Case Studies
How a 20% Review Conversion Rate Drives Growth and Innovation for Vetain
August 26, 2022
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5 min read
After sharing all the benefits reviews create for their business, as well as what Reviews.io enabled them to achieve, I got in touch with Pure Planet Recycling to take a deeper look into their review journey.
Pure Planet Recycling was founded in 2007, and are a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling company based in Bedfordshire. Pure Planet Recycling aim to be a green business solution, and believe in improving our environmental impact.
As such, they use the most up-to-date and modern recycling solutions and practices that avoid, reduce or control pollution - which is no easy feat - with their hard work and dedication earning them the 2011 Green Business of The Year award.
Similarly to recycling, reviews can be viewed as a cyclical process: A business offers their customers a solution, the customer buys it and enjoys the experience. Customers leave feedback in the form of a review, which other shoppers see, and the company works from the feedback to improve. The company then offers their improved experience to their customers, this generates more custom, more reviews and so forth.
Pure Planet Recycling knew the value of reviews, however, their in-house collection wasn't meeting its full potential, customers lacked faith in the reviews published on-site, and as such they simply weren't able to work from the feedback left in order to make improvements.
They decided they needed to improve their review approach to meet the same values as their services, and shop around for a Third Party Review Platform:
We researched more than one review system online. I had used others in the past for hotel/restaurant reviews etc. but when I came across REVIEWS.io I liked the look and feel of the site and had instant trust with them. Seeing big name brands amongst small business names using the system gave me the confidence to start using it. The easy to use control panel stood out amongst other systems, and I knew our customers would find it easy to leave their feedback.
Phil Gibbs, Pure Planet Recycling
Fantastic praise from Pure Planet Recycling right off the bat - we couldn't ask for more - because trust in our platform, trust in the reviews collected and published, and trust for those companies brands (amongst many other benefits), is exactly what we try to offer businesses, both large and small, and what we aimed to help Pure Planet Recycling achieve.
Although making a conscious effort to utilise their customers' voice, as well as operate openly and publish all their reviews, over the course of 7 years Pure Planet Recycling were only able to collect 97 Company Reviews; a total of 13 reviews each year, or a meagre 1 review each month. This minimised collection was the result of poor review conversion, and a lack of conversion can be attributed to lack of customer trust in a company's integrity and intentions with said reviews:
"Our previous review system was in-house and unverified. Whilst we published all reviews, it didn't look genuine and customers didn't buy into the system. Our old review system ran from 2008-2015 and we collected 97 reviews." - Phil Gibbs, Pure Planet Recycling
As Pure Planet Recycling state, they felt instant trust when browsing our solution and services. That same trust is also evoked for customers when seeing a company's reviews are collected with an established impartial review partner, which is exactly what Pure Planet Recycling found when joining our platform.
Over the course of 2 years - less than half the time spent collecting reviews in-house - Pure Planet Recycling's review conversion boomed. They have collected a grand 198 Company Reviews and counting, which averages at 99 Company Reviews per year, a whopping 280% review increase relatively by year!
With their new Third Party partnership, Pure Planet Recycling's customers don't just take their word for it, but can visibly see their feedback will be embraced, even if less than favourable comments come to light, helping to promote review conversion. With trust established, and more Company Reviews coming in, Pure Planet Recycling got the ball rolling.
Although they wanted to make improvements and do right by their customers, a lack of reviews was holding them back. Equipped with a steady flow of reviews - at least 8 each month - and with REVIEWS.io providing them review notifications and comments, if an issue were to arise, Pure Planet Recycling were able to take onboard the suggestions, remedy the issue and do better in the future:
"It gives our customers an independent voice and chance to have their say. When we receive anything less than a 5 star review, or if someone unsubscribes from the request we ask them for feedback. What could we have done to make it a 5 star review? This has given us valuable feedback... Without feedback on our service, we can't always find the necessary improvements. Some customers may have voted with their feet in the future." - Phil Gibbs, Pure Planet Recycling
REVIEWS.io have facilitated the opportunity for Pure Planet Recycling to address and make necessary improvements, and as such, this has enabled them to retain their customers, as well as demonstrate to future ones that the service they provide is as good as they state, ultimately generating more custom.
