,” she says.

“We show ratings in real time and so if a customer has a concern we can deal with it there and then. That’s very useful for showing that we’re not just
there to show five-star ratings, but we’re also actively looking to address problems and put them right. It’s the best way to be open and honest but also helpful.”

Azimo displays customer reviews prominently on its website. 

Azimo example

## 8. Conclusion– Unlocking digital word of mouth

Success for financial services providers is no longer guaranteed by being a familiar name. Across every financial services niche, consumers are being offered a plethora of products and services by disruptors focusing on a better customer experience and personalisation of services.

And yet the old-fashioned way in which people have traditionally selected financial brands they trust is still alive and well. The big change is that word of mouth is now accompanied by its digital equivalent, ratings and reviews.

These are far more influential in consumer decisions than traditional and digital advertising channels and are second only in building trust to a brand’s own website.

A home page with ratings prominently displayed, then, combines the two most effective ways of showing consumers that people trust a brand. If a company is open and transparent in its relationship with the public, it will happily point to what people are saying about it in real time.

Atom Bank displays its five-star Trustpilot rating above the fold on its home page. 

Atom Bank Example

*__Please note that this report was written in April 2019 and optimised in December 2020.__*

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

## Methodology & Acknowledgements 

London Research was commissioned by Trustpilot to carry out a survey of 1,000 nationally representative consumers in January 2019. The sample comprised 200 respondents in five different countries: the UK, the US, France, the Netherlands and Italy. The survey was conducted using a Toluna research panel. London Research also carried out interviews for this report.

London Research and Trustpilot would like to thank the following people for their insights.

__Sanjit Badhan__, consultant and former Head of CRM, TransferGo

__Laura Bent__, Head of Digital Marketing, Azimo

__Neil Costello__, Head of Marketing, Atom Bank

__Firas Khnaisser__, Head of Decisioning, Standard Life

__Duncan Leslie__, Head of Product Experience, Hargreaves Lansdown

Building trust in financial services

A survey from London Research and Trustpilot has shown that fashion shoppers are more cautious on spending this year, and are also acutely aware of the need to buy items from fashion brands with strong ethical and sustainability practices.

[London Research](https://www.londonresearch.com/) and Trustpilot's latest international survey has shown that not only are fashion shoppers more cautious on spending this year, they are also acutely aware of the need to buy items from fashion brands and retailers with strong ethical and sustainability practices.

Fashion brands and retailers now have an opportunity to reach out to consumers who are actively seeking to shop from companies that are kind to the people working in their supply chains, as well as the environment.

Those seeking to market themselves to modern shoppers need to listen to what consumers have revealed they are looking for in sustainable and ethical brands, as outlined in this research.

### Five key trends that will define the future of fashion brands

__1. Four in five customers are led by ethics__

Size and fit are not the only priorities. Fashion brands and retailers need to be aware that treatment of workers across their entire supply chain and environmental footprint are now a vital part of a customer’s purchasing decisions. 

More than four in five customers (82%) reveal they would definitely (31%) or probably (51%) stop buying from a brand found to be lacking ethical standards. 

__2. Shoppers are cautious on spending__

The recession looming over the global pandemic is shaping fashion spending habits. Just under three-quarters of consumers (72%) are spending less or the same as they did before.

As befitting markets where many are working from home, casual clothing and leisurewear is the category with the highest proportion of consumers having increased spend (21%). This figure is nearly double that seen in formal wear or luxury items.

__3. Fashion shoppers trust reviews and each other__

Consumers are eager to seek out fashion brands and retailers with solid ethical and sustainability strategies.

They are getting advice on which brands meet these criteria from many sources, but they trust each other above all else – 89% of consumers have a high or medium trust level in word of mouth and 85% in ratings and reviews.

The levels of high trust placed in word of mouth and reviews are two to three times greater than other sources, such as magazines, advertising and brand websites. The least trusted source is celebrity influencers. People are three times as likely to highly trust ratings as they are a well-known figure touting a fashion product on social media.

__4. Fashion shoppers are acting on a brand’s ethical record __

The research found brands must not think of ethics as an issue to be addressed in the future. Shoppers are already acting on their concerns right now. More than half (54%) of consumers say that coverage of working conditions and sustainability policies has influenced where they buy, or don’t buy, fashion items.

