Executive Summary
Trustpilot, the world's most powerful review platform, prides itself on transparency and high standards. However, their internal onboarding process for 250 annual hires across Europe was struggling with a "fragmentation tax." By moving from a manual, "storage room" packing model to a fully systemized Sunday welcome kit flow, the HR team reduced the time spent on merchandise distribution to almost zero. Every new hire now receives a high-quality, personalized welcome kit automatically, ensuring a premium first impression that scales without adding administrative headcount.
About the Client
Trustpilot is a global leader in the "trust economy," providing a platform for consumers and businesses to connect through genuine reviews. With a rapidly growing workforce across Europe, maintaining a consistent culture is a top priority for their HR and People teams. In a competitive talent market, the "day one" experience is a critical moment for employee retention and brand advocacy.
The Challenge: The "Storage Room" Bottleneck
Before partnering with Sunday, Trustpilot's onboarding kits were managed through a series of ad-hoc, manual steps. While the intent was to welcome new employees, the execution was a significant operational drain.
The process was defined by four primary friction points:
1. Data collection chaos
HR managers had to manually collect clothing sizes and shipping addresses via email threads or spreadsheets. This information was often outdated or incomplete, leading to "wrong size" errors and wasted stock.
2. The hidden cost of packing
Every kit required a team member to physically enter a storage room, locate the correct items, find suitable packaging, and manually pack the box. For 250 hires a year, this "merch closet" model consumed dozens of hours that should have been spent on strategic people operations.
3. Logistics and documentation
Shipping across European borders required manual generation of shipping labels and customs documentation. The HR team was effectively acting as a small-scale logistics company: a role they were neither trained for nor had the time to perform.
4. The "hope it arrives" strategy
Without a centralized platform, tracking was fragmented. HR had no way of knowing if a package was delayed or lost until a new hire mentioned it on their first day, turning a positive "welcome" moment into a logistical apology.
The Solution: A Systematic Welcome Flow
Trustpilot replaced their manual workflow with a Sunday Platform integration. The goal was simple: merchandise should be a "set and forget" infrastructure that triggers as soon as a contract is signed.
The automated redeem flow
Now, the onboarding process is triggered by an automatic email. When a new hire is added to the Trustpilot system, they receive a link to a private Sunday Redeem Page.
- User autonomy: The new hire selects their own hoodie size and enters their preferred shipping address directly into the platform. This eliminates data entry errors and ensures the recipient gets exactly what they want.
- Instant fulfillment: Once the hire hits "submit," the order flows directly into Sunday's logistics hub. The package is picked, packed, and shipped without a single HR manager having to touch a box.
Personalization at scale
To maintain the "human touch" of a growing brand, Trustpilot utilizes Sunday's automated messaging feature. Every welcome kit includes a personalized welcome card with a message tailored to the new hire. This is generated and printed automatically during the fulfillment process, ensuring that "automation" doesn't mean "impersonal."
Real-time visibility
The HR team no longer "hopes" the package arrives. They can track every shipment directly from the Sunday platform. If a package is delayed, they have the visibility to act before the new hire even notices, maintaining the high standards associated with the Trustpilot brand.
Platform Features Used: From Mess to Clear
- Redeem pages: Capturing sizes and addresses directly from the employee to eliminate "rogue data" and manual spreadsheets.
- Automated card generation: Integrating personalized print-on-demand cards into the fulfillment flow.
- Global logistics: Sunday handles all shipping and customs documentation for Trustpilot's European hires, ensuring DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) arrival.
- Storage and warehousing: Trustpilot's welcome kit stock is held centrally in Sunday's warehouse, freeing up physical office space and removing the "storage room" mess.
- MerchMetrics: Every welcome kit is automatically followed up with a Trustpilot e-mail asking for feedback and a picture (if they want to share). This generates a ton of user generated content, ready for their next employer branding campaign.
Impact and Key Results: Reclaiming the HR Calendar
The shift to a Merch OS model allowed Trustpilot to transform a "low priority side stream" into a professional brand asset:
1. Time investment reduced to near zero
The HR team has reclaimed the hours previously spent in the storage room and at the postal office. The entire distribution process is now a byproduct of their existing onboarding workflow.
2. 100% data accuracy
By allowing employees to select their own sizes on the Redeem Page, Trustpilot has eliminated the cost of "wrong size" returns and the frustration of ill-fitting apparel.
3. Premium brand consistency
Every new hire, whether in London, Copenhagen, or Berlin, receives the exact same high-quality package. The "fragmentation tax" of local variations and inconsistent packing has been eliminated.
4. Total logistics traceability
With all tracking data centralized in the platform, HR can verify that every "welcome" arrives on time, every time.
Conclusion: Infrastructure for Culture
Trustpilot's success proves that merchandise is most effective when it is invisible to the team managing it. By treating the welcome kit as a core business process rather than a series of projects, they have built a scalable infrastructure for their culture.
