There are very few areas of our lives that have not been changed completely by the amazing advances in technology that have happened over the last few decades. From the way we shop and eat to international finance and business management, the internet in particular has become one of the richest sources of information ever to have existed.
Whereas once, our shopping habits were largely formed by the areas we lived in and the time we had available to peruse stores within a reasonable travel distance. Online shopping has completely revolutionized the way we make purchasing decisions, from being able to compare features and options to choose the best model, to tracking down specific brands and commissioning custom items.
One of the many benefits of online shopping has been the ability of consumers to make decisions based on information gathered from genuine users of almost any given product. They are no longer restricted to information provided by manufacturers and sales teams and can find genuine reviews that help them to make the right purchasing decision.
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Online Reviews
Many websites allow customers to review products directly on their website, whereas others use third-party sites to provide details submitted by their users to form unbiased reviews of their products. Many review sites allow users to upload photos and videos to show them using the products in question and demonstrating the features listed in the product description.
More than half of online shoppers report that they find online reviews helpful and two-thirds report that they routinely seek out reviews before making a purchase. Online businesses want to encourage good reviews and some offer incentives to purchasers who rate the products they have bought, but it is illegal to write or commission fake reviews so businesses do need to ensure that posts about their products are all above board.
However, there are some underhand tactics that businesses use, either by directly or indirectly encouraging false reviews that show their products in a better light than they warrant. This can be misleading for consumers who are looking for honest reviews of the products they are considering and lead to flawed decision-making when narrowing down their options.
Customers that know how to spot fake reviews are able to discount them when doing their research and therefore make more informed decisions about where to spend their money. There are a few simple things to look out for if you suspect a review may be fake:
Check the Date
It is always worth checking the date on a product review to see if it is even still relevant let alone accurate. If a product only has reviews posted within a short timeframe, this can be a sign that they have been uploaded together and are therefore unlikely to be genuine.
Seasonal goods may see a surge in reviews around the time of year that they are likely to be purchased or used, and many sites see a huge upturn in reviews after a big sale or special event. However, a surge of reviews all posted around the same time with no plausible explanation can be a sign that they are fake.
Compare User Profiles
Sometimes you can see that overwhelmingly positive reviews all seem to come from users that have generic usernames all using a similar format. Long strings of numbers or names using the same generic terms can be a sign that reviews have been uploaded by the same person or a team of people that aren’t necessarily genuine customers.
It can also help to look at the profile pictures to see how likely a reviewer is to be genuine, as profiles with generic pictures of no image uploaded may be a sign that the reviewer isn’t real. Reviewers with a unique profile image are more likely to be genuine, and you also look at their other reviews as those that have only commented on a single product are less likely to be genuine than a user who reviews a range of items.
Read the Top Reviews Carefully
If you notice that the most positive reviews use the same phrasing or terminology, that can be a suspicious sign. Check in particular for any keywords or phrases that sound similar to the product description or reviews that use specialist terms or language that doesn’t sound natural.
Check If the Site Verifies Purchases
Some sites will only allow reviews from people that they know have actually purchased the product to ensure that the information provided is genuine. If you are suspicious about a particularly glowing review, check to see if the site verifies its contributors before allowing them to add their reviews.
Customers can use online reviews to find out anything they want to know about any product or service that they might use, from online entertainment to local stores. There are sites that offer unbiased reviews on almost anything, from this Sugarhouse casino review to personal recommendations from users on social media.
Information is constantly being uploaded online and it can be hard to wade through it when it comes to finding out the truth behind any given product or service. But once you get used to reading reviews with a critical eye, it is easier to make informed decisions about anything you want to buy and get a product or service that fulfills all your requirements.
