On-line electrical retailer AO positions itself as ‘The UK’s most trusted electrical retailer’. Working in a class the place merchandise must be dependable and long-lasting, and as an online-only retailer with no bodily premises, AO’s staff perceive that shopper confidence in its services and products is essential.
“We might typically discuss round … what was our USP? What actually was our proper to win within the retail area?” says Vicky Monk, Director of Model and Advertising at AO. “…We’re in a digital period [where] numerous retailers can supply numerous the identical issues to the patron, [so] what are a few of these extra stand-out messages? … Ours all the time got here again to customer support.”
In 2022, AO’s advertising staff took the step of incorporating belief into the model’s positioning and promoting, and despite the fact that the advantage of an intangible high quality like ‘belief’ could be troublesome to measure, the strategy has delivered outcomes.
I spoke to Monk and to Alicia Skubick, Chief Buyer Officer at Trustpilot, the impartial platform by which AO manages buyer suggestions, about how AO has used buyer insights to enhance its enterprise; how resolving unfavourable critiques can construct model belief; and the way Trustpilot itself maintains a excessive degree of belief in its service.
“Persons are speaking about you whether or not you see it or not”: the case for dealing with unfavourable critiques
So as to encourage buyer suggestions, AO has built-in critiques into its buyer relationship administration (CRM) as a part of purpose-built journeys, and has carried out testing to find out the most effective time to ask clients for a evaluate. Monk describes the request for suggestions as “simply considered one of many touchpoints post-purchase” – clients shall be despatched a reminder a number of days later about leaving a evaluate, however just one.
This must be distinct from a evaluate of the product, since clients are reviewing the service from AO, not the producer manufacturers it shares – though generally the evaluate will incorporate product components.
A part of AO’s strategy to buyer suggestions features a devoted staff who’re chargeable for responding for any 1-3 star critiques inside 24 hours. Whereas AO has a excessive ranking general, averaging 4.9 stars out of 5 throughout greater than 750,000 critiques, Monk candidly acknowledges that “we don’t all the time get it proper … However the place we don’t get it proper, we do an incredible job at fixing it.”
On the enterprise case for quickly dealing with unfavourable critiques, Monk observes, “These critiques are occurring whether or not retailers or manufacturers prefer it or not – you may select to embrace it, or you may attempt to ignore it.
“I believe the latter shouldn’t be the way in which to go – as a result of by embracing what persons are telling you goes mistaken by the journey, it guides you to repair issues you won’t know exist.”
Trustpilot’s Alicia Skubick concurs, including, “Such a typical dialog [with marketers and businesses] is … ‘What if we do that and we get actually dangerous suggestions?’ Our response to that’s: ‘Persons are speaking about you whether or not you’re seeing it or not.’
“We all the time discuss a foul evaluate being the beginning of a greater enterprise: understanding that provides you tangible knowledge … The place are the developments? The place are folks sad? [You can] actually have these insights and make the method higher, but additionally reply to that suggestions.
“With loyalty and belief, generally it doesn’t come from an awesome expertise; it comes from one thing possibly not going completely, however the way in which [the brand] resolve it and go that further mile.”
A consumer-first tradition “embedded all over the enterprise”
AO’s staff use knowledge from the Trustpilot platform to classify 1-3 star critiques and select key themes that present the place points could be addressed. “Some have price implications on the enterprise; others will finally lead to eradicating price, and that’s the way in which that I don’t assume companies ever take a look at this,” says Monk. “Generally [when we] undergo fixing issues, we’re discovering that we’re producing efficiencies within the enterprise because of this.”
A few of the notable enhancements which were launched on the again of addressing unfavourable critiques embrace driver pre-calls, so as to make sure that a buyer shall be in to obtain their supply; and a dwell driver dashboard that allows driver efficiency to be tracked all through the day in order that any points could be addressed proactively.
In one other occasion, greater than a thousand product listings have been faraway from AO’s web site as a result of they lacked product dimensions – whereas this did influence gross sales, it additionally resulted within the difficulty being in a short time resolved. “Inside lower than every week, they have been again on-site – if [the product removal] had occurred over time, it may need taken us three, 4, 5 weeks to get these product dimensions again on,” Monk says.
