You’ve certainly noticed how that businesses request that you provide them with feedback or an online review about your experience of the product and/or service purchased. This is beneficial to them for various reasons – the main ones being that they can improve their service and overall customer satisfaction, but also attract more customers. Many companies rely on this method to get more clients, which is the ultimate goal of any business.
The more positive reviews a prospective customer sees online, the more likely they are to purchase the product. For this reason, in some instances, companies take it upon themselves to develop the image of their business they want by creating fake reviews, even when reality may be the complete opposite. Statistics suggest that the majority of people are aware they encounter fake reviews online regularly, although they are not sure how to differentiate the fake reviews from the positive ones. In this article, we will discuss how to spot fake online product reviews, so that you avoid buying a product of poor quality.
Check The Legitimacy of The Website
Before you buy a product online, you always have to be careful to assess the legitimacy of the website. Unfortunately, websites are not always legitimate. If this is the case, evidently, the reviews will not be trustworthy and you should steer clear of doing any business with the company. Some of the indicators to look out for include the domain name and address bar, whether the contact information is reliable and whether the deals offered are too good to be true; this usually means they are!
Examine Language Used
Analysing the language used in written content sounds like something that we should leave to professionals. However, it will become easier once you are aware of what to look for. When you are able to spot fake reviews you may start to notice certain patterns within them. Studies suggest that fraudulent reviews overly use pronouns as well as descriptive language to make the scene and themselves sound more credible.
Check The Grammar
This may be a bit tricky, as not everyone will have perfect writing skills. However, it is suggested that fake reviews are either written in extremely poor English or written in a way that a real consumer would. Pay attention to these small details and check what is being said. You will quickly spot the false reviews from the honest ones.
Comparison Between Products
A great way to check the legitimacy of reviews is to look out for comparisons between products. Many people that try products from one company may not necessarily enjoy one or two but like something else from the same brand. For example, a review debating on two different supplement products. In this case, you know that both health products compared are being considered as well as their pros and cons. Even if both products are deemed as negative, there are still many factors being considered and a rationale behind that decision.
Watch Out For Reviewer’s Profiles
Once you click on a reviewer’s profile you may be able to spot that their review is not genuine. If they have no information and no picture, it is likely that this is a fake account. Most people would not take the time to create an account just to leave a review, unless they thought it was worth it! Although this can happen in some instances, you should not see a long list of these same individuals posting reviews.
Positive vs. Negative Reviews
If a product has an overwhelming amount of positive reviews, it is doubtful. Even a good product will have fewer positive reviews at some point. Every person is different and so is their experience of the same product. Negative reviews can maintain the balance of the reality of the product’s legitimacy. If sellers and websites are not legitimate, they may delete negative comments, to encourage more people to buy.
Seller’s Response
Pay attention to what the seller does: do they respond to reviews appropriately? Do they thank reviewers for negative comments and try to make amends? A true business owner will not mind constructive criticism or accept that a customer has had a bad experience, as long as it can be explained and they can make it right. If a seller reacts overly defensive and somewhat aggressive, it means that the product is unlikely to be legitimate.
Making sure a product is legitimate is essential so that you get what you paid for. To do this, you must become aware of how to spot fake reviews, considering this is one of the main methods we use before deciding whether we will buy a product.
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
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