If your brand is including reviews as part of product content, make sure those reviews are truthful. That's a key takeaway from new Sift data which finds that 40% of consumers who have purchased a product, and later learned the reviews for it were fake or misleading, won't buy from that merchant or brand again. And, one-third of consumers have returned purchases because of fake reviews.
Researchers further found that while most consumers (71%) believe all consumer goods need product reviews, and most also believe that online reviews are "often fake/fraudulent" (85%).
"It all comes down to trust - whether your customers trust you, your products and the community you've created online. With 85% of respondents believing the reviews they read online are often fake or fraudulent, it's clear consumer trust is wavering," said Kevin Lee, Trust & Safety Architect, Sift. "Our findings show the direct affect fake reviews and content can have on user trust. It makes them wary of online companies - with 40% saying they will never buy from a brand again after just one run-in with a misleading review. Ultimately, fake reviews can lead to brand abandonment, which impacts overall business growth."
Other interesting findings from the Sift report include:
▪ 33% have returned products because of fake/fraudulent reviews
▪ 50% of businesses expect fake reviews/fraudlent content to increase over the next year
▪ 70% of consumers believe reviews are more important than star ratings
More data from Sift's Fake Review report can be accessed here.
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