- Huw Hughes
-
|
Almost three quarters (72 percent) of consumers believe retailers need a
new set of standards to combat fake reviews, new research reveals.
In particular, shoppers want only verified customers to be able to post
reviews (43 percent), all products to be tried and tested by such consumers
before launch (38 percent), and that customer content should be reviewed on
a daily basis to help spot fake reviews (34 percent).
That’s according to research commissioned by Bazaarvoice and conducted
by Savanta of over 10,000 consumers across the US, UK, France, Germany and
Australia.
In the UK, of consumers who suspect a product to have fake or fraudulent
reviews, 48 percent will not buy the item and 43 percent would lose trust
for the brand. Once that trust is lost, 78 percent would never buy from
them again, while 28 percent would leave a negative review of the
product.
The accessibility of negative reviews is important in building
brand-consumer trust. Two-thirds (65 percent) of UK consumers said negative
reviews are just as important as positive reviews as they normally contain
more detailed information on the pros and cons of the product and are less
likely to be faked.
UK consumers feel that an appropriate punishment for brands breaching
the standards would be 12 percent of overall revenue – that compares to 4
percent of revenue in the instance of breaching General Data Protection
Regulations (GDPR).
Joe Rohrlich, chief revenue officer at Bazaarvoice, said in a statement:
“Among the top triggers that make consumers suspicious are multiple reviews
with similar wording and an overwhelming number of very positive reviews,
both of which are common for e-commerce sites. It is paramount that brands
are reviewing customer content through technology-based and human
moderation to account for the subtleties in one of the most challenging
aspects of e-commerce.
“Ultimately customer trust can be protected where brands prioritise
honesty and responsivity as core values. Alongside the right tools and
expertise, brands should pursue new insights from customer content that can
help enhance product design and production quality. In turn, this delivers
both improved shopper experiences and a reduction in the return rates
currently wreaking havoc upon the retail sector.”
Photo credit: Rawpixel.com, Pexels