Nearly as many (41%) have been steered by coverage of a fashion retailer’s diversity and inclusivity policy and 33% by a brand pretending to be ethical but not backing it up with real action (‘slacktivism’).

Given that consumers trust word of mouth and customer ratings three times or two times (respectively) as much as the media, savvy brands should realize the need to communicate how their ethical and environmental strategies match the modern shopper’s concerns. This way, those credentials are more likely to be reflected in customer conversations and ratings.  

__5. Brands can tap into consumers’ ethics and sustainability wishlist__

Customers have revealed what they want to see from fashion brands and retailers. Joint top spot (46% each) goes to a commitment to good working practices throughout the supply chain as well as to environmentally-friendly packaging. A recycling service (41%) was just behind in third place.

Feeling inspired? Let's dive in!

## Introduction – cautious consumers tell brands their values are more important than discounts

Consumers are changing their mindset and behavior when it comes to buying clothes, and the effects are set to be profound for fashion brands and retailers.

The national and local lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic have accelerated a change in attitude among shoppers to be more caring for one another and the environment. Communities have come together to fight a common foe and taken stock of the values they find important to them, which they want to see reflected in the brands they buy from.

This prompted London Research, in association with Trustpilot, to ask fashion consumers in the UK, the US, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden to reveal the importance of brand values around issues such as sustainability, working conditions and diversity. What principles do they expect fashion brands and retailers to live up to? 

Just as importantly, how do they know they are truly committed to these causes, and whom do they trust in making those judgement calls?

### Sustainability over discounts

[Research from McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/survey-consumer-sentiment-on-sustainability-in-fashion) has already shown lockdown has forced fashion consumers’ priorities to change. They now place the welfare of employees and supply-chain workers, as well as protecting the environment, way ahead of being offered promotions and discounts.

This points to a significant change in consumer priorities, according to fashion writer Olivia Pinnock. She has created a series of events, called [The Fashion Debates](http://www.thefashiondebates.com/), through which the industry can come together to discuss how to clean up an industry with a poor record on worker conditions and sustainability.

“We had the sweatshop scandals of the ‘80s and ‘90s but the issue seemed to have been swept under the carpet,” she says.

“Now, though, we’ve got a generation who realize they can’t ethically buy a T-shirt for £5 when there are so many people in the supply chain to pay. There are also a lot of executives who are pushing for real change because they have been shocked by the industry’s record and don’t want to be a part of it any more.”

Pinnock believes the push for change is real and is relying on changing attitudes among shoppers. However, there are two major challenges.
“Fast fashion’s cutting corners on worker rights and the environment has got us all used to cheap clothing,” she explains.

“It’s skewed our perception of cost. Then there’s availability. The vast majority of clothes, outside a pandemic, are bought in stores and it’s only the big chains, who are highly competitive on price, that can afford to roll out chains of shops in every town.”

### Consumers are cautious on spend

It is not surprising that in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, the majority of respondents are not spending more on fashion. Instead, they are maintaining previous spending patterns or cutting back. 

On average, 28% of respondents say they are spending more. That leaves exactly a quarter who are spending the same amount as before (25%) and nearly half (47%) who reveal they are cutting back (Figure 1).


As shown in Figure 2, the standout category for increased spending is casual and leisure clothing (21% of consumers), nearly double the percentage of respondents spending more on luxury apparel (11%) and significantly more than the proportion of consumers increasing their outlay on smart clothes (13%).

Across all international markets surveyed, those going through lockdown and social distancing measures have clearly been prioritizing comfortable attire for home use over spending on formal clothes for the office or expensive luxury items for big nights out.


- Consumers in the US are more likely than those in other countries surveyed to be increasing their spending on casual clothes (28%), footwear (20%), smart fashion (20%) and luxury products (15%) (Figure 9, see appendix).
- The UK, on track to have its worst economic downturn on record, leads the way for the most cautious shoppers. Just over a fifth (22%) reveal they’ve been cutting fashion spending by more than half (Table 1, see appendix).

