{"id":7411,"date":"2023-03-02T09:37:41","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T02:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indowhiz.com\/articles\/?p=7411"},"modified":"2023-03-02T09:39:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T02:39:05","slug":"check-ratings-and-reviews-of-products-before-checkout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indowhiz.com\/articles\/en\/check-ratings-and-reviews-of-products-before-checkout\/","title":{"rendered":"Check Ratings and Reviews of Products Before Checkout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this digital age, there are many conveniences that we get from online transactions for buying and selling products, services, and applications. However, we must be vigilant against acts of fraud in online transactions. One of them is by paying attention to the ratings and reviews of a product or service we intend to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Online vs offline shopping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Offline shopping means that buyers go directly to the store’s physical location and make transactions there. Then, the physical form, color, and detailed characteristics of a product are all things we can feel directly. For example, if we go straight to a clothing store, we can usually try it on before purchasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we want to buy a product through an online store or marketplace, on the other hand, we can only view photos or videos of the product. Most of the time, the only way to determine a product’s quality is to look at its ratings and reviews. Even the most detailed product description cannot directly depict the actual physical product. For example, we cannot feel the material, size, or comfort of clothing while wearing it. Furthermore, the color of the product displayed on your cellphone or computer may differ slightly from the original color. We won’t know all of those details until we buy it from an online store or marketplace and receive the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, even if a product in an online store or marketplace has a high rating, some people regret purchasing it. It’s because they are not careful enough to pay attention to product descriptions, ratings, and reviews. Generally, most people only look at the average rating of an online product and disregard<\/a> previous reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Ratings and reviews of online product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ratings are satisfaction evaluations of a product by its users, or consumers. This is a general indicator of how good or popular a product is. Ratings are typically given on a scale of 1\u20135 or 1\u201310, as illustrated in Figure 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Example
Figure 1. Example of rating and number of reviews on an online store or marketplace.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, reviews are typically more detailed. It contains user or consumer opinions based on their experience and level of satisfaction with the product. An objective review (as shown in Figure 2), along with the product’s pros and cons, greatly assists other users in deciding whether or not to purchase the product. However, to obtain more information, we must also consider other reviews of the same products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
Figure 2. An example of an objective review (with a fictitious name).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Fake ratings and reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In general, the higher the rating, the more users or consumers are interested in using the product. This may have a positive impact on the store’s profit value. For that reason, sometimes dishonest sellers justify any means to increase the rating on their product. One method is to provide hundreds or thousands of fake reviews to boost their product ratings. In addition, dishonest sellers can also do this to lower the rating of their competitor’s product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding fake reviews appears to be the simplest way for dishonest sellers to get away with it. There could be tens, hundreds, or even thousands of fake reviews that are not from verified customers. The goal is to raise the average rating to more than 4.0 on a 5-point scale. In general, they do this by either paying specific parties or using specific software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Examples
Figure 3. Examples of fake ratings and reviews.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Look at Figure 3, where all three reviews are most likely fake. The majority of the writing is superficial, not detailed, uses general sentences, and is completed in a short period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This “fake reviews” are also common on many social media platforms. It is possible to accomplish this by purchasing Instagram or Twitter followers or YouTube video viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review hijacking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jake Swearingen<\/a> discovers an Amazon fraud case that appears on Consumer Reports. This case involves some dishonest shop owners who take advantage of a security flaw. They present their product as having a high rating and having been reviewed by thousands of customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a product called “Headphone Jack Adapter,” as shown in Figure 4. It is an “Amazon’s Choice” item with over 4,400 reviews and a rating of 4.3 out of 5. As a result, the product looks decent enough for other users to buy it. They anticipate that the majority of buyers will have tried it and expressed satisfaction with the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Review
Figure 4. Review hijacking case on “Headphone Jack Adapter” product.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, after reading some of the reviews, it appears that something is off. How come the product is titled “Headphone Jack Adapter,” but the reviews are for a motherboard extension, a thermos, or even a computer duster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Product
Figure 5. Product names vary in ratings and reviews.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After investigating, it turned out that dishonest store owners replaced high-rated products with other new products. They may initially sell motherboard extensions and receive positive feedback within a month. Then, in the following period, they changed the page to sell other products (such as a thermos). Later, they changed the page again to sell adapter headphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, positive reviews will continue to grow, which is why the average rating is always high. Even if the second or future products get negative reviews and low ratings, it won’t affect the average rating. Essentially, they hijack positive reviews from previous product sales to promote their own products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad competitors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many online store owners are truthful and fair when it comes to increasing the ratings on their products. When it comes to seller competition, however, some sellers may act dishonestly or maliciously in order to put other sellers in trouble<\/a>, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n