The Credibility Factor: How Britannica Uses Reviews to Drive Sales

Hear how Britannica’s “baked-in” approach to collecting and sharing EdTech Impact reviews drives product improvements, builds brand credibility, and strengthens sales conversations – both on and off the EdTech Impact platform.

Background: Britannica School

Britannica School is a curriculum-aligned digital resource that offers differentiated content, multimedia, and research tools to support diverse learners.

Joining EdTech Impact in July 2019, Britannica sought an independent platform for teachers to share their experiences — anticipating that the review content on our marketplace would showcase their quality and further establish their credibility as a leading education supplier.

Since then, Britannica School has amassed 200+ reviews — ranking in the Top 3 across 16 EdTech Impact categories (1st in 9) — and has earned numerous evidence-based accolades that have bolstered its credibility among prospective buyers.

Discussing the impact of these reviews, particularly as a core part of sales conversations, is Matt Ward, Britannica’s EMEA Director.

The Power of the Feedback Loop

Through their private EdTech Impact dashboard, Matt’s team has real-time visibility of each review as it comes in. These insights tell a compelling story about where users are seeing the greatest benefits of Britannica, providing valuable feedback that informs discussions with existing customers.

“That feedback loop is such an important part of getting a good understanding of how our customers are using us”, Matt says. “I think that’s so important towards product development, how we interface with our customers, and how we support them – it’s a really integral component of the way that we interact with our valued accounts.”

However, while a steady stream of brand advocates is wonderful, what about the reviews that Matt describes as more ‘challenging’? 

The Britannica team does not shy away from these: “They’re such an important way of helping to adjust how we are interacting with our customers… and how, ultimately, we’re developing our products. There is peace of mind that comes from knowing that each review is monitored for authenticity by the EdTech Impact team before it’s published, ensuring that customer feedback is of genuine value.”

Matt explains that his team is determined not to be “blind to those, perhaps, less positive reviews,” choosing to use these hidden insights to support their product development roadmap.

Feedback that Improves Sales Conversations

One of the most powerful ways Britannica leverages its reviews is within sales conversations – a strategy that, as Matt puts it, “is baked-in to the sales process”. 

Every day, the Britannica team uses their EdTech Impact reviews to strengthen their live sales pitches, referring prospects to their online profile, and leveraging different reviews to help overcome a common rebuttal in the sales world: skepticism.

“The big thing we tell our sales team is that it doesn’t really matter what our opinion is, because any potential customer is gonna say ‘Of course you’d say that, you’re in sales!’”, he explains. “So being able to provide that authentic feedback from real customers helps us build credibility as a team.”

This approach puts customer voices at the heart of sales conversations. By sharing real-world experiences from educators who actively use Britannica’s solutions, the team can validate claims and reinforce the platform’s impact. 

“It doesn’t really matter what our opinion is, because any potential customer is gonna say ‘Of course you’d say that, you’re in sales!”

This level of transparency fosters trust and gives Britannica an unfair advantage over competitors. And in a world where only 8% of teachers trust the claims made by EdTech companies, investing in trust is paramount when selling to schools.

Awards Recognition that Builds Credibility

The EdTech Impact Awards recognise top-performing EdTech solutions based on 13 impact metrics that were developed in collaboration with University College London. To qualify, products must receive reviews from at least 15 unique schools throughout the year, with winners determined by the highest ratings in their respective impact areas.

For 2025, Britannica earned two prestigious accolades: the “Building Student Knowledge” and “Improving Teacher Knowledge” awards. Matt emphasised that these awards have strengthened brand integrity.

“We won two awards with EdTech Impact – it’s exciting”, he explains. “They’ve been a big deal, giving us some real credibility – not just with our existing school accounts, but also with potential customers.”

As a trusted evidence platform, EdTech providers can leverage EdTech Impact’s broad range of digital assets to enhance their promotional efforts. By prominently featuring award badges and reviews in their marketing materials and campaigns, Britannica has strengthened its credibility among educators. “It helps offer up that additional assurance to teachers that our solutions actually have impact within schools.”

Final thoughts

Matt’s advice to other EdTech companies is to harness EdTech Impact reviews as a form of social proof. “It just helps offer up that additional assurance to teachers… that our solutions actually have impact within schools.”

For Britannica, integrating this feedback into marketing strategies has fostered community engagement and developed into “a really integral component in how we interact with our valued accounts.”

References: EdTech Evidence Group 2021