### More careful? Or more thoughtful?

Consumers are clearly cautious when it comes to fashion spending. It will become clearer when the developing global recession caused by the global pandemic eases whether this is an economic decision or an environmental choice.

Dialing down consumption is what Olivia Pinnock refers to as ‘the elephant in the room’. In addition to looking out for fair trade labels and commitment to ethical and environmental standards, she believes modern consumers will soon realize they need to buy fewer clothes.

It is a message echoed by Laurel Wolfe, VP of Marketing at deferred payment platform [Klarna](https://www.klarna.com/).

“The pandemic has made us all think carefully about how, where and why we shop - whether that's online instead of in-store, or with smaller, local brands.” she says.

“For us, this has meant helping people be mindful consumers, to ensure they buy items they will truly use and love. We have been running campaigns, particularly with thought influencers, echoing the money management advice on our site and asking shoppers to ‘think thrice’. Do I love it, will I use it, is it worth it?” 

The message underlines how the market is evolving to row back from the days of fast fashion by being more considerate in how workers in the supply chain are treated and mitigating the industry’s impact on the environment.

## People trust ratings and each other, not celebrities and magazines

People are clearly cautious about their spending, given the massive uncertainty hanging over the global economy. With budgets curtailed, consumers are looking to make sure the items they buy are right for them. This no longer means right look, size and price.

As shown through our survey, customers are attracted to brands that share their ethical values and are kind to their workers and the planet.
With ethics, sustainability and environmentalism playing a large part in purchasing decisions, who are people trusting for guidance on purchasing decisions?

Here, the research provides a resounding answer. Consumers trust one another. Word of mouth from friends and family is the most trusted source, with 44% rating their trust level as ‘high’. Consumer ratings and reviews (36%) is a close second (Figure 3).


In all, 89% of consumers have a high or medium level of trust for word of mouth compared to 85% for ratings and reviews.

The two categories are two or three times as highly trusted as other high-profile sources of fashion information, such as magazines, advertising and social media.

Fashion is an industry filled with well-known designers, models and celebrities who are reported on daily for what they are wearing. However, a key takeaway from the research is that celebrity influencers are poorly trusted as a source of information by nearly two in three consumers (63%).

The research could not be any clearer. Consumers want to make the right decision on fashion, for fit, price and look as well as sustainability and ethics. When it comes to making these decisions, they trust one another’s spoken advice or ratings much more highly than the world of social media and advertising where brands pay a fortune hoping to be noticed.


- The US and Italy stand out as the markets where reviews are most highly trusted (43% of consumers) (Figure 10, see appendix).
- Sweden and the Netherlands show the highest trust for word of mouth, for nearly half (49% and 48%, respectively) of consumers (Figure 10, see appendix).

## Customer loyalty depends on ethics

Everyone needs clothes and it is fair to say that the driving force in purchasing decisions will depend on garments matching an individual’s sense of style and budget. Increasingly, however, image and price point are being joined by a new criterion. Customers want to know a business shares their values.

More of us want to know a business is run ethically and that it tries its best to ensure people in its supply chain are treated with respect and paid properly, while attention is paid to sustainability.

One of the major takeaways from this research is that more than four in five customers (82%) would either ‘definitely’ (31%) or ‘probably’ (51%) stop buying from a brand that was found to lack ethical standards (Figure 4).

The finding should serve as a warning to brands who have yet to put ethics at the heart of their brand strategy. While nearly a third would definitely withdraw their business if non-ethical practices were discovered within the business or wider supply chain, half of the market would consider it.

This is not only a hypothetical question. For any fashion brand wondering when the market will evolve to a point where bad press around their ethics will lose them customers, the answer is we are already there.

More than half of consumers (54%) say that coverage of working conditions and sustainability policies has influenced which brands they buy or don’t buy fashion items from (Figure 5). Nearly as many have been steered by a fashion retailer’s diversity and inclusivity policy (41%) and 33% by a brand pretending to be ethical but not backing it up with real action (‘slacktivism’).


