Proliferation Of Fake Reviews On Amazon Products - How Does This Affect Your Business?
The news raised my concern and curiosity...
I am not currently promoting any Amazon products, therefore, I don't have much knowledge on how things work but I know a lot of people in our WA community are.
I saw on the news that the issue of fake 5-star reviews is continuing and getting worse, according to new research. ( BBC News, The Guardian).
Most affected products include Headphones, Smartphones, Fitness Tracters etc. All from less known brands.
*This is actually not only on Amazon, other online retail sites are affected as well.*
As someone who promotes Amazon products, what does this mean for your business?
Recent Comments
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I agree with the many comments below that this can be a problem. I think that it’s okay to review and promote a product you haven’t used but you should be upfront about this in your review.
It’s important to do your research before writing the review to present as much information about a product as you can.
I never use a rating system on products I haven’t personally used and I believe that’s against Amazon’s policy.
Hi - there is a whole industry built up around fake reviews. It's not just Amazon, TripAdvisor is notorious for it. As a freelance writer, I have often been offered jobs where, for example, I have been asked to write 50 reviews for one company, and even supply fake names for each one.
Oh my!
This is interesting. So it only remains with you as an individual what you think is the way to go.
Thanks, Diane.
I still have a lot to learn!
From what I have learned so far from the community, that may be the case and so many other possibilities.
Thanks Jimmy
I think all those fake reviews are just to drive up sales. But then, when sales are up for low-quality products, it's just a matter of time everything would come crushing. The life span of any such activity is short. No genuine quality product manufacturers would trade that for their reputation. However, there are genuine reviews out there to not put aside because of the fake ones.
Thanks for the awareness, Jane. Have a great day!
It's not very useful to have fake reviews but
it's like that with a lot of products on the internet.
I dont' promote Amazon at all but it's not very encouraging.
Have a nice day!
Ingrid
Not affected as I do not use Amazon at the moment only for research purposes, but this news does not surprise me as the number of scams and scammers seems to increase daily.
I have had emails from people asking me to review items I have never bought and I always refuse.
Happy to give reviews if I have bought something but random items is very wrong.
I usually report and tell the person so they don't ask again.
If reviews are fake then you lose confidence in the site. I tend to think a product can't be any good if they have to get fake reviews.
Absolutely, and it seems products getting fake reviews are popular products but of less known brands.
And many of that don't have any corresponding proof of purchase.
So, as you say, there are people who ask the public to review products they have not even bought.
Thanks Linda
I do not use the 5 star rating in my product reviews, as it is against Amazon policy anyway, but did you mean that Amazon is frauding it or the people making the reviews on their site?
The sellers ask people for fake reviews. I have had emails asking for fake reviews. Not loads but enough for concern. Stopped me using Amazon for a while.
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Jane....Hi!
Do your best not to waste your energy on info like this! It's nice to be aware...acknowledge that there are those out there that will set out to deceive..! Then file it all in the Dust0-bin and "Move on"...!
Should you like a product that you want to promote, you can blog-it...! get other reviews....but I say go with your gut-feel...if you like it try it out...and if it doesn't work try another...till you find what's working for you.
Success to you
Ron
Thank you very much Ron
I appreciate your insights
I’m continuing to learn
Have a great day
Jane