How to Spot Fake Reviews on Amazon?

Fake reviews are common across every online eCommerce platform and sadly Amazon is no exception. Most buyers while buying products on the e-commerce platforms prefer reading reviews before making a final decision.  

Not only buyers but sellers enjoy some perks of Amazon reviews. Sellers usually resort to this tactic across platforms to ensure they gain a market for new products and make their hold among competitors.

However, since the past few years, fake reviews have become a cause of workers. The extent of this not so small issue has become considerably significant when  Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations has to step in.  Now, CMA is keeping an eye on Amazon hosting user reviews. 

A rising problem is not just fake reviews but also negative fake reviews by sellers on their competitors’ products.

For an average buyer, it becomes difficult and time-consuming to identify genuine reviews over reviews. Buyers even fall into the trap of fake reviews and purchase a bad product. This leads to dissatisfaction among the buyers and a  lack of trust in online shopping. This potential bad experience could dissuade many genuine buyers.

What are Amazon reviews?

Customers who purchase products from Amazon are encouraged to provide feedback about the product. The reason feedback is encouraged by websites is because it helps other potential buyers make an informed decision. After a customer has made a purchase the amazon website or app encourages the potential customer to provide feedback. They have varied categories based on product purchased and customers can provide feedback on the quality of delivery to the quality of the product. These reviews are then publicly visible to all potential customers who plan on purchasing the product.

Reviews at Amazon can both be organic by the customer on his own will or by a customer who is provided by incentive or by sellers to boost the products

Why are Amazon reviews are important?

Customers who read reviews are those who are unsure about the product or lack clarity about the product. They need some assurance about the product they are purchasing.

Reviews are extremely important to new sellers as positive reviews could help to boost the product and in turn generate more demand for the products.

More number reviews on your product could help your products be more easily visible on google SEO when a search is made about similar products. Sellers can easily boost reviews when advertising their products on another social media platform. This could be a great way of attracting potential customers who might come across products by surfing the net

For buyers, reviews could help in making informed decisions and be assured of the quality of the product. Buyers could be assured that the product they are planning to buy will be of good quality and they will not be cheated out of their hard-earned money. 

How to spot fake reviews on Amazon?

Read one-star views 

While looking for reviews, when reading the one-star reviews, always be cautious whether one-star reviews have genuine concern about the product or it is a rant about customer service and other things which are unrelated to the product. Has the person spammed the review section with unnecessary information? In case a person has spammed the review section with unnecessary information, it is safe to assume that the review is fake.

Check the timings of review

Have all reviews been shared in a short period and been spread across different periods? If reviews are shared in a short duration time then it is possibly the work of artificially hyping or demotivating a product. 

Reviews in exchange for any product 

If reviews have been provided in exchange for any free product then reviews may not be genuine about the product but are mostly to get the free products or services apart from the product. Sellers generally use this tactic to get buyers to write a review of full proof, not a foolproof method to find fake reviews because sometimes sellers resort to providing some services in exchange for products. After all, they are new in the market. But if the language of review has exaggeration then it is safe to assume that seller did ask for any post active review.

Look for verified purchase 

Check the reviews from that customer who are granted a badge of verified purchase, in that case, the reviews are genuine and the purchaser has been frequently providing reviews about the product, As double-check, do click on the customer granted verified purchaser tag and check their other reviews.

Read reviews not from them the  Amazon website 

In case of any doubts or confusion ensure that you have read reviews not just from Amazon but from another website. The seller generally doesn’t sell products on one platform, if you have doubts about the product and want to be doubly sure then read reviews from other websites where the seller has listed the product. Also compare the product you are purchasing with other similar products and check for exaggerated claims on the product you shortlisted list.

Read about the specification of products 

It is always a good idea to read about the specifics of the product before you finally take a call to purchase the product. While reading the specifics you get an idea about the product and you can take a call about either purchasing the product or dropping the product.

Conclusion

Amazon reviews are a great way for both buyers and sellers to understand products. However, with the rising fake reviews it is difficult to differentiate between genuine and fake reviews. Buyers need to become smarter and not just rely on amazon reviews but also rear specifications out of the products and compare reviews before making any final decision  Buyers need to be smart before purchasing a product and avoid hassles and trouble of returning the product in case the product does not meet requirements. Reviews are an aid to purchasing products but not foolproof so eventually, buyers need to use their discretion before purchasing a product. And in case the buyer is not satisfied with the product they should return the product immediately and add their reviews on Amazon to ensure other potential buyers are warned. Amazon is eventually a community built by people and it is people who need to maintain the same by helping others.

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