GOLD COAST, Australia - s4story -- Consumers worldwide are placing greater trust in personal recommendations than in brands or advertising, reinforcing a growing shift in how purchasing decisions are made and how businesses must now earn credibility.

As audiences become more sceptical of advertising and increasingly overwhelmed by digital noise, trust is moving away from brand messaging and toward recommendations from people they know.

"People don't wake up trusting ads," said Justin Herald, founder of ReferUs Network. "They trust people. That gap between brand promises and human recommendation has never been wider."

Marketing analysts point to declining engagement with digital advertising and rising costs across major platforms, making it harder for businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, to achieve sustainable growth through paid marketing alone.

In contrast, referrals from customers, colleagues, friends, and family continue to deliver higher-quality leads and stronger long-term relationships.

More on S For Story

• Stout Industrial Technology Appoints Paul Bonnett as Chief Executive Officer
• Revenue Optics Appoints Ljupco Icevski as Executive Advisor in Strategic Move to Accelerate Commercial Development
• Waarom brand mentions in ChatGPT steeds belangrijker worden
• Educator and Teen Author Release Companion Books on Growth, Resilience, and Becoming Your Best
• Yunishigawa Onsen's Annual "Kamakura Festival" will be held January 30 – March 1, 2026

"What we're seeing is a shift from persuasion to proof," Herald said. "A recommendation from someone you trust is proof. Advertising is just a promise."

Herald said the idea for ReferUs emerged from years of working with businesses that consistently identified referrals as their strongest growth channel, yet had little visibility over how many referrals were lost or never followed through.

"Most people intend to refer a business after a great experience," he said. "But life gets busy. Without a simple system, those referrals disappear."

Platforms designed to support referral activity are helping businesses adapt to this trust-driven environment by reducing friction and making referrals easier to act on in the moment.

As trust becomes a defining currency in the global economy, businesses that prioritise customer experience and make referrals effortless are expected to outperform those relying solely on paid exposure.

"Trust isn't built by shouting louder," Herald said. "It's built by being worth talking about."
https://referusnetwork.com/