Amazon is the top eCommerce store in the world, with millions of products sold every day through the platform. However, with its success comes a certain amount of controversy. Amazon is also known for its increasing number of fake consumers who write fake reviews for products. In fact, for some categories, fake reviews outnumber the real ones. For example, research showed that about 63% of the beauty product reviews are fake, followed by electronics, which accounted for 61% of fake reviews. These are two of the most purchased categories and an indication about how prevalent the problem is. Most consumers rely on reviews to buy the products, and they are unaware of the increasing number of fake reviews.
Effect of fake reviews
Even though consumers are the ones unaware of the fake reviews, it is the brand that hurts more when the consumers realize that the products don’t fit the review. One of the most important factors that affects the consumer’s decision to make a purchase is the authenticity of the brand. Companies need to make this their priority because, if their customers feel like they have been betrayed, the brand will lose its credibility. If the brand stays honest with its customers, it sets expectations and allows them to self-qualify.
Why reviews are important
With online shopping, there is an inherent obstacle faced by the shoppers. Consumers are not able to picture the quality or benefits of the products, which results in hesitancy. When you have consumer reviews, it fills the void. Reading real reviews from real people will give potential customers the information and social proof they need for validating their purchase. If a brand has an ardent community, it will be able to communicate and connect with its customers. By delivering engaging activities like relevant discussions, personalized offers and exclusive deals through a social media agency, a brand will be able to foster good relationships. This allows consumers to share their experiences willingly and happily.
Drive towards better content
If a brand wants to succeed on Amazon, authentic reviews are not enough. They need to design pages and provide content that give an effective customer experience. The type of content that resonates the most with the customers depends on the trustworthiness of the brand. Having an advertising agency or a marketing agency can help the brand create “A+” content that effectively explains the benefits of your product. When the brand has the right Enhanced Brand Content (EBC) on their Amazon page, they can increase the customer’s purchase intentions, which is important in the competitive online retail environment of today.
The question that needs to be asked is, when will consumers become more aware of the abundance of fake reviews? Is your brand doing everything it can to generate authentic reviews and build robust Amazon pages with Enhanced Brand Content?
If you are interested in speaking about creating your Amazon pages or anything else in the world of marketing, contact us today.
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RITTA is an award-winning New Jersey advertising agency. We build long-lasting client relationships with national and local premium brands. Contact us today for a free marketing consultation.
Sources –
https://www.impactplus.com/blog/how-fake-reviews-on-amazon-affect-brand-trust
https://hbr.org/2019/11/how-to-design-product-pages-that-increase-online-sales
https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/fake-reviews-are-a-real-problem-8-statistics-that-show-why/
