Kate Konchar is the VP of Partnerships at Shopper Approved. She’s been there for seven years - basically a century in the ecommerce world. Shopper Approved, we collect reviews for ecommerce brands. We have a unique approach that starts at checkout. As soon as a customer makes a purchase, we collect a review on the confirmation page. Then, post-fulfillment, we follow up to collect additional reviews.

We collect a variety of user-generated content—company reviews, product reviews, video reviews, and Q&A—so brands have a robust collection of social proof to work with.

 

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Gabe: Reviews are showing up across the entire customer journey now. Let’s start with that. Where in the journey do trust signals have the biggest impact, and why?

Kate: Great question. We think about this in terms of the conversion path—all the touchpoints between when a customer first searches for something to when they actually check out.

We display reviews throughout this journey. You will see them in Google search results, Yahoo, Bing, Walmart marketplace pages, Google Shopping, organic search results, and then again across the brand’s site—on the homepage, product pages, and especially on the product detail page.

The product page is where trust signals make the biggest impact. If customers cannot find the answers they need—like how big the product is, how thick the material is, what others are saying—they will leave. They will go back to search, try to find that information somewhere else, and often end up purchasing from another brand.

That just happened to me when I was shopping for steel shelves. One product page did not give enough detail, so I left, searched again, and bought from someone else. The more you can answer upfront, the more confident your customers feel to buy.

Gabe: Yes! That clarity matters so much. Trust signals from real people with real feedback carry so much weight.

How do you think CX leaders should prioritize reviews and social proof alongside their support and service efforts? How do those worlds connect?

Kate: To me, reviews are customer experience. The journey starts before the customer even makes a purchase. Reviews guide that process, and your trust signals should be present at every step to reinforce confidence.

After the purchase, reviews become a feedback loop. We have clients who treat their reviews like real-time bug trackers. They catch issues with products, shipping, or policies before a customer ever contacts support—because that feedback is already in the review.

Gabe: That is such a smart way to look at it—like early signal detection. Some brands use multiple review platforms, which can get messy. How do you help brands manage that?

Kate: It depends on where brands are focusing their marketing, but we definitely offer tools to support an omnichannel strategy.

Shopper Approved is a Google review partner, so reviews collected through us can appear in Google text ads and product listing ads. We are also partners with Yahoo, Bing, and Walmart. Our Walmart syndication allows product reviews to be shared across the Walmart marketplace.

We also offer a feature called Review Destinations. It lets brands send a portion of their reviews to other open platforms—like Google Business Profiles, Facebook, or even Trustpilot. Brands can choose what percentage goes to each platform. It helps centralize their review collection and manage reputation across the board.

Gabe: That is a solid setup. When reviews are spread across Google, Walmart, and social, having one source that can support all that is huge. Now let’s talk about negative reviews. They make some people nervous. How do you recommend turning negative feedback into a better customer experience?

Kate: I love this question because I think negative feedback is underrated. First, learn from it. Do not bury it—this is real feedback from a real customer. Use it to improve your product or processes.

Second, respond to it. If someone had a bad experience, reach out. Did they receive the wrong item? Was your policy confusing? Assign someone to monitor and respond to negative reviews in real-time.

Finally, show those reviews—post them. At Shopper Approved, we automatically display all reviews on our platform and your site. When customers see that your team responds thoughtfully to negative feedback, it actually builds trust. They know you care and will make it right if something goes wrong.

Gabe: Yes, I have seen some companies really own those reviews and turn them into brand moments. Someone told me recently about a knife brand whose one-star review said, “This knife is too sharp—it cut me!” And they turned that into marketing gold.

I think some brands are getting creative with how they use even negative reviews.

Kate: Totally. I snowboard, and there is a ski resort in Utah that shares its one-star reviews in its marketing. They are hilarious—complaints like “the mountain was too steep” or “the snow was too deep.” They post them proudly. It is all about how you frame it.

Gabe: That is such a fun tactic. Ok, let’s wrap with this: When you think about trust signals, what is one thing you have seen a brand do that made a meaningful impact?

Kate: Honestly, just putting reviews front and center on product pages consistently drives higher conversions. One client comes to mind. They started collecting reviews with us and once they hit 100 (Google’s threshold for showing reviews in search), they added the star rating to their Google ads. Their click-through rate doubled—from 0.7% to 1.4%—within a month. That is a huge difference, just from showing reviews earlier in the journey. It shows how powerful trust signals can be when customers see them before they even reach your website.

Closing thoughts

Kate Konchar from Shopper Approved reminds us that customer experience does not begin at checkout—it starts the moment a shopper first encounters your brand. From search results to product pages, trust signals like reviews play a critical role in shaping that journey. Brands that showcase authentic customer feedback early build confidence, reduce friction, and drive conversions. If you want loyal customers later, start earning their trust from the very first click. That’s where true CX begins.

Ready to take the next step in your brand’s customer experience? Chat with our team to see what Kustomer’s comprehensive AI-powered CRM and customer support tool can do for you.