Sophie Slater, who co-founded online women’s ethical fashion business [Birdsong](https://birdsong.london/), is not surprised by the findings. The company’s workers in London are paid the London Living Wage to produce garments made from organic cotton which are packed by a charity supporting adults with learning difficulties. Protecting staff from Covid meant closing down production, which has relied on customers accepting delays in deliveries because ethical fashion is not fast fashion.

“We’ve seen fashion businesses talk about sustainability for the past few years but the last year or so has definitely seen a rise in people thinking about ethics,” she says.

“People have seen how workers are treated in sweatshops in Leicester (in the UK) by well-known brands… there’s been a lot of bad press for fast fashion. We rely on good press and social media to get our message out to people who are motivated by social inclusion and treating people ethically and so will pay a little more for clothes made by people paid the London Living Wage.”

- Italy is the clear leader in customers making decisions based on media coverage (Figure 11, see appendix). More than three in four have been influenced by stories about a brand’s ethics (79%) and working conditions (77%). Perhaps this is a result of the country being the EU’s biggest producer of clothing so environmental impact and working conditions are factors that are far closer to home for Italian shoppers.

## Trust – winning over the ‘moderately trustful’ half by being kind to workers and nature

The good news for the industry at large is that more than a quarter of consumers (28%) have a ‘very’ (9%) or ‘quite’ (19%) high level of trust in fashion brands and retailers in terms of their ethical standards (Figure 6).

The bad news is this is negated by a quarter of the market (26%) which has a ‘very’ (7%) or ‘quite’ (19%) low level of trust. This leaves almost half of consumers (46%) sitting on the fence, with only a moderate level of trust in the industry.

With a quarter of the market trusting the industry and a quarter not trusting it, the battleground is clearly winning the hearts and minds of the remainder who are fairly neutral.

Given that four in five respondents have also revealed they are ready to dismiss a brand which treats workers or the environment disrespectfully, the focus should be on convincing customers with a moderate level of trust that a brand is truly committed to treating its workers and the planet with respect.

There are some novel ways of improving trust being deployed at eco-friendly fashion brand [SANVT](https://sanvt.com/) (which means gentle on nature in German). The company’s Head of Marketing and Co-Founder, Benjamin Heyd, reveals the company is dedicated to working with suppliers who use organic cotton and do not use toxic chemicals in the dyeing process. To underline the point, they have an unusual approach to transparency and promotions.

“We keep our environmental impact low and our ethical standards high by using a factory in the EU, in Portugal,” he says.

“We offer a virtual tour of the factory so people can see for themselves the high standards we adhere to. We also don’t run sales promotions, we just offer to plant more trees within our carbon offsetting program when people buy promoted items. I don’t think we’re quite at the point yet where sustainability is the most crucial part of a customer choosing a brand, compared to the design and fit of clothing. However, in the long term, we are definitely getting there and brands will soon need to be able to show consumers they are eco-friendly and ethical.”

- Sweden and the Netherlands stand out as the markets with the lowest opinion of fashion brands and retailers. In each market, only 4% trust them highly. France is close behind with a high level of trust reaching just 5%.
- The US has the biggest level of ‘very high’ trust in fashion brands and retailers at 14%, backed up by a 20% level of ‘quite high’ trust.
- Overall, Italy is the most trusting nation, with more than a third (39%) of consumers having ‘very’ (8%) or ‘quite’ (31%) high trust levels.

## Customers need ethical and sustainable fashion brands

It is clear today’s fashion customer is starting to look for more than items that suit their style. In particular, they are committed to avoiding brands found to be acting in a non-ethical and unsustainable way. They are also expecting brands to embrace diversity and inclusivity.

So, what does this mean in practice? What are the strategies, commitments and services modern customers are looking to see more of in the future from fashion brands and retailers? When allowed to suggest three proof points that companies are walking the proverbial walk, what do they pick out?

Joint top, for nearly half of respondents, was commitment to good working conditions throughout the supply chain (46%), along with environmentally-friendly packaging (also 46%). A recycling service (41%) comes in third place, with clothes made from recycled materials (38%) and initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint (36%) completing the top-five wishlist (Figure 7).

For menswear brand [The Savile Row Company](https://savilerowco.com/), it is not a major surprise that environmentally-friendly packaging tops the list, alongside ethics. 

