Read how to spot fake Amazon reviews and filter out fakes. Tips, for a better online shopping experience.
How to filter fake product reviews on Amazon
The reviews on Amazon can definitely be a useful aid to decision-making, if it weren’t for the fake reviews that it’s best to filter out. The fake reviews are not always easy to spot, as some of them are written by professionals – but there is a useful help.
Online shopping is very convenient, but unfortunately shopping can have its pitfalls. Unlike in the real world, there is no way to closely examine the quality of the item in question. We have to rely solely on what the manufacturer promises.
- It is in the nature of things that a seller’s product description is not always entirely objective. That’s why many prospective buyers like to orient themselves on the reviews of other customers. Of course, the manufacturers know this too. Some try to boost sales a little with the help of fake reviews they have bought.
- Amazon, by its own admission, is not happy about the fake reviews either. In the end, this makes a nonsense of the system of customer support, which is good in itself. But obviously Amazon is not really succeeding in preventing fake reviews.
- Estimates suggest that as many as one in five product reviews is fake. Overall, it is suspected that over 20 percent of customer reviews in online shops are fake. And the business with fake customer reviews seems to be booming, because after all, some agencies make a good living from it.
- A software company has set itself the goal of putting an end to this spook. With the help of a programme, it should be possible to separate the fakes from the genuine customer reviews.
- Note: If you are annoyed about a product, you can of course also file a complaint with Amazon.
ReviewMeta – this is how the programme checks Amazon reviews
The online service ReviewMeta has set out to separate the fakes from the real reviews on Amazon. To do this, ReviewMeta analyses the reviews of many millions of products sold on Amazon.
- The programme uses various factors to examine whether the author and thus his review is credible or whether it is a commissioned review. The algorithm filters out fake reviews from fake customers as well as reviews from customers who have received the product in question free of charge.
- For example, the system examines whether the review is a verified review or an unverified review. In the case of your verified review, the product was demonstrably purchased from Amazon. This does not necessarily mean that the review is neutral. In the case of a non-verified review, the reviewer did not purchase the product from Amazon.
- It also looks at whether the customer is posting a review for the first time. Furthermore, how many reviews and how regularly the customer reviews products on Amazon. And of course the tendency of the respective reviews.
- For example, if someone constantly gives good reviews and gives out an inflationary five stars, they are either a very positive person or one who can be bought.
- The length of the ratings and telltale or uncommon phrases are also included in the analysis. Suspicious, for example, are many formulations that are also found in the manufacturer’s descriptions. If the brand name is mentioned very frequently in the evaluation, this also gives pause for thought.
- It is extremely conspicuous if the supposed customer has submitted a whole batch of reviews on a wide variety of products in one day. The same applies if a product has been reviewed an above-average number of times in one day. This is often an indication of the work of a paid review agency.
- In short: The criteria used by the software to filter out fake reviews on Amazon are very true to life and therefore quite realistic. Theoretically, you could do it yourself, but who has that much time?
- Tip: If you have made a wrong purchase despite thorough research, you can make use of Amazon’s guarantee.
Filter out fake reviews using the software – here’s how
If you want to check the reviews of your favourite product in advance, ReviewMeta’s algorithm will do it for you in a few seconds.
- On the ReviewMeta homepage, first insert the corresponding URL of the product. The most convenient way to do this is by copy & paste. Then the programme starts the analysis of the product reviews.
- By the way, you can also use
- ReviewMata as a WebApp completely free of charge.
