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FAQ – Frequently asked questions about Trusted Shops Customer Ratings

Trusted Shops has collected requests, problems and suggestions for improvement for the Trusted Shops Customer Ratings system in recent weeks and provides answers to the most commonly asked questions here. If your questions are nevertheless not answered, you can of course directly contact Trusted Shops customer service.



Procedure and how the functionality

What is the Trusted Shops Customer Ratings system?

With Trusted Shops Customer Ratings, buyers can rate the performance of an online shop with a few mouse clicks.

Which categories can be rated?

Buyers can rate the shop according to five different criteria:

  • Website
  • Delivery
  • Merchandise
  • Customer service
  • Dependability (only for Trusted Shops members within the framework of consumer protection

What does the number of stars say about the quality?

  • 5 stars: Expectations exceeded
  • 4 stars: Expectations fulfilled
  • 3 stars: Expectation not entirely fulfilled
  • 2 stars: Expectations not fulfilled
  • 1 star: Expectations not fulfilled at all

How does the rating process work?

Each category can be rated on a scale from one to five. If the user does not want to give a rating for a category now or at all, it can be removed. The user can also add a comment to the rating. The ratings of all buyers are used to calculate the average rating. Users can also rate the dependability of online shops with the Trusted Shops seal of approval.

Why are ratings not released immediately after they are submitted?

The shop operator has a set window of time after every rating to object to the public display of the rating if the operator feels that the rating is unjustified. Ratings that cannot be attributed to any order (customer opinions) may not be displayed publicly and should be used for the purpose of internal shop optimisation. Trusted Shops conducts regular system-supported checks for this purpose.

How are shop operators protected against fraudulent ratings?

  • Double opt-in: A valid email address must also be provided when submitting a rating. The reviewer then receives an email with an option to confirm the rating for activation (double opt-in).
  • If the online buyer submits a rating that is lower than the average rating "good", the buyer is then requested to leave a comment as well.
  • Veto: Shop operators have the right to submit a veto to a rating. The rating is therefore neither used to calculate the average rating nor listed on the overview page at first. The moderated arbitration procedure is brought into play in such a case.
  • Arbitration: In the case of a veto, Trusted Shops customer service communicates with the merchant and customer to determine whether the rating corresponds to the facts. If a rating is objectively fraudulent or heavily subjective, it is not released for display.

What is the difference between customer feedback and a customer rating?

The user can also submit customer feedback if an order has been placed. It is primarily intended to simplify direct communication with the shop users and serves as a valuable source of information for the merchant's own shop optimisation.

Where can shop operators view and edit their incoming customer ratings?

All customer ratings are managed in the secure login area (shop login). The shop operator receives the details for personal login immediately upon registration approval. Trusted Shops members can log in with their login details that they have received as part of the seal of approval membership. If they have misplaced or forgotten their password, they can request a new one there.

Do shop operators only see their ratings once they have been released to the public?

No, each shop owner has the option to view incoming ratings in a secure login area before they are released by Trusted Shops after a waiting period of seven days.

Why do Trusted Shops members already have customer ratings collected?

The option to rate a transaction within the framework of the consumer protection program has already been in existence since February 2009. Every client who signs up for Trusted Shops consumer protection has the option to submit a rating for the shop including the additional "dependability" category, which explicitly takes the rating of the ordering process into account.

In what languages is Trusted Shops Customer Ratings available?

Trusted Shops Customer Ratings is available to shop operators in German, English and French. We are currently developing expansions for Dutch, Polish and Spanish online shops.

Technology

How are the customer ratings obtained?

The shop operator can request a rating from the customer at any point during the transaction. It is enough to simply integrate the link to the rating form in the corresponding shop templates or in the communications channels (e.g. email). Ideally the request for a rating occurs a few days after the merchandise has been sent. Shops certified by Trusted Shops also receive ratings directly via the Trusted Shops System. Customers who have signed up for consumer protection receive a corresponding rating form displayed when this guarantee is being processed.

Does Trusted Shops request a rating from the buyer via email?

No, at no time does Trusted Shops ever request a rating from the customer via email. The online shop can implement this function on its own or supported by the shop system, however.

Which shop software solutions permit the integration of Trusted Shops Customer Ratings?

Trusted Shops Customer Ratings is compatible with all shop systems.

Can the widget be adjusted to a shop layout?

Yes. The widget can be individually adapted to the requirements of the online shop in the login area (shop login). Adjustments can be made to the width of the widget (between 140 and 190 pixels) as well as for the display of the most recent positive commentary in the widget. Trusted Shops members can also integrate the Trusted Shops seal of approval directly into their widget.

Other changes such as cropping the widget graphic or diverse changes with the aid of style sheet information are generally possible by consulting with Trusted Shops customer service. We greatly value a uniform appearance of the Trusted Shop Customer Ratings widget, and thus expressly advise against those sorts of alterations. For it is primarily the recognisability of the widget to the user and the associated credibility of a neutral customer rating system from Trusted Shops that creates a great amount of added value for the online shop.

When is the widget updated?

The widget is constantly updated by the Trusted Shops System. Slight deviations are however possible between the widget and the customer rating management in the member area if the widget has been integrated into the online shop with a caching function.

How are the shop ratings that are displayed in the widget obtained?

