[London, 29 January 2026] – Feefo, the purchaser-verified reviews and insights platform, has today published its Gold Standard Manifesto – a statement of principle that sets out why verified, ethically collected feedback is the only foundation on which consumer trust can be built.
The Manifesto arrives at a pivotal moment for the reviews industry. Studies suggest that on some open platforms, as many as one in three reviews may be unreliable or manipulated. At the same time, regulatory pressure is intensifying: the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act – and equivalent legislation internationally – is making fake and incentivised reviews a legal issue, not just an ethical one.
For Feefo, verification has never been a feature. It has been the founding principle. Every review on the platform is linked to a verifiable purchase or service experience, collected by invitation only. No proof of purchase means no Feefo review. That single safeguard – in place since Feefo was founded in 2010 – is precisely what the Gold Standard Manifesto sets out to articulate.
What the Gold Standard means
The Manifesto defines Feefo's position as guardian of genuine reviews. Reviews, when verified and trustworthy, are among the most useful forces in commerce: they give customers the confidence to make better decisions, and give businesses the insight to improve.
For consumers, the Gold Standard means that when they see the Feefo name, they know every review behind it reflects a real transaction. For businesses, it means verified feedback becomes a defensible, credible asset – one that builds conversion, protects reputation, and generates actionable insight through Feefo's suite of analytics tools.
Tony Wheble, CEO of Feefo, said: "I've always believed that trust is more than a nice-to-have in business. It's the foundation everything else rests on. Since day one, Feefo has drawn a very deliberate line in the sand: our platform was built around inviting feedback from real customers about their genuine experiences. This Manifesto isn't just a document for us to frame on the office wall. It's a promise – to our customers, to their customers, and to the industry as a whole."
Why now?
The publication of the Manifesto coincides with a broader shift in how regulators, platforms, and consumers are thinking about review integrity.
With the DMCC Act introducing new obligations around consumer-facing content, businesses collecting and displaying reviews face greater scrutiny than ever. Feefo customers, whose reviews have always been purchaser-verified and transparently moderated, are already aligned with these expectations.
The Gold Standard Manifesto is available to read in full at business.feefo.com/campaign/gold-standard-manifesto.
