From complaints to catalyst
What began as a platform where people complained about poor customer service has evolved into a thriving community-driven hub. Today, Hellopeter is dedicated to fostering a balanced platform where both positive and negative experiences are shared, enabling consumers to make informed decisions while providing businesses with insights for improvement.
In fact, Hellopeter has maintained a balance of 50/50 split between positive and negative reviews over the past couple of years, in contrast with its earliest years of as little as 4% positive reviews.
"We've come a long way since the original perception of being a complaints platform. And today, we're proud to be South Africa's number-one online review platform. We even achieved a 50/50 balance of positive versus negative reviews, which we believe brings the most credibility. There's inherent trust in our platform from the consumer's point of view," explains Alon Rom, CEO of Hellopeter.
An ever-growing community
With over 2.4 million registered users and a monthly influx of around 850,000 visitors using the platform to help themselves and others make better consumer decisions, the Hellopeter Community is growing at a steady pace, proving its relevance among today’s consumers.
The Hellopeter Community’s voice is a strong one too, with over 50,000 reviews being published on the platform every month. This amounts to around one review per minute!
Businesses are noticing, too. Around 83,000 businesses have already registered their profiles on Hellopeter. Of reviews written, a solid 69% of these receive responses from the businesses themselves, evidence that South African businesses are recognising the importance of engaging with customer feedback.
The 20k giveaway
In March 2024, they announced a giveaway in which reviewers could win R20,000 by reviewing a business not yet registered on Hellopeter.
This initiative encourages engagement with new businesses and rewards users for expanding the platform's reach and impact.
"The goal is to reward our Hellopeter Community for the incredible contribution they've made over the years to making South Africa better for consumers. At the same time, we also want to put those lesser-known, smaller businesses on the map by encouraging consumers to share their experiences with Mzansi," says Rom.
Entering the 20k giveaway
Entering the giveaway is simple. As Hellopeter is now entering its third month of the giveaway, they’re asking Mzansi to review three businesses not yet listed on Hellopeter (their name does not come up when you search for them) to qualify as an entrant. Terms and conditions apply.
To participate, follow these steps:
- Go to hellopeter.com and click on "Write a review".
- Type a business you want to review in the search bar. If it pops up, it’s already on Hellopeter. If it doesn’t, add them by writing their first review for them!
- Important: before publishing the review, ensure you include the business's email address to notify them of the review. You’ll also get a bonus entry for following this step! You can usually find their email address on their website or social media pages.
- Tag the business in the comments of Hellopeter's latest giveaway social media posts to complete the entry process.
- Make sure you review a total of THREE businesses not yet listed on Hellopeter to be entered into the draw.
Here’s a video showing the process:
One lucky winner will be randomly selected from qualifying entries each month to receive the R20,000 cash prize. The full terms and conditions can be accessed here.
Writing a review for the first time
If you’re new to writing reviews, Hellopeter offers a variety of resources, including informative videos on their YouTube channel, to support and guide you through the process. In this way, Hellopeter remains steadfast in its commitment to encourage transparent and constructive dialogue between consumers and businesses.
"Online reviews and the buyer journey are more important than ever. Whereas word of mouth used to be the most powerful form of marketing, it's even more effective today. And anything a consumer says in the digital landscape has a far-reaching impact," says Rom.
Winners’ Wall
They’ve already announced two winners from the past two months, each earning a R20,000 cash prize for listing a new business on Hellopeter. Congrats to Eugene Leibach and Gosego Monoane!
Want to be the next lucky winner? Review three businesses not yet listed on Hellopeter today. And you’ll get a bonus entry for adding those businesses' email addresses. T&Cs apply.
New to Hellopeter?
If you've never signed up to review a business on Hellopeter, you can register for free.
For more information on the giveaway, visit hellopeter.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.
