Amazon UK has committed to tackling fake reviews after it was investigated by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) over concerns it was failing to protect shoppers from bogus ratings and reviews.

The competition watchdog had been investigating claims that Amazon wasn’t doing enough to detect and remove fake reviews on its UK site. It also explored allegations Amazon wasn’t taking adequate action to sanction sellers or reviewers posting fake content online.

Reviews influence £23billion of consumer spending each year

Reviews mean big business; the CMA estimates nine in ten shoppers use reviews to inform their purchasing decisions, with £23billion of UK consumer spending influenced by online reviews each year.

However, research by Bazaarvoice showed that three quarters (75%) of consumers are concerned about the authenticity of reviews when shopping online. Its study of over 8,000 global shoppers showed customers are increasingly questioning the trustworthiness of User Generated Content (UGC), with 69% also worrying about social media content and a further 66% expressing concerns about phony Q&As.

According to the poll, 63% of consumers believe the responsibility of policing and solving fraudulent digital content rests with the retailer. This means “brands need to ensure customers trust the content they consume online,” Zarina Lam Stanford, CMO at Bazaarvoice, said. “If shoppers can’t trust UGC, it loses all of its value, and companies will lose out on sales,”

Robust processes to stamp out fake reviews

Following the CMA probe, Amazon has pledged to create more “robust processes” to quickly identify and remove fake reviews, as well making it easier for shoppers and brands selling on the platform to report false UGC.

Businesses found to be posting fake content will now face sanctions and risk being removed as a seller on the platform, while individuals engaging in false UGC will be prevented from posting online content.