Ego, need for attention drive many phony product reviews
Consumers often turn to the Internet to research a product before buying. Fake reviews are always a concern, and the problem may be bigger than previously thought.
There have long been reports and rumors of businesses posting negative reviews of their competitors’ products or companies that pay or reward users to write glowing reviews, a practice known as cyber-shilling.
But new research shows that loyal customers are writing extremely negative reviews about products they never bought.
Marketing professors Duncan Simester of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Eric Anderson of Northwestern University did a study based on reviews posted on the website of a major private-label apparel company.
The duo found that about 5 percent of the product reviews were written by customers with no record of buying the item. Those reviews were "significantly more negative" than the others.
Those bogus reviews have consequences, Simester said. Low ratings result in significantly less demand for an item for at least 12 months.
"We have some evidence that these negative reviews do drive purchasing decisions and can reduce sales," he said.
It’s unclear why customers would post negative reviews about products they didn’t buy. Consumers might be acting as self-appointed brand managers that see the reviews as a way to give reactions to a company about products, regardless of whether they bought them. Or they might be seeking to get attention or raise their online status by posting with great frequency or detail, assuming that doing so increases their level of expertise, the study said.
Total recall
About 6,500 Fast Lane FA-005 radio control three-channel toy helicopters with gyro stabilizer and charger, model number 5F5F2F5, have been recalled in the U.S.
The model number is printed on the front of the product packaging and on the underside of the helicopter. The double-rotor helicopters are blue and white, about 9 inches high and have the Fast Lane logo on the top of the helicopter. They were sold at Toys R Us stores nationwide and online at www.toysrus. com from September through January.
The rechargeable battery inside the helicopters can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. There have been 11 reports worldwide of the rechargeable battery overheating. No injuries have been reported.
Call Toys R Us at 800-869-7787 or go to www.toysrus.com and click on "About Us," select "Safety" at the top of the page, then "Click here" under Product Recalls.
