Shopping online with TrustedCompany

By Gabey Goh December 20, 2013

Growing a TrustedCompany

There are two main elements to TrustedCompany, the first being its user community platform that is open for anyone to share experiences or rate an online merchant, but which features mechanisms to ensure real and authentic reviews.

Kraß (pic) said that the platform utilises different mechanisms to comply with these requirements, with one special feature for the region being the use of Facebook Connect.

“With our Facebook Login, we implemented a social proof that is taking authenticity to a new level. Seeing reviews by socially verified accounts helps to increase the trust in those reviews.

“Furthermore this feature enables you as a new user to see that your friends are already using TrustedCompany.com, which helps to even stronger build up the trust in our platform,” he added.

While users can read reviews and share their own experience free of charge, TrustedCompany intends to charge e-businesses for the full use of its service via a Software-as-a-Service model, granting access this user-generated data to gain insights for improving user experiences and increasing conversion.

Tools and services offered to merchants include widgets and a seal that display the company’s rating directly on their website, a mediation service that helps companies deal with complaints, and an automated customer feedback system that allows companies to invite current customers to review their service.

Merchants will be charged based on monthly review invitations sent out, following the number of orders a merchant has, with pricing starting at US$11.95 a month for up to 100 orders and feedback invitations sent out.

“Our solution easily integrates with any e-commerce, e-marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) solution available. You only need to BCC us when you send out an order confirmation and we will handle the rest," Kraß claimed.

“Sharing the reviews and displaying them to potential new customers in order to build up trust is easy as well. We provide seals and interactive widgets that can be integrated on every site. We also recommend that merchants use them during the checkout process, when people have to key in sensitive data about themselves and merchants want to show their trustworthiness,” he added.

Since the platform’s launch in late November, Kraß reports that approximately 10,000 different site profiles that have been created to be found and reviewed by anyone on TrustedCompany. Respective site owners can also claim these created profiles.

“We are also seeing organic claims of shops that we have not yet created, but people are searching and claiming them. Additionally, we get claims on a daily base from our direct sales efforts, from the small blog shop merchant up to well-established shops and services, with hundreds or thousands of happy customers,” he claimed.

When asked what keeps him and the team motivated, Kraß said that frustration with personal online shopping experiences and subsequently coming up with TrustCompany is already “one big motivational factor.”

“Being able to work with all these passionate and driven people in our team on a day-by-day basis is another. In the end, it is the vision to provide a service, that is not only part of the growing e- commerce sector in South-East Asia, but actually influencing the way people do business online, and adding value to the whole e-commerce environment that are really driving us,” he added.

But if there is one challenge that TrustedCompany needs to overcome, Kraß admits it is the issue of finding good and qualified people and getting them on board quickly.

“We are targeting different countries within the region. This is why we need people specifically able to help us in these countries, being able to speak the local language and willing to join our team in Kuala Lumpur. It is a process which requires a lot of effort,” he said.

Despite the challenges in finding talent, the team remains committed to fulfilling its vision, with plans to introduce new features aimed at making real and authentic reviews easier to find and use.

Kraß said that educating people about this option and the benefits of such an approach will be key, and TrustedCompany plans to increase efforts to spread the word and enable more online merchants and users to make use of the service and to enjoy a robust online shopping environment that more trust can create.

“Within the next 12 months we want to become THE review authority in the region, open, trustworthy and available for everyone,” he said.