This type of fast motion to resolve issues is feasible as a result of Monk’s staff are empowered to “make the choice about what occurs with regards to any implications on belief”, one thing that she notes stems down from the very prime of the enterprise.
“We’ve been right here for 25 years, and [customer-centricity] has all the time been [CEO John Roberts’] ethos. … That’s embedded all over the enterprise.”
Quantifying the success of belief
Monk notes that whereas many retailers will cut up up evaluate infrastructure throughout a spread of various suppliers, AO has chosen to focus all of its efforts on a single platform and a single rating.
AO has been utilizing Trustpilot’s paid resolution since 2012, and starting in November 2022, the enterprise took the step of incorporating its Trustpilot rating into advertising and promoting alongside messaging about belief. This has included social media, the place AO has constructed Fb, Instagram and TikTok campaigns round its belief USP, resembling through the use of optimistic buyer suggestions to inform a narrative or celebrating Trustpilot evaluate milestones.
@ao That is Abbie’s AO evaluate, one of many half 1,000,000 on Trustpilot! ???? Right here’s what she needed to say, from the AOers that create an incredible expertise for our clients day-after-day ???? #aoletsgo #trustpilotreviews #deliverydriver
♬ unique sound – AO Lets Go
“We noticed it as a key differentiator that was constructed on a legacy of … 25 years of fantastic customer support,” says Monk. “We actually felt like ‘Now’s the time that we should always begin shouting about that to our customers’.”
Monk acknowledges that it’s troublesome to trace the ROI on one thing like embedding belief language into advert messaging. The model partnered with Kantar to check the influence of introducing belief messaging into its promoting, and located that amongst 35 to 64-year-olds, AO skilled a ten share level enhance in model confidence, perceived price, and the sensation that it met class wants as soon as Trustpilot was included within the inventive.
AO additionally carries out common ‘knowledge dips’ of key metrics each quarter to check the continued efficiency of its advertising. A few of the strongest reinforcement, nonetheless, comes from anecdotal proof.
“If we really feel like we’re listening to folks discuss it, and relay the message: ‘They’re the UK’s most trusted electrical retailer’ – when you hear folks begin saying it again to you, you understand it’s began to get embedded from a shopper perspective,” Monk says.
How Trustpilot maintains belief in its buyer suggestions providing
The effectiveness of Trustpilot as a platform for buyer suggestions additionally is determined by belief, as customers must trust within the authenticity and verifiability of critiques left on the platform and within the scores utilized by companies.
“Belief is so basic to the whole lot that we do,” says Skubick. “We’re continuously … taking a look at how we do a greater job – continuously taking a look at our know-how [and] how we shield the integrity of the platform.” Faux and fraudulent critiques, for instance, are a serious concern, and in 2024 the corporate launched a raft of latest safeguarding measures to determine pretend critiques and coverage violations, which included implementing generative AI-powered guideline software program.
Trustpilot’s staff can also be involved with the right way to assist each companies and customers use critiques to greatest impact: “Is the evaluate funnel straightforward [for consumers] – is it clear to them? How can we assist them to jot down the most effective critiques and make them significant and have content material?
“Enhancing our cellular app – we’re introducing a good higher notification centre … the place you may see any excellent critiques from purchases and you’ll undergo and tick that off.”
This additionally advantages companies in acquiring suggestions, and Trustpilot is working to additional develop its insights and evaluate follow-ups to assist companies. In 2024, the corporate launched AI-enhanced insights in addition to AI-assisted evaluate response instruments to assist companies reply shortly to suggestions.
AO is looking forward to its 1 million critiques milestone, having handed 750,000 critiques lately and celebrated by recognising the groups and people who have been named as doing wonderful work in optimistic critiques. “As a result of we’re so obsessive about our unfavourable critiques – ensuring we repair our issues – generally you neglect about celebrating the successes,” says Monk.
“We’re hoping that [every customer] is a buyer for all times … [people] come again time and time once more with regards to shopping for electronics, and that grows income.”
