Good morning marketers, could too many 5-star reviews turn customers off?
American consumers said they wasted $125 on average in 2019 due to inaccurate reviews, a new report from Trustpilot found. That’s as much as $25 billion in U.S. consumer spending wasted due to inaccurate (or fake) online reviews.
The study found that 48% of U.S. consumers relying more on reviews today than two years ago, but still more than 70% of consumers don’t trust 5-star ratings. Additionally, 89% of consumers globally (and 90% in the U.S.) check reviews online before making purchases. However, nearly half (49%) of consumers also “believe that ‘too many companies’ are creating fake reviews online.” Those consumers worry fake reviews “will lead them to waste money on poor products and services.”
Marketers in retail or B2C services, take note: consumers might rely heavily on reviews but they’re just as wary of the authenticity or credibility of those reviews. Consumers want to see some mixed reviews to ensure that they’re not being manipulated by fake reviews. The lessons here for marketers are: 1) welcome critical reviews; 2) address them in a sincere and not perfunctory way; 3) make sure to focus on multiple, relevant review sites as consumers seek validation to protect themselves against fraud.
We’ve got more for you below, including a soapbox feature on how marketers dealing with data loss should re-evaluate key marketing objectives.
Taylor Peterson,
Deputy Editor
