Faced with a plethora of cosmetic products, consumers are trying to make the right choice. To do so, more and more of them are consulting reviews written by their peers. But beware of the veracity of online reviews, Internet users are vigilant and beware of professionals who would let themselves go to fraud. Bazaarvoice (an American company specialized in e-commerce) has drawn up a list of the risks of publishing false comments on the Internet.
To measure the impact of inauthentic reviews on a brand or product, Bazaarvoice commissioned the Savanta polling company. A survey was conducted in August 2022 with a sample of 10,606 people (residing in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the UK and the US).
In general, respondents explain that a false review makes them lose trust in the manufacturer (97%). 75% of them even say that it can influence their feelings about the rest of the offer.
Heavy consequences
When panelists suspect fraud, they:
• Don’t buy the product at all (56%)
• Avoid the brand altogether (81%)
• Leave a negative comment (48%)
• Talk about it on social networks (16%)
More controls on the Internet
Consumers want to see stricter rules on posting reviews.
According to the survey, they want:
• Standards for reviews be put in place (70%)
• Only users with validated identities can post reviews (59%)
• E-commerce sites to be transparent about how reviews are collected and posted (40%)
To build trust, Bazaarvoice advises leaving negative reviews online (to show that there is no “violent” moderation by the brand) so that everyone can make up their own minds. The company also suggests allowing Internet users …
