More than half (55%) of Australians say they wouldn’t buy a product if they suspected a fake review, according to research by Bazaarvoice.
The 2022 Fake Reviews Report, based on a survey of more than 10,000 global shoppers, explores the effect fake reviews and authenticity have on customer trust, and the subsequent actions shoppers take based on that trust.
52% of consumers said fake reviews make them lose trust in the brand.
86% said they would avoid using a brand again after losing trust in it, while 15% would leave a negative review and 13% would post about the company on social media.
76% said that if they notice a fake review for a product on a site, it would impact their trust in reviews for other products on the same site, and if they suspect fake reviews, 55% wouldn’t buy the product, 53% wouldn’t trust the brand, 36% wouldn’t trust other reviews, and 30% wouldn’t buy from the site
67% think the retail industry needs a new set of standards to combat fake reviews.
They want the standards to dictate that only verified customers be able to post reviews (62%), all products be tried and tested among legitimate consumers before launch (59%) and daily reviews of customer content to weed out fake reviews (45%).
More than half of Australian consumers (52%) believe businesses should be fined anywhere between 10-30% of the revenue for brands in breach of these standards.
41% of Australian consumers trust user generated content (UGC) when used in an ad as opposed to brands advertising without UGC (29%), while 43% would like to see UGC everywhere they shop online.
Zarina Stanford, CMO for Bazaarvoice, said: “Brand trust is one of the most valuable assets on the balance sheet.
“Harnessing the power of the voice of the customer is crucial for today’s always-on commerce. Authentically posted reviews – both positive and negative – is by far the most powerful way to utilise the voice of your customer to earn trust and purchase conversion.”
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