Not only were Pure Planet Recycling able to boost their review conversion and address the needs of their customers, but they were able to see demonstrable gains from having greater review visibility in Google listings.
Through the implementation of REVIEWS.io's Rich Snippet friendly badges and widgets on certain pages of their site, Pure Planet Recycling were able to get those purchase-affirming review stars in organic search results. This enhanced visibility is taken one step further with relevant reviews being published to the appropriate service on-site, meaning that not only are customers eyes drawn to the review stars, but they are left better informed.
As such, REVIEWS.io have helped Pure Planet Recycling increase their click-through rates, which has contributed to a 15% increase in site traffic. With shoppers more informed during an initial search, and with easy-to-access trusted reviews on-site, Pure Planet Recycling have seen a surge in their number of enquiries, overall boosting their revenue!
"Rich snippets allow our service pages to stand out, even when we are not ranked within the top 3 of a search term. Our stars attract the eye... and then the click. We tag reviews based on the service type the customer has used us for. This ensures customers see relevant, honest reviews of that exact service. It allows our customers to know we can be trusted, even before they click to land on our website." - Phil Gibbs, Pure Planet Recycling
In order for Pure Planet Recycling to be where they are today in their review journey, they made some considerable changes since joining the platform. However, making the switch - from in-house to impartial collection, publishing and managing of their reviews, as well as implementing badges, widgets, and Rich Snippets - couldn't have been easier. I asked Pure Planet Recycling the features they liked most about our solution, and this is what they had to say:
"The control panel is easy to use, and we love the 'quick invite' section. It allows us to quickly log in and request a review from a new customer, then carry on with what we were doing. The page that customers get to see is nice and simple too...the addition of the anonymous tickbox is great. Using REVIEWS.io allows us to hear what our customers think. Like us, they love how easy it is to use..." - Phil Gibbs, Pure Planet Recycling
It's great to know we're ticking all the boxes for you Pure Planet Recycling! We always put our clients at the heart of our business, so in turn they can put their customers first.
The Reviews Dashboard helps businesses do exactly that, with fully customisable review email invitations, or as Pure Planet Recycling take advantage of, a quick invite to speed up the process. The invitations direct customers to easily write their review at the click of a button, and with a more streamlined review process, this helps to empower richer review content, and improve review conversion.
All reviews can be accessed in the Reviews Timeline, enabling companies to see reviews live, as and when they come in. And with review notifications set up, companies can be alerted to customer grievances to keep on top of any concerns, remedy them, and work forward from those issues.
The publication of reviews on-site can also be customised using an extensive range of badges and widgets. From widgets which tuck away discreetly on the side of a webpage, or to eye-catching carousel or full-page reviews, you can direct your customers easily to your feedback, any way you like.
Certain badges and widgets are also Rich Snippet friendly, as Pure Planet Recycling have taken full advantage of, which enables Google to scan that page's content and display those review stars alongside organic search listings. Stars here promote a greater presence and highlight your company, head and shoulders above competitors.
For more information on our badges and widgets, click the highlighted link and see how we can improve your on-site visibility to turn browsers into shoppers.
Overall, Pure Planet Recycling were able to finally harness the power of Company Reviews to re-establish customer trust, boost their review conversion rates, improve their review visibility through stars in organic listings, and ultimately generate more traffic, enquiries and sales!
"The look and feel of our review system allows us to compete in a competitive market and make our business stand out. I'd definitely recommend to other small businesses who wish to get the opinion of their customers and use this to help grow their businesses." - Phil Gibbs, Pure Planet Recycling
It was great finding out how Pure Planet Recycling's Partnership with REVIEWS.io has benefitted their business and their customers, and we hope that they continue to grow their reviews as they grow their great company - we wish you all the best with your continued review journey!
To find out more about how we can positively influence your company like we are doing for Pure Planet Recycling, visit our homepage, or alternatively sign up to a free trial using the button at the top of this page.
