An investigation by consumer watchdog Which? has suggested that Amazon’s system of customer reviews and ratings is being undermined by a flood of ‘fake’ five-star reviews for products made by unknown brands.
Which? looked at hundreds of tech products in 14 popular categories, including headphones, dash cams, fitness trackers and smart watches, checking for tell-tale signs of suspicious reviews. It claims to have found that the top-rated items were dominated by unknown brands with names such as ITSHINY, Vogek and Aitalk, which in many cases had thousands of unverified reviews – meaning there is no evidence that the reviewer has even bought or used the product.
Many were also said to have had a suspiciously high number of five-star ratings that had been dumped onto Amazon’s review pages in a short space of time – another red flag suggesting the reviews are fake.
Positive reviews can help boost listings for brands so they appear higher up in searches on Amazon.
Recent research found that 97% of shoppers rely on online customer reviews to help make a purchase with the CMA estimating that £23bn a year of UK consumer spending is potentially influenced by such reviews.
Which? stated that fake reviews are a serious problem as they can mislead customers into buying products that are not fit for purpose.
Amazon told the consumer watchdog that it uses a combination of techniques including investigation teams and automated technology to spot fake reviews.
The online giant stated “even one inauthentic review is one too many,” adding: “We have clear participation guidelines for both reviewers and selling partners and we suspend, ban, and take legal action on those who violate our policies.”
However, Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: “Our research suggests that Amazon is losing the battle against fake reviews – with shoppers bombarded by dubious comments aimed at artificially boosting products from unknown brands.
“Amazon must do more to purge its websites of unreliable and fake reviews if it is to maintain the trust of its millions of customers.”
NAM Implications:
- Great opportunity for Amazon to go on the offensive, root out any fakes, and clean the product portfolio…
- …and be seen to so do.
- A 500m portfolio has to yield some ‘wrong uns’…
- …and building in a robust crap-filter could help…
