Online shopping has become the preferred choice for most consumers, outpacing traditional instore shopping. However, with this convenience comes a certain level of trust that the product you see on screen will live up to expectations.
Online reviews have become a useful way to see if the product will be right before we buy, but how many of these reviews can shoppers actually trust?
A recent study by data collection experts at SOAX delved into the issue of fake reviews, analyzing multiple e-commerce websites with the help of the AI review checker tool Fakespot to assess their reliability.
Researchers tested four different ecommerce platforms supported by Fakespot’s analyzer tool: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Sephora. Ten items were randomly picked out across different product categories to inform the results.
Fakespot provides a reliable review percentage and a ‘Review Grade’, classified as:
- A and B: Reviews are reliable
- C: Mix of reliable and unreliable reviews
- D and F: Insufficient reliable reviews
Amazon
Amazon is the leading online retailer in the US with millions of products sold daily, leaving it vulnerable to fake reviews. Through randomized checks, the study found that, on average, 65.83% of Amazon reviews are reliable, with the most common Fakespot Review Grade being C. On one product, a garden hose, over 70% of reviews were deemed unreliable with ‘high deception’ involved.
Amazon’s primary issue stems from fake and altered reviews with warnings that ‘Amazon has altered, modified or removed reviews from this listing’ popping up on five out of 10 product pages.
Sephora
Sephora is a top beauty retailer in the US. Makeup products are typically not valid for return once opened, making online reviews crucial. The study found that only an average of 59.84% of reviews are reliable, with five out of 10 products graded D— more than any other retailer tested.
While this may ring alarm bells for beauty shoppers, Sephora’s main issue stems from incentivized reviews. These are when customers are given something in exchange for their review of a product, such as a free product or discount.
Seven out of 10 products warned of a high percentage of reviews being from Incentivized Reviewers. While these types of reviews can include bias, they do not immediately suggest deception was involved as many still provide honest reviews.
Walmart
While Walmart has over 4,600 retail units in the US, the store’s online presence has been growing in recent years, becoming a popular online retailer for a variety of products. The study found that on average 76% of Walmart’s reviews were reliable with most products receiving an A or B grade.
The least reliable product, a cookware set, recorded over 50% of reviews as unreliable. However, most products had over 80% reliable reviews making the platform more trustworthy than Amazon and Sephora.
Best Buy
Best Buy focuses on consumers’ electronic needs; however, tech can be a top category for fake reviews due to the high price points involved. The study found that on average over 90% of reviews on Best Buy were reliable, the best of all retailers. Overall, nine out of 10 products were graded A with one B.
Best Buy succeeds where other retailers don’t by having an involved customer base. Most products had a high percentage of reviews from ‘Best Buy Elite Members’ who spend over $1500 on electronics per year. These members show that the brand creates loyalty and trust with customers coming back for more.
Reviewers generally wrote informative reviews with an average review count of 414 characters which suggests time and personalization went into the reviews. Most reviews were also from ‘verified purchasers’, which adds further validity.
Retailer Review Reliability
| Online Retailer | Average Percentage of Reliable Reviews | Most Common Fakespot Grade |
| Sephora | 59.84% | D |
| Amazon | 65.83% | C |
| Walmart | 76% | A/B |
| Best Buy | 90% | A |
Stepan Solovev, CEO & Co-founder at SOAX commented on the study: “With the rise of fake reviews, both consumers and retailers face a growing challenge. Retailers are investing millions in advanced technologies to detect and filter out fraudulent reviews, but the issue persists.
“As more shoppers rely on online reviews to make purchasing decisions, the need for trust is paramount. Consumers need to be able to trust that the products they’re buying will meet their expectations, not only to reduce the likelihood of returns—an additional cost for retailers—but also to mitigate the environmental impact of returns, which often involve unnecessary shipping and waste.
“In this digital age, where information is abundant but not always accurate, transparency in online reviews is more crucial than ever.”
Here are five essential tips on how to spot fake reviews:
- Look for verified purchases: Reviews labeled as “Verified Purchase” are more likely to be genuine, as they indicate the reviewer actually bought the product.
- Watch for over-the-top language: Be cautious of overly enthusiastic or generic reviews that lack specific details about the product. Real reviews tend to be more nuanced, mentioning both pros and cons.
- Check for review patterns: If multiple reviews sound similar or use identical wording, they may be from the same source. Pay attention to suspiciously high ratings with little detail.
- Consider the review volume: A sudden spike in reviews or a disproportionate number of 5-star ratings can sometimes indicate manipulation. Balanced feedback is usually more trustworthy.
- Use tools like Fakespot: For an added layer of confidence, tools like Fakespot can analyze the reliability of reviews and help you make more informed decisions.
Content Credit: https://soax.com/
