Roskachestvo explains how to recognize fake reviews when ordering on a marketplace

Customer reviews greatly increase sales and make it easier to find the right, quality product. Are they trustworthy, or should you not pay attention to them, because they are more often fake? The experts at Roskatchestvo Digital Expertise Center explain how to distinguish a real review from a fake one.

Why feedback is so important for marketplaces?

In 2020 and 2021, the marketplace marketplaces increased several times over, and in 2022, their share continues to grow. According to experts from the analytical agency Data Insight, in 2024 universal marketplaces with a wide range of products Yandex Market, Ozon, Aliexpress, Lamoda and Wildberries are expected to take the largest part of the market 54% . According to the data of analytical agencies, when you add at least one review to a product card, the average traffic to it increases by 188%. If you increase the number of reviews from one to 2-50, the sales increase is 108%. It shows the strongest influence of the reviews on sales and purchase decisions.

Consumer reviews are an important practice in the marketing strategy of these companies. But the words of ecstasy or righteous indignation may not be true. Positive reviews are a rarity on the Internet: the absolute majority over 80% of the reviews on the Net are negative. However, marketplaces are the exception to the rule: analysts estimate that about 70% of reviews on them are positive.

How to distinguish real reviews from fake ones?

Marketplaces are believed to use special software to track down fake reviews themselves and remove them. Sometimes such “sweeps” also include real reviews from real customers, but this is a small margin of error.

Sergey Bodrov, head of Roskachevo Digital Expertise Center:

“The main tool to protect marketplaces is to set limits on the writing of comments. In order to leave a review on a major marketplace, which cares about its reputation, you must redeem the product you ordered. You can leave a review even a few months after you bought the product and are convinced of the quality of the product.

If a seller leaves fake positive comments about his products, he misleads potential customers. This is a substantive violation of Art.10 of the Consumer Rights Protection Act of 07.02.1992 No. 3200-1, Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine “On Consumers’ Rights Protection”.14.2 Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” of 26.07.2006 #135-FZ. Large marketplaces prescribe their policies regarding the regulation of reviews and other user-generated content and prohibit sellers from rating their own products positively and from rating negatively similar products sold by other sellers.

How to identify fake reviews yourself?

There are several criteria that should alert you.

• The review contains a lot of high-flown words like “amazing”, “the best company”, “very cool everything is made” – along with promotional appeals: “try it”, “see for yourself” and so on. It looks like a copywriter.

• And vice versa – the review is stuffed with a lot of detailed facts about the product. But would a normal person would list all of this?

• Looks like a couple of previous ones and all the ones after that. All reviews are just like a copy – someone made an effort!

• Appeared on the same day as other similar reviews.

• Looks too “slick” and correct. For example, first the buyer writes about the defect, but then he justifies it “because the company managers tried so hard to help me” .

There is no 100% way to distinguish a fake review, but it is possible to reduce the risks. Real reviews tend to vary in size, style, and in general you can even intuitively deduce them. If it seems to you that all reviews are fake or simply not informative – look only at the photo.

Of course, the desire of companies to act according to the principle “if you can’t praise yourself, no one will” is understandable. But we believe that satisfied customers should give praise, because feedback is part of healthy competition.

In addition, the real person shares a unique experience and impression of a product or service. He writes the review in his own words to tell you what he liked or disliked. Lively, natural text is not hard to recognize. There you can read emotions, personal attitudes and your own conclusions of a particular person. And yes – there may be mistakes, quirky turns and comparisons. Besides, real customers often like to upload photos of the product to show how it fits the interior, fits the child, looks on the child, etc.

Buying a product, especially an expensive one, is a responsible business. Approach it consciously and analyze all the features of the product or service. Do not be afraid to ask any questions to the company’s managers or even contact those who left reviews. Do not spare time to gather information from real reviews, because it will save your money, nerves and time to return and re-select a similar product.