Getting reviews is great for your brand— good or bad. Whatever feedback it is, it's still valuable because you can use it to improve your eCommerce site and how you run your brand.
But what if you're receiving fabricated reviews that can hurt your eCommerce brand?
You see, authentic reviews are crucial to increasing customer trust in your website, and you should uphold them.
But sometimes, fake reviews are also rampant. They can be from family and friends who support your brand, customers who have hidden intentions, or competitors trying to make you look bad.
And now that online shopping is big... Customers pay attention to reviews. They can recognize if reviews aren't authentic. Here's how:
- There are purely 5-star reviews
- The reviews are not from actual customers
- The reviews are from the same user
The good news is... You have the power to help customers avoid reading fake reviews on your eCommerce store, which we'll discuss later.
First, let's discuss...
3 Ways to spot fake reviews
Whether you're receiving the fake review or reading it before making a purchase, here are 3 ways to determine if reviews are fake.
1. There are only 5-star reviews
Don't get me wrong. There are eCommerce brands that strive to get purely positive reviews. But sometimes, having a 100% 5-star rating can make some customers wary of them.
Because while brands strive to provide the best products and services, there are times when customer expectations are still unmet. It can be because of things brands can't control and more.
But aside from that, there are different reasons for receiving purely positive reviews. Some of them are:
- Written by highly loyal customers
- Customers who benefit from leaving fake 5-star reviews
- Written by family and friends of brand owners
The worst part is, sometimes, there is no proof of their "5-star" experience. That's why some customers become aware of the authenticity of customer reviews. They need more proof.
So, if ever you get three or 4-star ratings... It's fine! That makes your business reviews look more authentic.
Because some customers will always have expectations, and there are things you can't control. The next one is...
2. The reviews didn't come from actual customers
As a brand owner, you can see if the reviews came from actual customers. But your prospects can't confirm if they came from real buyers. Spoiler alert: there is a solution for this!
That's how you'll know if the reviews are fake. How can they leave reviews if they didn't purchase from your eCommerce site, right? You should be wary of these reviews because they might be fake.
While they can also be positive reviews, it's still best to receive customer reviews from buyers to establish authenticity. Also, this will make your prospects trust you.
And lastly, reviews can be fake if...
3. The online reviews are from the same IP address or user
The same person or the same IP address can write fake reviews. Again, these reviews can be both positive and negative.
But if they're negative reviews spamming your eCommerce site... they might be from competitors or customers expressing extremely negative emotions toward your products.
If that happens, you'll know the review's intention. Is it to inform customers or ruin your brand image?
The good thing is customers will also spot fake reviews if they come from the same user or username.
See? That's the best part. Customers have the ability to spot fake reviews. But that doesn't mean you can't avoid your eCommerce site being infiltrated with fake reviews.
Because there are...
3 Quick tips to avoid displaying fake online reviews with Debutify Reviews
Review authenticity should be one of your priorities. So, one of the things you can do with Debutify Reviews is to...
1. Curate your reviews
Receiving fake online reviews is a headache. The good news is you can curate reviews with Debutify Reviews. You can choose to:
- Publish all reviews automatically
- Publish reviews with minimum ratings automatically
- Not publish all reviews automatically
With this feature, you will have the chance to verify if they're genuine reviews.
If they come from unsatisfied customers, you still have the chance to make things right while protecting your brand reputation.
Another thing you need to do is...
2. Verify reviews
Fake negative reviews can hurt your brand!
But verifying reviews will make customers trust the reviews on your eCommerce site. That's why Debutify Reviews has a Verified Purchase Badge feature. So, how can customers get this?
When a customer purchases from your eCommerce store, you can send review requests emails once their orders arrive. That review will be verified if they write reviews using the link you gave them.
This is an excellent feature because, let's say, you receive a positive review. You can assure prospects they came from actual buyers of the products.
You can also distinguish who is posting fake reviews from genuine ones and encourage customers to write positive reviews.
And when there are a lot of reviews spamming your website, you can...
3. Mark as spam
Is someone spamming your eCommerce site with negative reviews? These fake reviews wouldn't look good for your brand reputation.
That's why Debutify Reviews has a Spam Filter feature to help you!
If a user with the same IP address keeps posting multiple reviews within a minute and negative reviews within a week... they will be marked as SPAM.
This feature is excellent for ensuring the authenticity of the reviews you receive. You don't need to display reviews that came from the same user spamming your website.
So, now that you know how to spot fake reviews...
Say no to fake reviews!
Fake reviews should have no place on your eCommerce website, whether positive or negative. You should uphold your brand integrity by promoting authentic reviews and addressing negative reviews.
The best part? Debutify Reviews has the features you need to achieve this! Because you can...
- Manage reviews efficiently
- Automatically collect reviews
- Collect photo and video reviews
These are just some of the features to look out for. If you want to establish strong social proof, this is your sign to...
