Tips for Authentic Feedback
In the UK, new legislation is being introduced to combat the issue of fake reviews. The Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Bill (DMCC Act), expected to become law in summer 2024, aims to make it illegal for businesses to pay for fake reviews or host them on their platforms. This legislation empowers the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to enforce strict penalties, including fines of up to 10% of a company’s global turnover or up to £300,000 for individuals involved in creating or facilitating fake reviews. In short Fake reviews are becoming illegal in the UK .
The increasing sophistication of fake review techniques, such as the use of AI and fake review brokers, has made it difficult for consumers to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit reviews. This legislation is part of a global trend, with similar measures being adopted in countries like Ireland, the United States, India, Australia, and the European Union.
Consider these 10 methods for identifying potential fake feedback:
- 1) Single-Product Reviewers: Be cautious of reviewers who only review one specific product or products from a single manufacturer, typically with high praise.
- 2) Duplicate Reviews: Watch out for multiple reviews that are exactly the same, as this often indicates a copy-paste job.
- 3) SEO Manipulation: Reviews that excessively repeat the full product name or model could be attempting to manipulate search engine results.
- 4) Over-the-Top Negative Reviews: Extremely negative reviews, especially those that immediately recommend a competitor’s product, can be a red flag.
- 5) Promotional Content: Reviews that include discount codes or direct you to a specific purchasing site might not be genuine.
- 6) Reviewer Profiles: Unusually generic names or profiles with a polished, professional-looking photo may indicate a fake reviewer.
- 7) Review History: A reviewer who only posts extremely positive or negative reviews, or whose reviews span implausible geographical locations, can be suspect.
- 8) Spelling and Grammar: Reviews with numerous spelling and grammatical errors, or those that seem unusually well-written, can sometimes be indicative of fake content.
- 9) Timing of Reviews: A cluster of reviews posted within a short timeframe, especially around the release of a new product, can be suspicious.
- 10) Detail Discrepancies: Reviews that lack specific details about the product or service, or conversely, contain an excessive amount of detail, may not be genuine.
These tips for uncovering fake reviews combine observations about reviewer behaviour, content of the reviews, and patterns that may indicate a non-genuine review. Always approach online reviews with a critical eye, considering these indicators to better discern their authenticity. For further details on these methods, you can explore the insights from sources like Consumerist and 100Reviews, which discuss the various tactics used in creating fake online reviews.
The new way to combat fake reviews are video reviews. These are considered more challenging to fake due to the authenticity they convey through visual and auditory elements. With video the protection of anonymity is good as well as the ability to create mass reviews in ‘review farms’ is much more limited.
Platforms like ShoutOut, which facilitate video reviews, are gaining attention as they offer a more trustworthy alternative to traditional text-based reviews. The power of these platforms is that you can ask multiple questions to be answered in video form and also ask for data points such as a star rating, NPS score or any other custom data. ShoutOut will automatically turn that information into a fully branded video. Review companies such as Trustradius are already using ShoutOut for video reviews. By allowing users to leave video reviews easily via their smartphone and webcam with a guided process the who review process is becoming more authentic and harder to fake. These video reviews can be shared on social or embedded on a brands website in a TikTok style swipe-able interface that makes watching the reviews quick and easy for consumers. These platforms aim to enhance the reliability and credibility of consumer feedback and reduce people’s ability to provide fake reviews.
In summary, the UK is taking significant steps to address the growing concern of fake reviews, aligning with global efforts to restore consumer trust in online review systems. Video review capture tools like ShoutOut are emerging as a credible alternative, potentially revolutionizing how consumer feedback is shared and perceived.