Marketing Director Lee-Anne Harris reveals the business has replaced plastic with biodegradable and potato starch bags, with shirt collars and shoulders held in place by paper fasteners rather than the traditional plastic clips.

“The data we’re getting from our Trustpilot reviews shows customers are reacting well to orders arriving in recyclable paper packaging and a biodegradable bag,” she says.

“We didn’t ask customers first; it was just a no-brainer for us because it’s how we want to live and we were pretty sure it’s how our customers want to live as well. It’s more a question of why wouldn’t you? It’s just a base level of decency.”


Despite the uptick in positive reviews, Harris confirms recyclable packaging is still a feature that customers appreciate rather than demand as standard. However, she believes it is only a matter of time before customers “truly hold fashion companies to account for their record on plastic waste”. Hence it makes sense to be prepared in advance.

- American customers are way ahead of their European counterparts on the values they want to see from fashion brands and retailers which did not make the top-five list above (Figure 12, see appendix). These include working with charities (35%), offering inclusive product ranges (27%), ensuring diversity in advertising (26%) and taking a stance on social issues (24%).
- It is likely a result of the deep social issues Americans are examining in the year the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement gained massive national, and global, traction. Support for brands taking a stance on social issues, including BLM, is more than twice as high in the US as it is in all other countries surveyed, other than Italy.

## How brands can embrace ethics and sustainability

They know their size, they know their style and they have a good idea of what they are starting to want to see from fashion brands and retailers. But what indicators are customers looking for to find out if a brand shares their values on treating people and the environment with dignity and care?

The challenge for companies is there is no single standout attribute consumers are seeking out. Instead, there are four key drivers of trust which are being actively sought out by a little over half (58% and 59%) of fashion shoppers (Figure 8).

Respondents reveal transparent values and policies, fair trade badges and certification, on-site and off-site ratings and reviews are equally as important, on average.


These are areas high on the radar for luxury online fashion retailer [FARFETCH](https://www.farfetch.com/). Its Director of Sustainable Business, Thomas Berry, explains the fashion brand not only helps customers make more ethical and sustainable purchases, it also has reselling schemes to extend an item’s life.

“As part of Positively FARFETCH, we have an extensive Conscious collection which customers can shop, using either filters, or our dedicated edits, to ensure they’re getting items that meet good independent sustainability standards and certifications,” he says.

“We also have two service offerings that help our customers extend the life of unused clothes. FARFETCH Second Life is a resale service, where customers submit their old hand-bags, get a price quote, we arrange a pick-up slot and, once the item is verified, the quoted price is added as a credit to their FARFETCH account.

“We do the same with our FARFETCH Donate service, where a customer fills a bag with any fashion item they no longer want, the items are sold in aid of their chosen charity, and customers get a third of the proceeds as FARFETCH credit. In both cases someone else gets to enjoy the items so everyone’s doing their bit to help the environment by reducing overall consumption of 'new' items."

The proof that customers are now looking to make more sustainable and ethical purchasing decisions comes from Berry revealing that the Conscious range is growing at a significantly faster rate than all other sales through the site. Additionally, across the industry, he estimates new clothes sales are predicted to grow at most around 3% whereas clothing resale growth is in the 15%-30% range.

## Conclusion

The primary motivators in fashion will likely always be the look, feel, design and price of an item. However, there is a growing consideration to filter fashion brands and retailers according to their action on sustainability and ethics.

This was always bubbling under the surface but it would appear the global pandemic has prompted consumers to take stock of what is important and to value brands who treat their workers and the environment with care and respect.

Research coordinated by Cardiff University found, for example, that the proportion of Britons who believe tackling climate change is urgent rose from 62% to 74% between August 2019 and August 2020. Additionally, nearly half the UK population (47%) is now vowing to fly less than before once restrictions are lifted. In the US, media reports have suggested taking a step back from the daily grind of driving to work has seen air pollution drop by 30%.

These issues should resonate with fashion brands and retailers, given that four in five consumers reveal they would not shop with a brand that lacked ethical and sustainable values. Hence, half of consumers have already revealed they have avoided fashion companies that have received poor media coverage over their ethics and sustainability record.

