Fake News - What About Fake Reviews??

Fake News - What About Fake Reviews?

According to the Verge, three Facebook employees were recently caught leaving 5 star reviews for Portal, Facebook's video calling photo share hardware product. It's Facebook's most prominent attempt at entering the home device market.

Amazon verified that these three employees actually purchased the product (a "verified purchase", according to Amazon,  is a purchase that actually occurred by the reviewer and not at a deep discount), so it's conceivable that these employees just really love the product (since Facebook is a paragon of honest corporate practice, right?). Still, it encourages thought on a broader topic - in a world consistently driven by consumer reviews and recommendations - what can we really trust?

Turns out not very much. Amazon is plagued by fake reviews. A recent report suggested that over 60% of electronic reviews on the mammoth retailer are fake and given the fact that over 50% of people make purchasing decisions based on reviews, that's a big problem. While undeserved positive reviews can make a product seem more credible and of a higher caliber, an onslaught of fake negative reviews can also cripple a product or small business.

Amazon isn't alone in facing this problem, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram are all infested with fake reviews. That doesn't even account for all the borderline manipulative "native advertising" or the intentionally cloaked sponsored content.

While businesses, regulators, and consumers fight back, the impact of fake reviews in our society is pervasive. Sources that were once trusted can be seemingly corrupted and for the discerning customer determining what to buy, where to shop, and what to eat can be fraught with difficulty. Even high caliber sources, like Wire Cutter for example, are undoubtedly influenced by the sponsor dollars and affiliate fees they stand to collect from a purchase referral.

How do you build a trusted brand or review platform, one that can co-exist with commerce oriented digital market places? Brands that engage with customers and build trust overtime with reliable product is one way... but the days of feeling confident in your decision by combing through the reviews of any major commerce market place is over.