Orlando, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — In an era where 92 percent of consumers read reviews before buying, that little star rating can make or break a purchase. But experts say 30 percent of reviews may be fake. How can you tell what’s real?
From restaurants to retail, hotels to healthcare, more and more people depend on reviews to help them make their decisions.
According to Backlinko and SocialPilot, reviews are now the most trusted source. Ninety-two percent of shoppers use them before buying anything. But here’s the catch, one in three reviews is fake. Knowing all that, how can you spot a legit review?
First, read the words not just stars, 88 percent of people trust written words more than stars alone. Then, look at timing patterns. Many fakes are posted in clusters. Also, check for review diversity. Extremes, like only five-star rave posts, can signal a fake. And cross-check platforms. If something gets good reviews on Amazon, check out Google.
And one last reality check, experts say 43 percent of amazon reviews are fake. In fact, Amazon blocked 275 million fake reviews last year. And that’s not all. Twenty-five percent of yelp reviews are suspicious and 10 percent of google reviews are potentially fake.
Just remember. When we review the reviews, we shop smarter.
72 percent of people believe fake reviews are now “The norm.” Experts urge consumers to read reviews critically. One thing is for sure nobody posts fake negative reviews, so look closely at the negative posts. And also, it’s helpful to click on the most recent reviews instead of the most relevant.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
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Sources:
https://wisernotify.com/blog/fake-review-stats/?utm_source
https://backlinko.com/online-review-stats?utm_source
https://www.socialpilot.co/reviews/blogs/online-review-statistics?utm_source
https://wisernotify.com/blog/fake-review-stats/?utm_source
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/online-review-stats?utm_source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_marketing?utm_source
