Majority of consumers concerned about fake user-generated content

Three-quarters of consumers are concerned about fake reviews about a brand’s product, a new study has revealed.

 

Bazaarvoice, a platform for user-generated content (UGC) and social commerce solutions, polled more than 8,000 shoppers globally and 400 brands.

 

The survey found consumers were concerned about all types of fake UGC with more than two-thirds stating they were worried about fake videos (68%), fake images (68%), fake social media content (69%), and fake questions and answers (66%).

 

 

As a result, many consumers admitted to doing a lot of work to verify if an online store is legitimate. This included using trusted online shopping platforms (68%), researching a brand online (58%) and checking for secure website indicators such as the padlock symbol (51%).

 

Nearly half (47%) also said they read customer reviews and 46% reported going by recommendations from friends and family.

 

Almost two-thirds (63%) of those surveyed believe that brands should be responsible for resolving any fraudulent content on their website, with half (49%) also stating that this responsibility should lie with government bodies and a third (36%) said third-party experts.

 

 

However, according to the brands and retailers polled, the majority (76%) claimed they were confident in their current strategies and tools for detecting and preventing fraudulent content on their online channels, with 94% rating the importance of maintaining authentic online content in e-commerce business as high.

 

In a bid to increase confidence in UGC, 70% of respondents said they would trust an industry leading third-party authenticator, whereas less than half (47%) would trust a website to verify its own content.

 

This could include a trustworthy symbol such as lock or checkmark, which indicates that each rating has been verified by an independent third party (73%). Almost as many (66%) said they would trust a similar signal for social media content and 60% said the same for influencer content.

 

On the other hand, 78% of brands reported being interested in incorporating a trust signal to verify ratings and reviews, with 73% saying the same about shopper photos and 71% for shopper videos.

 

“Fake reviews undermine confidence in online content, dissuading shoppers and negatively

impacting the online sales of brands and retailers,” said Andy Chakravarty, VP of Research at IDC Retail Insights. “Validating authenticity of product reviews improves the customer

experience, giving shoppers peace of mind as they make informed purchasing decisions.”

 

Zarina Lam Stanford, CMO at Bazaarvoice, echoed similar concerns. She added: “This study underscores the absolute necessity of UGC being authentic.

 

“Brands and retailers need to ensure that their customers trust the content they consume online. If shoppers can’t trust UGC, it loses all of its value, and companies will lose out on sales.”