Fake Reviews Are Scary

Fake Reviews Are Scary

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to acknowledge how scary fake reviews can be for your eCommerce business. You know those reviews that are so positive yet so vague? Or that stream of one star reviews that are all submitted during the same week? Those could be tell-tale signs that you’re reading a fake review, and for your business, that reviews are potentially hurting your reputation.

“Fake reviews” can mean a lot of different things, but put simply, they are spam ratings of your products, often purchased to make a brand look better or to damage the reputation of a competitor. Fake reviews are dangerous because online reviews are generally not vetted as thoroughly as offline content. Even for big brands like Amazon, fake reviews drive retailers batty because they seem like real customer opinions. Your shoppers trust the opinions of other shoppers, which is why it’s so damaging to introduce inaccurate reviews into the mix.

Do you know how to spot a fake review posted to your website or social media channel? Try these fake review spotting tactics to creep it real with your customers:

  • The review is too general: If a review talks about how great or awful a product is without any details, it may be fake. Authentic reviews usually include specific details about the best and worst parts of the product.
  • The review includes links to other websites: Witch, please. An authentic review does not promote another website. If you spot a review that promotes other goods or services, give it the boo-t.
  • The reviewer posts similar content: Look at other reviews posted by the user. If they seem eerily similar, including similar keywords and content formats, you may need to send those reviews to the graveyard.

To protect your business from fake reviews, it’s smart to put someone in charge of moderating your product reviews. With Revere, you are able to set custom moderation rules including profanity filters, auto-escalation, and team moderation. Moderation will be less time consuming, and you’ll be protected—keeping your business growing and reputation boo-tiful.

You’ve worked hard to earn your customer’s trust and boost loyalty. Don’t get caught in a web of fake reviews.

2 Comments

  1. Bharat Krishnan 6 years ago

    Nice article.
    This review is NOT fake.

    • Megan Lilly 6 years ago

      Thanks, Bharat!

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