Fake It ‘Til You Make It? Not So Fast … Fake Reviews Can Do a Lot Of Damage to Consumer Trust.

These days, almost all consumers consult online reviews when making purchase decisions both at their desktops or in store while shopping. A key factor in the modern buyer journey, reviews are valued by consumers; they expect authenticity, and when they don’t get it, trust is lost and brands don’t get the sale.

Unfortunately, reviews are not always real. Many are fraudulent and manipulated, creating a serious and pervasive problem that can hurt both brands and retailers alike. The bottom line is that phony reviews mislead customers who may then make poor purchase decisions. If consumers don’t feel they can trust a company, they’re unlikely to make a purchase.

At PowerReviews, we recently surveyed nearly 13,000 US consumers to gauge the extent of the issue of fake reviews and our report – How Fake Reviews Destroy Consumer Trust – and How Brands and Retailers Can Combat Them –provides some interesting insights as well as tips brands and retailers can take to preserve review authenticity.

81% of US consumers are concerned about fake reviews and 63% say they’re more concerned about fake reviews while shopping online than they were five years ago. From Boomers to GenZ, these concerns are widespread across all generations of buyers.

Unfortunately, fake reviews are all too common. Nine in 10 (90%) of US consumers believe they’ve read a fake review in the past, which is slightly higher than in the UK, where 87% of consumers believe they’ve read a fake review.

Amazon, which has received a lot of negative press regarding its prevalence of fake reviews, tops the list with 84% of consumers concerned about fake reviews on the retailer’s marketplace. But consumer consternation about fake reviews is seen across a broad spectrum of leading retailers; 53% are concerned with fake reviews on Walmart, 29% on Target, 26% on Wayfair, 18% on BestBuy, 15% on Chewy, 14% on Home Depot, 13%, on Lowes and 9% on Kroger.

The survey shows that consumers are wary of numerous telltale signs of fake reviews. Wording (67%), poor grammar/not making sense (59%), extremity – either too negative or too positive (54%) and a lack of detail (52%) top the list of fake review red flags.

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Preserving the Authenticity of Reviews

Brands and retailers must strive to preserve the authenticity of the reviews on their websites. Here are a few things to keep in mind to guide these efforts:

The Importance of Transparency –

 Reviews come from a variety of sources. One important way to preserve the authenticity of reviews and promote consumer trust is to be transparent about their source. Brands and retailers can do this by adding text or a “tag” to each review which lets shoppers know the source.

Leveraging badges that disclose the source helps impact a review’s perception. The “verified buyer” tag, for example, ensures proof positive that the shopper has actually purchased the product.

Moderation is Key –

Consumers have come to identify certain red flags for fake reviews. As a result, brands and retailers should ensure their sites have a robust moderation process to flag fraudulent reviews as well. It’s critical that brands have a comprehensive fraud detection process in place to ensure reviews on their site are truly authentic — one that combines technology with human moderation is ideal.

Perfect Shouldn’t Be the Goal –

Although retailers and brands may desire perfect reviews, perfect average star ratings are rarely ideal and can raise suspicions with shoppers. In fact, according to the survey, 54% of consumers say that if a review is too negative or too positive, it makes them suspect it may be fake and only 6% feel that the ideal average rating for a given product is a perfect five out of five. The largest portion of consumers – 44% – feel that the ideal average star rating falls between 4.5 and 4.99. And, 42% think the sweet spot sits between 4.0 and 4.49 stars.

Resist the Urge to Suppress Negative Reviews – 

Although negative reviews are never the goal for brands and retailers, not having any can raise a red flag with shoppers and there is a silver lining as many shoppers depend on these to make savvy purchase decisions. Research shows 61% of consumers actively seek out one-star reviews; doing so helps them understand the worst-case scenario. For brands, it also demonstrates transparency, showing shoppers brands have nothing to hide.

Suppressing negative reviews and publishing fraudulent ones can be a quick way to improve a brand’s image and grow sales, but this can also damage a brand and hurt its reputation as clothing retailer Fashion Nova learned earlier this year after the Federal Trade Commission fined it $4.2 million.

Safeguarding Consumer Trust

The value of product reviews is rooted in their authenticity. When consumers write reviews, they’re not doing so to sell products. They’re contributing content simply to share their genuine feedback – whether good, bad, or somewhere in between.

Earning and maintaining consumer trust is crucial for brands and retailers because consumers don’t buy from companies they don’t trust. Enabling genuine product reviews while taking steps to prevent and/or eliminate fake reviews not only helps build trust but also increases the likelihood of consumers making purchases – a win/win proposition.

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