The system takes all ratings from the last twelve months into consideration and recalculates the rating of the online shop on a scale from 1 to 5 stars every day according to an algorithm developed by Trusted Shops.

How long are ratings with a veto still displayed?

As soon as a veto is submitted by the shop operator, the respective rating is immediately removed from the rating overview and/or widget. Trusted Shops reserves the right, however, to undo a veto as part of the moderated arbitration procedure.

When is a rating displayed in the widget?

As soon as the shop operator has collected more than 60 ratings in the system, the rating is immediately displayed in the widget and on the overview page. In addition, the widget only contains the link to the public rating form if the online shop has not yet received any ratings.

Which customer comments are displayed in the widget?

The most recent comment is always selected from those with the average rating "good" or "very good" and displayed directly in the widget. This function can be deactivated in the Trusted Shops System, however.

What technical support is available to shop operators for integration?

Every user of the customer rating system receives an extensive integration handbook as a PDF file with the order confirmation email. There are also examples of code for integrating the widget into the respective shop templates available there and in the Trusted Shops System.

Can customer ratings from other providers be imported into the Trusted Shops System?

At the present time it is unfortunately not possible to integrate customer ratings from other rating systems.

Are the ratings recorded by Google Base?

Google crawls the corresponding rating pages by itself so that it is only a matter of time until they also appear in the Google merchant reviews.

Privacy/legal issues

What does Trusted Shops do with the data and customer opinions?

All of the data and customer ratings are used exclusively for the operation of Trusted Shops Customer Ratings.

Who holds the usage rights to the incoming customer ratings?

The customer ratings are gathered, stored and managed by Trusted Shops. This guarantees the independence and neutrality of the customer ratings. The usage rights are assigned to Trusted Shops when the rating is submitted by the buyer.

What happens with the customer ratings if the shop operator cancels membership?

The customer ratings are no longer officially displayed. It is not possible to publish the customer ratings.

Can buyers object to the display of their customer rating in the widget or on the overview page?

No. Customer ratings and comments are, however, displayed anonymously with no information connecting them to the online buyer.

Marketing

What advantages do shop operators gain from Trusted Shops Customer Ratings?

Real customer ratings increase users' trust in an online shop. New customers are more ready to make a purchase and existing customers maintain a long-lasting relationship with the shop. The customer ratings also give firsthand feedback to the shop operator about where improvements could be made to optimise the online shop.

How important are customer ratings to users?

According to a representative user study by the GfK market research team from September 2009, over 70 percent of all online buyers trust customer opinions and take them into consideration when making purchasing decisions. Bad quality rating options are a significant hurdle for online shopping for almost every second internet user, however.

May the shop operator advertise using the customer ratings?

Yes, Trusted Shops Customer Ratings is ideal for use in marketing campaigns, whether for branded profiles in social networks or in email newsletters. Advertise using the opinions of your customers.

May the comments that are part of the customer ratings be used for marketing purposes?

Yes, the buyers give permission to Trusted Shops and the shop operator to use their ratings for marketing purposes when they submit them.

Are the results of the customer ratings also displayed on the shop pages of Trusted Shops?

Yes, the customer ratings are also integrated into the public shop profile of online shops that are also certified by Trusted Shops.

Does the ratings widget display the Trusted Shops brand name?

Yes. Every widget is called "TRUSTED SHOPS Customer Ratings". As shop operators who do not have a Trusted Shops seal of approval can also use the customer rating system, the seal of approval can only be displayed for certified shops upon request. This can be configured accordingly by the shop operator in the Trusted Shops login area.

Contract

Was does Trusted Shops Customer Ratings cost and what packages are available?

There are two price structures:

  1. The free START package. The shop operator can use this to gather and evaluate an unlimited number of ratings. It is not possible to display the ratings on the web pages in the online shop, however.
  2. The PRO package: For a basic monthly fee of 39 euro, shop operators can also display their customer ratings on the web pages of the online shop both in a details rating profile as well as in a widget. Trusted Shops members receive the PRO package at a special rate of just 19 euro per month. All prices for Trusted Shops Customer Ratings are fixed monthly flat rates.

Can a shop operator switch back from the pay version to the START package?

Yes, shop operators can quickly and easily cancel their respective customer ratings package and it will take effect at the end of the month. You merely have to send your desire to change to Trusted Shops in an email or in another written format. No additional costs are incurred for this.

Does a shop operator have to be a Trusted Shops member in order to be able to use Trusted Shops Customer Ratings?

No, Trusted Shops Customer Ratings can be also be used in online shops as a standalone solution that do not bear the Trusted Shops seal of approval. Simply fill out the registration form to register for the free START package.

How do Trusted Shops members benefit?

Trusted Shops members can upgrade to the PRO package at special rates. Buyers can also rate the dependability of the online shop and then additionally receive the dependability index in their public ratings profile. Trusted Shops members therefore save more than 50 percent in comparison to the regular price and also receive additional functions.

May shop owners who have integrated the customer ratings system into their shop also display the Trusted Shops seal of approval?

No, only those who are certified by Trusted Shops are permitted to display the seal in their online shop. This means that only shops certified by Trusted Shops may display the customer ratings widget containing the Trusted Shops seal.


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