Attention! Amazon may increase its investigation into fake reviews

As Christmas approaches, an important holiday in Europe and the United States, people will celebrate with the utmost enthusiasm and buy Christmas gifts and various decorations. E-commerce sales will also usher in a peak, and many sellers want to seize the last opportunity for explosive orders at the end of the year.

Behind consumers' high shopping enthusiasm, the UK's National Trading Standards ( NTS) has issued a warning, asking buyers to be wary of false reviews of online transactions, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is also stepping up its investigation into the situation.

According to a survey by NTS, more than half of online shoppers (56%) use reviews as a deciding factor in purchasing products or services, and 67% are more likely to buy products or services with five-star ratings, which has led to the phenomenon of sellers "brushing reviews". It is reported that British consumers purchase products based on positive reviews, but the number of products that do not match the actual product is about 80 million, which may affect the UK's spending of 23 billion pounds each year.

The national coordinator of the NTS e-crime team said: "The practice of making quick money by posting fake reviews for low-quality products at low prices is not only a deception to consumers, but also harms the rights and interests of legitimate sellers. This trend is not desirable."

This situation is even more serious on Amazon and Google. Last year , the CMA investigated the trading of fake reviews , and all major e-commerce platforms were included in the scope, requiring that the trading of fake reviews be strictly prohibited. Under the large-scale investigation, many sellers were banned.

It is the peak shopping season, but despite the severe crackdown, many sellers still commit crimes.

Seller A: Christmas-related products are seasonal products. Not many reviews will easily affect the conversion rate, which in turn affects the ranking. If others brush their reviews and we don’t, we will lose.

Seller B: I have seen cases of people being blocked for fake reviews. Now I don’t dare to do that anymore. I’d better be honest.

Seller C: Increase investment in products. Good products will not be afraid of few reviews.

Many sellers said that posting fake reviews is a helpless move. With the competition so fierce nowadays, it is difficult to stand out by just making products in obscurity.

But it is the Christmas season, and although it is an opportunity to place orders, sellers may also face more stringent investigations, so they should act with caution.

Brush reviews

CMA

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