Research conducted by Bazaarvoice Inc, conducted among more than 10,000 consumers across the US, UK, France, Germany and Australia, finds almost three quarters (72 per cent) feel the retail sector needs a new set of standards to combat fake reviews. In particular, these standards should stipulate that only verified customers are allowed to post reviews (43 per cent), all products should be tried and tested by such consumers before launch (38 per cent) and that customer content should be reviewed on a daily basis to weed out fake reviews (34 per cent). In the UK, consumers feel an appropriate level of punishment for brands in breach of these standards would be 12 per cent of overall revenue. This compares to 4 per cent of revenue in the instance of breaching GDPR.
High stakes for brands
Authenticity is crucial to building trust among consumers. Rather than anything brands convey in their adverts or websites (16 per cent), it’s the shared positive experiences of friends and family (36 per cent), other reviewers (29 per cent) and direct, personal experiences of brands (71 per cent) which determine trust the most.
Once established, trust is not a fickle thing. In fact, 54 per cent of consumers in the UK would buy from the brand again even after a negative product experience – so long as the brand had lost their trust.
Fake reviews are a key threat in this regard. In the UK, if consumers suspect a product to have fake or fraudulent reviews, 48 per cent will not buy the product and 43 per cent would lose trust for the brand. Once trust is lost, 78 per cent of consumers state they avoid using the brand ever again, while 28 per cent ensure they leave a negative review of the product they purchased.
Joe Rohrlich, chief revenue officer, Bazaarvoice comments, “Among the top triggers that make consumers suspicious are multiple reviews with similar wording and an overwhelming number of very positive reviews, both of which are common for eCommerce sites. It is paramount that brands are reviewing customer content through technology-based and human moderation to account for the subtleties in one of the most challenging aspects of eCommerce.”
Keeping good faith
Another important lesson in keeping good faith between brand and consumer is the accessibility of negative reviews. Two thirds of UK consumers (65 per cent) express negative reviews are as important as positive reviews in their decision to purchase a product because they contain more detailed information on the product pros and cons as well as being less likely to be fraudulent.
However, fraudulent reviews from other customers are not the only way brands could lose trust. Poor quality products (61 per cent), dishonest brand & product information (53 per cent), as well as problems with customer service (49 per cent), are all ranked by UK consumers as more likely to break their trust of the brand than what other customers may have said.
Rohrlich concludes, “Ultimately customer trust can be protected where brands prioritise honesty and responsivity as core values. Alongside the right tools and expertise, brands should pursue new insights from customer content that can help enhance product design and production quality. In turn, this delivers both improved shopper experiences and a reduction in the return rates currently wreaking havoc upon the retail sector.”
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