The team at She Grows Veg know that trust is everything when you’re a small business. Even when you’ve amassed plenty of social media followers who are invested in your story, you’ve still got to convince customers who haven’t found your Instagram page. That’s why the She Grows Veg team turned to Feefo to collect verified reviews; to reinforce trust, and to showcase genuine customer experiences. We talked to Kate Cotterill, CEO and co-founder, to find out more.
Quick picks from the patch: Key takeaways
- Verified reviews from real customers help small businesses convert first-time buyers and build long-term credibility.
- She Grows Veg chose Feefo for its verified-only reviews, ensuring authenticity and eliminating fake feedback.
- Reviews work best where they reinforce trust. For She Grows Veg, that means on websites and emails, not cluttering their social media presence.
- Small feedback can have a big impact. One customer review led to a packaging tweak that improved the unboxing experience for future buyers.
From Instagram to eCommerce success
She Grows Veg started life as an Instagram account – where for seven years, Lucy Hutchings has shared her passion for growing heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits, and edible flowers. Her vibrant, inspiring content quickly attracted a loyal following of home gardeners eager to learn more.
In November 2023, She Grows Veg officially launched as a business, bringing carefully curated seed collections to market. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength, with a thriving eCommerce store alongside its engaged social media community. With a focus on education, sustainability, and making home growing accessible to all, they continue to inspire both seasoned gardeners and first-time growers alike.
Finding the right reviews platform
With over 25 years in marketing, Kate understands the value of customer trust better than most. Her opinion is that reviews aren’t just a nice-to-have; they’re essential for driving revenue and building confidence, especially for first-time customers.
“We knew we needed a reviews platform, so I did my research and looked at all the usual options,” Kate explains. “Feefo stood out straight away – not just because it was competitively priced, but because of the personal service. The team really took the time to understand our business and what we needed.”
One of the biggest advantages Feefo offered was the ability to collect verified reviews only – ensuring that all feedback came from real customers. “I didn’t want an open review system where anyone could leave feedback. It was important to me that reviews were only from people who had actually purchased from us, so potential customers could trust what they were reading,” Kate adds.
Another key feature was Feefo’s separation of service and product ratings. Since She Grows Veg sells seeds that take time to grow, traditional product reviews aren’t always the best fit. “For a business like ours, where a customer might not see results for months, service reviews made much more sense. The ability to collect and showcase those separately really worked for us.”
With Feefo in place, She Grows Veg can confidently display real customer experiences and reinforce trust at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
The impact of Feefo reviews on customer confidence
Since implementing Feefo, the data has shown that reviews play a crucial role in building trust.
“We use Hotjar to track customer interactions, and we’ve found that while people don’t always click through to read the full reviews, they definitely look at them,” Kate explains. “Just seeing that we have a 4.9 rating is enough of a sense check to reassure them and move forward with their purchase.”
This is particularly important given She Grows Veg’s product range. With seeds and gardening products being relatively low-cost items, customers tend to make quick decisions rather than conducting in-depth research. “If they were buying a car, they’d probably sit down and read every review,” Kate says. “But for a £2 or £3 pack of seeds, they just need that instant confirmation that we’re a trusted business. Feefo provides that.”
Using reviews where they matter the most
While She Grows Veg is a social-first brand, they’re selective about where they share reviews. “Our Instagram and social platforms are all about inspiration, beautiful imagery, and storytelling. Posting reviews just doesn’t fit with that,” Kate explains. Instead, they’ve strategically integrated Feefo reviews into their marketing in other ways:
- On the website to provide a trust signal that helps customers feel confident when making a purchase.
- In email marketing, reviews are featured at the bottom of their emails, to reinforce that others have had positive customer experiences.
- On LinkedIn, Feefo reviews play a role in professional networking, where trust and credibility matter.
By using Feefo reviews in a way that fits their brand, She Grows Veg has found the perfect balance. They’re able to give new customers the reassurance they need without disrupting their visual storytelling approach.
