Customer reviews a major influence for shoppers - but are they genuine?

Customer reviews have emerged as one of the most influential factors in determining purchases for online shoppers - but there are growing concerns that reviews are being faked to improve sales.

New research from YouGov reveals that customer reviews are five times more likely to influence consumer choices than traditional advertising. The study, commissioned by Reevoo - which collates reviews from shoppers - found that six out of ten people (60 percent) are influenced by online opinions written by consumers who have already bought a product.

In the wake of several high-profile cases of bogus online reviews highlighted by consumer organisation Which?, there are now calls for the regulation of the area.

"The influence of reviews is no longer in doubt and we think it is time that regulators looked at the way that customer reviews are presented online," says Richard Anson, chief executive of Reevoo. "Are they edited? Are they legitimate? Given the influence that customer reviews
have, now is the time for regulation and standards to be applied, so that customers are not misled."

The study also reveals that shoppers are beginning to wake up to the possibility of fake reviews and won't believe everything they read online. While eight out of ten (79 percent) are influenced by impartial ratings from shoppers who have definitely bought a product, only 14 percent would trust review programmes that are directly managed by retailers. More than a third (36 percent) of consumers are worried about the authenticity of retailer-managed customer review programmes.

Which? recently reported that some positive internet reviews of hotels and restaurants are actually written by the owners themselves.