Star Wars- how reliable are online reviews?
Online reviews have become an essential feature of online shopping. Studies indicate that the majority of the people do not purchase without reading through several online reviews when buying something new. They prefer a business with a 4-star or more rating. However, the reliability and trustworthiness of online reviews have come into question. So how reliable are these online reviews?
The reliability of online reviews
According to the data mining expert Bing Liu of the University of Illinois, 1 in 3 online reviews are fake. The Amazon, the undeniable leader in online retailing, made the online reviewing process mainstream. But from the get-go, online reviews have been attained through suspect means. Other businesses have also used various strategies to game their review system. These strategies include sending free or highly discounted products to key customers to get positive reviews. The products with the most positive reviews were placed higher on Amazon’s search pages. Although Amazon eventually discontinued this practice in 2016, various sites had already copied it’s original review model.
Likewise, a former press release writer, Todd Rutherford who sought professional reviewers of books would charge $99 per review. He was successful in publishing 4,531 reviews and at one point pulled in $28,000 per month. The customers of Rutherford found online reviews helpful. His scheme eventually folded when Google noticed what he was doing and refused to sell him any more ad space. Amazon also caught wind, but Rutherford is just one small drop in an ocean of fake online reviews.
How to spot fake reviews?
To spot fake reviews, there are applications available in the app store that can identify fake reviews on websites. But these applications do not work on all the sites. However, there are few signs that customers need to keep an eye out for.
First, the ratings do not inform customers about the strengths or weaknesses of the products in question. The customers need to check the feedback.
Second, customers must check if the user is a verified customer. One of the easiest ways to know if the review is fake or real is to look for a ‘verified buyer’ tag. The tag is specific to Amazon, other sites have similar features in place to help their customers choose better.
Third, customers should see the quality of the reviews. Reviews in the word limit of fewer than five words do not hold any merit. It’s important to note that if someone takes time to spell out exactly why they either love or hate the product, then there is a higher chance of them being honest.
Fourth, in content research terms, look for similar feedback i.e. similarity in terms of words choice, sentence framing etc.
What should businesses do about it?
Despite the reliability issues, online reviews are popular more than ever. So, Since the online reviews are not going anywhere the question is what businesses can do to ensure higher quality reviews. The statistics depict that many businesses are missing out and they should be working harder to get real reviews. A lot of businesses are overlooking how valuable they can be. They can help drive new customers through the door. It takes time to get there, but businesses need to keep at it because it will provide long-term value to their business.