Building community-driven growth
She Grows Veg was born from an engaged Instagram community, and that connection with their audience remains at the heart of their brand. With over 212,000 followers, their social media presence isn’t just about showcasing beautiful heirloom vegetables – it’s about building a loyal, interactive community.
Kate sees the impact of that loyalty every day. “On Instagram, there’s no formal way to leave a review, so we rely on social listening,” she explains. “We see people tagging friends, recommending us in comments, and sharing our products in their own posts. That’s a huge form of advocacy.”
To encourage word-of-mouth recommendations, the team actively rewards engagement with monthly competitions where followers tag a friend for a chance to win, helping to grow brand awareness organically.
While Feefo provides a structured way to collect and showcase verified reviews, social advocacy is just as valuable. “I love that Feefo guarantees that every review comes from a real customer. That helps protect our brand and ensures that potential buyers are seeing feedback from genuine people who have actually shopped with us,” Kate says.
Small changes adding up to a big difference
Customer reviews don’t just provide top level insights – they can also highlight small, simple changes that have a big impact on the customer experience. A single review can prompt a quick and easy change for an improved customer experience.
Kate shared how one Feefo review helped She Grows Veg refine their Grow Your Own Christmas Dinner seed bundle. The customer loved the concept but mentioned that when it arrived, it was simply a collection of seed packets in a bag, with no label to indicate what it was. The customer felt it would be a much more exciting gift if it had an explanation of what it was – which made perfect sense to the team when it was pointed out.
It was a quick and easy fix, and one that transformed the unboxing experience for future customers. Within a week of receiving the review, the team had made the change – and recognised that sometimes, even the smallest pieces of feedback can lead to meaningful improvements.
Why verified reviews matter for small businesses
Since every penny in the budget counts for small businesses, we asked Kate what she thinks about why working with Feefo is important. With her extensive experience in marketing, we knew she’d have some great advice. “You can’t underestimate the importance of trust in your brand, especially when customers are at the research phase. That’s why Feefo and verified reviews are essential.”
But Kate emphasises that engagement is just as important as collecting reviews themselves. “We’ve replied to every single review we’ve ever had,” she says. “It’s about showing appreciation for the time customers take to leave feedback and creating a two-way conversation. When people see that their input is valued, they’re more likely to leave reviews in the future – and that’s invaluable for any growing business.”
Kate recognises that a verified review platform isn’t just about displaying ratings; it’s a tool for building long-term trust and credibility. “If you’re a small brand looking to convert first-time buyers into loyal customers, verified reviews make a huge difference,” Kate explains. “They help remove that initial hesitation and get people over the line. And once they’ve placed that first order, you have the opportunity to build a real relationship with them.”
Growing the She Grows Veg community
Kate knows that many customers engage with the She Grows Veg brand because they first encountered the brand through social media. Because of that, customers know the team are approachable – that’s reflected in the fact that their chatbot on the website gets used extensively every month by customers that want to ask questions.
That’s why Feefo Communities is on the team’s radar for the future. By giving customers a space to share experiences, ask questions, and support one another, we think it could be a natural extension of the engagement they already have with their audience. When the time is right, it has the potential to be a valuable tool for both the business and its customers.
The power of trust
For She Grows Veg, Feefo has become an essential tool for building trust, strengthening customer relationships, and ensuring that new buyers feel confident in their purchase. By using verified reviews in a way that fits their brand, they’ve created a seamless trust-building experience for their customers.
Kate’s final piece of advice? “Never underestimate the importance of trust in a brand. Whether you’re selling goods or services, building trust at that research and consideration phase is absolutely vital. A reviews platform like Feefo isn’t just useful – it’s essential.”
If you’re a small business looking to boost credibility and convert more first-time buyers, collecting verified reviews with Feefo can help you do just that. Get in touch to day to find out how Feefo can support your business and help you turn customer feedback into growth.
