SmartCustomer

SmartCustomer
TypePrivately held
IndustryBusiness ratings and online reviews
Founded2006
Founders
  • Michael Lai
  • Jeremy Gin
  • Rodney Gin
HeadquartersRedwood City, California
ProductsOnline review platform
Websitewww.smartcustomer.com

SmartCustomer, formerly Sitejabber, is a platform that allows businesses and buyers to interact through online reviews. It was founded in 2006 in San Francisco, California and has been described as "the Yelp for websites and online businesses".

History

The service was started in 2006 by Jeremy Gin, Rodney Gin and Michael Lai in an effort to reduce online fraud and improve online transparency. Sitejabber was originally developed with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

In 2010, Sitejabber partnered with LegitScript to identify fraudulent prescription drug websites and help users avoid them. Sitejabber also formed a similar partnership with Health On Net (HON) to help identify trustworthy health and medical websites.

The company released an official Google Chrome extension in 2015.

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged that Sitejabber misrepresented initial shopping experience feedback as reviews of actual products or services, and issued an order prohibiting the company from doing so in the future.

Their services have been covered in publications such The New York Times, MarketWatch, MSN Money, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and The Chicago Tribune.

The company is a certified Google Reviews partner.

In March 2025, the company launched a brand discovery platform under the name SmartCustomer by Sitejabber.

The company was renamed as SmartCustomer in March 2026.

Overview

The company's review management platform, which is now called SmartCustomer for Business, allows businesses to source reviews, manage feedback, and use reviews for their online marketing – including publishing or facilitating reviews across destinations including Google Seller Ratings, BBB, and other customer review websites.

In addition, both B2C and B2B consumers create accounts to rate and review online businesses, providing an overall star-rating, as well as evaluating criteria such as service, value, shipping, returns, and quality. It is a platform where users can share their experiences and insights about various businesses. These features are designed to help buyers make informed purchasing decisions while helping them avoid deceptive websites.

SmartCustomer has been recognized by PC Magazine and CNN.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us - Sitejabber".
  2. 1 2 3 "Sitejabber Software Reviews, Demo & Pricing - 2022". softwareadvice.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  3. 1 2 Van Grove, Jennifer (21 July 2009). "Sitejabber: A Power to the People Tool for Reviewing Online Businesses". Mashable. Archived from the original on 2026-07-20. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Gin, Jeremy (2009-07-21). "The SiteJabber Story | The SiteJabber Blog". www.sitejabber.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26.
  5. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award#1127567 - SBIR Phase II: Software to Automate the Detection of Websites that are Fraudulent or Otherwise Harmful to Consumers". National Science Foundation. Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  6. ↑ "LegitScript alliance to help identify 'rogue' Rx web sites". CDR – Chain Drug Review. 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  7. ↑ "Sitejabber, HON Announce Partnership to Help Consumers Find Quality Health Websites". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 "SiteJabber Shows You Reviews of Web Retailers Before You Buy". Lifehacker. 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  9. ↑ Shibu, Sherin (2024-11-07). "Why the FTC Charged Sitejabber With Fake Ratings and Reviews | Entrepreneur". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on 2024-11-07. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  10. ↑ Bortz, Daniel (11 December 2021). "3 How to Avoid Basic Wedding Scams". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  11. ↑ Hill, Catey (30 July 2014). "3 pet medication scams — and what you can do about them". MarketWatch. Dow Jones & Co. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Lipka, Mitch (7 July 2013). "Hey, senior Internet surfers: Sharks are circling". MSN Money. Microsoft, Inc. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  13. ↑ Good, Chris (28 September 2010). "The Top E-Commerce Fears". The Atlantic. Atlantic Media. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  14. ↑ Hill, Catey (15 May 2014). "Booking travel online? Beware of these 4 scams". MarketWatch. Dow Jones & Co. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  15. ↑ Stafford, Diane (6 September 2010). "Beware of work-at-home scams". The Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  16. ↑ "SiteJabber launches SmartCustomer, an innovative brand discovery platform for shoppers". Yahoo! Finance. 2025-03-19. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  17. ↑ "Sitejabber rebrands to SmartCustomer, launches ChatGPT app and AI-powered review verification". Dealroom.co. 2026-03-05. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  18. ↑ "Sitejabber is now SmartCustomer: what the rebrand changes". JustReview. 2026-08-19. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  19. ↑ Newswire, Cision PR (2026-03-05). "Mission driven e-commerce reviews website rebrands and rolls out new consumer protections for age of AI shopping". The AI Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  20. ↑ "Mission driven e-commerce reviews website rebrands and rolls out new consumer protections for age of AI shopping". The Norfolk Daily News. 2026-09-23. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  21. ↑ Fiegerman, Seth (15 June 2010). "7 Tips to Tell If an Online Biz Is Safe". TheStreet. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  22. ↑ Heater, Brian (16 August 2010). "The Top 100 Web Sites of 2010". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "100 best money moves". CNN Money. Time Warner, Inc. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2014.