In the era of online reviews, how do you know which sites you can actually trust?
As one of the top review platforms worldwide, Denmark‘s Trustpilot strives to give consumers authentic feedback on brands and services. But with over 2 million fake reviews deleted in 2020 alone, Trustpilot still faces major trust issues.
So how many people really use Trustpilot in 2024? Does the site deliver on its promise of "reviews you can trust"?
As an industry insider, I‘ve dug into the numbers, growth metrics and challenges behind Trustpilot. Here‘s a detailed look at how many people use Trustpilot, its reach, and the ongoing fight against fake reviews.
Contents
Trustpilot Usage and Website Popularity Keeps Climbing
First, how widely used is Trustpilot in 2024?
While Trustpilot doesn‘t disclose official user figures, all signs point to fast growth:
-
Over 32,000 businesses worldwide use Trustpilot, including major brands like GoDaddy, ZipRecruiter, Rakuten and others.
-
In the UK, Trustpilot now counts over 8,900 companies as users. Other leading countries include the US, Denmark, Netherlands and France.
-
45 million visits per month makes Trustpilot the 225th most popular website in the UK. It ranks 2nd among British finance sites.
-
Monthly visits have risen in 2022, from 42.8 million in April to 45 million by June.
Clearly, Trustpilot has cemented itself as a major player in the world of review platforms. But how does it stack up to competitors?
Trustpilot launched in 2007, 2 years after the pioneer Yelp. But with Yelp focused on local businesses, Trustpilot quickly became the go-to for ecommerce and service provider reviews.
Other rivals like TrustRadius and G2 specialize in B2B software. Trustpilot captures a wider mainstream audience across industries.
As it expands worldwide, Trustpilot still has room to grow – especially in the US, which accounts for just 16% of its users compared to 23% in the UK.
But with over 32,000 businesses and 45 million monthly visitors, Trustpilot has proven itself as a leading global review site.
Millennial Shoppers Are the Target Audience
So who is using Trustpilot the most? Data reveals millennials as Trustpilot‘s #1 target audience:
- 29% of users are aged 25-34.
- 17% are 18-24.
- Gen Z and millennials together make up 46% of Trustpilot‘s audience.
Younger demographics align perfectly with Trustpilot‘s goals. Millennials and Gen Z rely heavily on reviews for all major purchases.
And at 59% male vs 41% female, the site attracts more men – but still sees strong engagement from women too.
With a presence in over 100 countries, Trustpilot appeals to digital natives worldwide.
But the site‘s greatest visibility in the UK and US shows there‘s still potential for growth across Europe, Asia and beyond.
Reaching more of the high-spending millennial demographic will be key to Trustpilot‘s continued expansion.
The Ongoing Challenge of Fake Reviews
Now to the elephant in the room – fake reviews.
While Trustpilot‘s mission revolves around trust and transparency, fake and suspicious reviews remain a constant struggle.
Why does this problem persist? A few key reasons:
-
Incentivized reviews – many businesses offer discounts for 5-star reviews. This motivates biased feedback.
-
Competitor sabotage – rival brands hire writers to trash a competitor‘s ratings.
-
Reputation repair – during PR crises, some companies pay for fake positivity.
In 2020, Trustpilot took action by deleting over 2.2 million fake reviews.
Nearly half were flagged by businesses. Others came from user reports and Trustpilot‘s own tech detection. Still, 700,000 slipped past algorithms.
This demonstrates that filters alone can‘t catch all fraudulent reviews. Manual human detection remains essential.
Review authenticity is crucial. But as an industry insider, I know the motivations behind false reviews run deep.
Crafting a culture of trust among consumers and businesses remains Trustpilot‘s greatest challenge as it scales up.
How Consumers Can Spot Fake Trustpilot Reviews
The good news? While tricky, shoppers can identify bogus Trustpilot reviews with some detective skills:
Watch for weird grammar/phrasing. Fake reviewers often use awkward or non-native language.
Too good to be true? Hype-filled 5-star reviews are often seeded promotions.
Probe the profile. Reviews from non-verified accounts with minimal activity seem suspicious.
Beware bombardment. Numerous positive reviews in a short period can signal a campaign.
Check the source. Filter reviews to "Organic" only to exclude solicited/incentivized posts.
No approach is 100% foolproof. But using critical thinking helps determine if reviews seem authentic or paid-for.
Retailers Lead in Trustpilot Adoption
Across industries, retail businesses have adopted Trustpilot more than any other sector:
- Retail – 4,018 companies
- Financial Services – 1,218 companies
- Software – 1,083 companies
- Construction – 818 companies
Customer-facing businesses like retail and financial services rely heavily on reviews for sales and leads. Trustpilot offers them a major platform for collecting feedback at scale.
B2B companies focused on relationships over transactions are slower to leverage reviews. But as millennials enter leadership roles, they expect review sites like Trustpilot for researching vendors.
The Outlook for Trustpilot: Building Credibility and Global Growth
While Trustpilot faces ongoing trust issues like fake reviews, the site has firmly established itself as a widely-used resource for authentic user feedback.
Key to Trustpilot‘s future will be:
- Leveraging technology and human insight to better detect fake reviews
- Maintaining transparency as the business rapidly grows
- Expanding globally while tailoring to local markets
- Resonating with millennials as the core target demographic
If Trustpilot stays focused on its mission to bring honesty back to online reviews, I see major growth potential as user-generated content keeps gaining influence.
But only by rising above the internet‘s rampant fakery can Trustpilot realize its vision of restoring consumer trust through reviews they can believe in.
Sources
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54771639
