Research finding:
Consumers find ads more trustworthy with the Trustpilot trust mark
Did you know?
Key finding
In a side-by-side comparison of ads, one ad with Trustpilot’s trust mark and one without the trust mark, consumers were asked to pick the advertisement they trusted more.
The survey concluded that 87% of consumers, in the U.S. and U.K., on average, find ads more trustworthy when the Trustpilot trust mark is present vs. having an advertisement with no trust mark.
See some of the ads used in the research and the corresponding results on this page. Note that the businesses depicted in the ads were clearly noted in the surveys as fictitious and not intended to represent any actual legal business entity. When the survey was conducted, advertisments were of equal size. For illustrative purposes, the ad chosen most often is enlarged here.
An additional finding
Sirkin Research replicated the first survey, but rather than doing a side-by-side comparison of advertisements with a Trustpilot trust mark present, the trust mark was replaced with only the Trustpilot logo and then compared to the same ad without a Trustpilot logo.
The research uncovered that 89% of consumers in the U.K. find ads more trustworthy with only the Trustpilot logo.
So the Trustpilot logo alone, without any stars, carries significant brand building power in advertisements.
Research background
Sirkin Research was commissioned by Trustpilot in August 2018 to conduct a survey of 777 consumers in the United States and 302 consumers in the United kingdom. The goal was to measure the impact of Trustpilot’s trust mark and logo. Trust marks are a visual form of communication between consumers and businesses to help bridge the information gap about trustworthiness of a business and are often used by businesses to create credibility for their brand, especially for companies that conduct business on the internet.
Of those consumers surveyed, using a consumer research panel (SurveyMonkey Audience), 87%, on average, chose the advertisement with the Trustpilot trust mark. The survey participants were at least 18 years of age with a minimum income of $25,000 USD annually.
Background: U.K. summarized results
Insurance / Finance
92% (92/100) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Consumer Services
91% (92/100) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Auto / Shopping
91% (92/100) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Retail / Ecommerce
84% (85/101) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Consumer Financials / Payment
85% (86/101) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Travel / Tourism
89% (89/100) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Background: U.S. summarized results
Insurance / Finance
78% (91/116) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Consumer Services
79% (95/120) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Auto / Shopping
69% (81/118) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Retail / Ecommerce
76% (89/117) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Consumer Financials / Payment
69% (81/117) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
Travel / Tourism
74% (86/116) chose the ad with Trustpilot logo
About Sirkin Research
Sirkin Research is focused on conducting consumer research and delivering rich data insights to guide better decision-making for businesses.
Located in Philadelphia, PA, USA, Sirkin research has over 15 years of experience working for the some of the largest global technology and financial brands in the world, including Vesta and BMC Software. The firm’s work spans the globe, from Paris to London to New York.
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