__Consumers have spoken clearly. They want brands to:__

- Treat workers throughout their entire supply chain fairly
- Produce clothes without damaging the environment
- Use recyclable packaging
- Embrace recycling schemes which extend garments’ lives
- Work hard on carbon reduction measures
- Operate according to transparent brand values

These are the action points fashion brands and retailers need to embrace to win over the half of the market that currently only trusts the industry to a moderate degree and the quarter which does not trust them at all.

When it comes to trust, they need to remember fashion shoppers highly trust one another’s advice and online reviews two to three times as much as glossy magazine articles, social media and advertising. As for celebrity influencers, these are the least trusted source available to fashion marketers.

The message is clear. Consumers want to see sustainable and ethical fashion, and they place their trust on which brands match these values in word of mouth and reviews, not the media and most definitely not on what celebrity influencers are paid to say.

If you'd like to find out more about Trustpilot, and how social proof can help you build trust with consumers, request a free demo below.


### Methodology

London Research was commissioned by Trustpilot to carry out surveys of 2,800 nationally representative consumers across the UK (n=1,000), US (n=1,000), France (n=200), the Netherlands (n=200), Italy (n=200) and Sweden (n=200) in September 2020.

The research was conducted using a Toluna research panel. London Research also carried out a series of interviews for this report.

### Acknowledgements

London Research and Trustpilot would like to thank the following people for their help in compiling this report:

- Thomas Berry, Global Director of Sustainable Business, FARFETCH
- Lee-Anne Harris, Marketing Director, The Savile Row Company
- Benjamin Heyd, Head of Marketing and Co-Founder, SANVT
- Olivia Pinnock, Fashion Writer and Creator of The Fashion Debates
- Sophie Slater, Co-Founder, Birdsong
- Laurel Wolfe, VP Marketing, Klarna

Why ethical fashion brands are future-proof

Health-and-Beauty-Hero - smaller

Combating misinformation in the health and beauty sector

Buying the right health and beauty products can be a minefield at the best of times, with consumers wasting millions each day on health and beauty products that are counterfeit, substandard and in many cases bought on the basis of fake reviews. 

## The cost of fake reviews and counterfeits

The harsh reality is that the products may well be counterfeit. This means customers have not only wasted hard-earned money on a fake product, they could also be risking their health.

If you need to get a hook on why people should be concerned about fake health and beauty products, a good place to start is the Netflix documentary ‘[Broken: Make-Up Mayhem](https://www.netflix.com/title/81002391)’.

In the show, police investigators and doctors list the heavy metals and carcinogens they have found counterfeiters use to create cheap copies of expensive ingredients. At one level, these cause skin diseases, such as dermatitis, impetigo and pustules. At the other extreme, heavy metals can cause fertility issues and lead to miscarriages. One interviewee revealed how a counterfeit Kylie lipstick got its shiny appearance from superglue which stuck her lips together.

### COVID-19 exacerbates the problem

Covid-19 is raising the stakes, considerably. Legitimate businesses and industry experts know that regardless of what is happening to the economy, consumers still want to feel good about themselves. When official outlets they trust run out of stock, as global supply chains come unstuck, even savvy consumers can be tempted to check out online stores they may not totally trust.

Wellness and beauty industry influencer and ITV This Morning guest presenter, Gina Akers, has warned of the dangers of counterfeit products on BBC’s ‘Fake Britain’ television show. She believes many consumers, especially young people, want to look like their favorite celebrity, but cannot afford the high-end prices required. When you add reputable stores running out of stock, you have a counterfeiter’s dream scenario.

*“The big issue is the celebrity influencers have their own lines of cosmetics which are high end and are prone to running out of stock, particularly with the supply problems around coronavirus,”* she says.

*“Young people wanting to look like these celebrities are sorely tempted to get something cheaper from somewhere online that claims to have stock. But they’re often fake and, even worse, they have been made in unsanitary conditions. My advice is that if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Always buy from a reputable store.”
*

### Market overview: spending is up, so is waste

The [coronavirus pandemic](https://business.trustpilot.com/reviews/learn-from-customers/consumer-behavior-in-the-age-of-coronavirus-global-review-trends-by-industry) has prompted a significant leap in spending in the health and beauty markets. According to our research, 59% of US consumers and 55% of UK consumers say they are spending more on health products due to the coronavirus crisis.

Around a quarter of survey respondents in both markets (26% in the US and 25% in the UK) reveal they are spending more on beauty. As seen in Figure 1, almost half of those consumers spending more on beauty across both markets suggest the extra spending is rooted in wanting to treat themselves (45% in the US and 51% in the UK).



Why consumers have bought more health and beauty products as a result of lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic.

Figure 1: Why consumers have bought more health and beauty products as a result of lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic.

In unprecedented times, both American and British consumers (42% and 40%, respectively) are spending more because they fear that stocks could run out if they do not make a pre-emptive purchase and there is clearly a desire under lockdown to stay healthy and feel good about oneself through a treat purchase.

Consumers are also spending more because salons are closed (45% in the US and 35% in the UK).

In the health category, both markets are clearly showing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. The most popular products so far this year have been hand sanitizer and soap, with pain relief, vitamin supplements, and prescription and over-the-counter medicines following closely behind (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Which health-related products have you bought since the start of this year?

A third of consumers in the UK and around two in five in the US had already bought plastic gloves and face masks when our survey was carried out in April. This is a new market for both countries which have no tradition of wearing face coverings in public, unlike some parts of Asia. This category will continue to grow as lockdown measures are relaxed, the use of face masks becomes increasingly recommended or enforced, and anxious members of the public return to busy public areas, particularly on public transport.

In beauty, hair and skin care are the most popular categories for spending so far this year in both the US and the UK, with bathing accessories, foot, hand and nail care, fragrances and makeup not far behind (Figure 3).

Which beauty products consumers have bought since the start of the year

Figure 3: Which beauty products have you bought since the start of the year?

The closure of retail outlets has led to an increase in online sales for health and beauty products

The closure of retail stores due to coronavirus has led to an increase in online sales, especially for health and beauty products

The closure of retail stores has led to an increase in online sales

According to Meghan Stabler, VP of Global Product Marketing and Communications at ecommerce platform [BigCommerce](https://www.bigcommerce.com/), ecommerce spending has increased significantly in 2020 as consumers are forced to rely on digital channels during lockdown.

She said: *“Whether specific to health and beauty, or looking broadly across industries, we’ve seen surges in ecommerce since the start of mass shelter-in-place guidance began in March. Consumer spending online has grown significantly year over year, with some recent days even topping sales numbers from Cyber Week 2019.”*

*“Though we expect YoY increases to remain strong for the foreseeable future – particularly in categories deemed essential like health and beauty – looking at week-over-week trends shows more consistency in sales numbers, indicating that consumers are finding their ‘new normal’ and pandemic panic-buying may be levelling out. We’ll continue to see slight shifts in consumer behavior alongside public health guidance, though one thing has been made crystal clear: ecommerce has cemented its role as a modern-day shopping staple, and will likely serve as a long-term foundation for the way customers interact with brands across channels.”*

The picture that emerges in both the US and the UK is of consumers significantly increasing their online spending on health and beauty products. This is attributable to anxiety surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. Anxious consumers reveal they want to secure favored items as shops are temporarily shut and online suppliers run the risk of running out of stock. As ever in the health and beauty sector, the motivation of a treat purchase is just as important.

### The impact of fake reviews and misinformation

When customers are concerned about trusted online sources running out of stock, there's a high probability they will look to new sources — for both new product suppliers and advice from fellow shoppers.

A third (33%) of American and 29% of British consumers reveal they are more cautious about the products they purchase because of online misinformation relating to health and beauty products (Figure 4). This can include fake or inaccurate reviews, spurious or exaggerated claims about a product’s efficacy and lies about its contents.

Just over half of consumers in both the US and UK (59% and 55%, respectively) feel confident they have not suffered from misinformation, but a further 12% in each country say they are ‘not sure’. This reflects the fact that consumers do not always know with certainty if they have received poor advice.



Figure 4: Has misinformation online relating to health and beauty products made you ore cautious about the products you purchase?

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