Amazon bans most 'incentivised' reviews

5 Oct 2016

SAN FRANCISCO - Amazon on Monday banned reviews of products received free or at generous discounts, unless authors have been deemed trustworthy by the online retail giant.

Amazon has banned reviews of products received free or at generous discounts, unless authors have been deemed trustworthy by the online retail giant (AFP Photo/Lionel Bonaventure)

The online retail giant previously allowed 'incentivised' reviews of items, as long as posts made it clear that authors might be biased by not having to pay or by getting favorable deals.

Amazon has always banned reviews that are paid for, with the exception of compensation coming in the form of getting something free or discounted, according to an online post by vice president of customer experience Chee Chew.

"These so-called 'incentivised reviews' make up only a tiny fraction of the tens of millions of reviews on Amazon, and when done carefully, they can be helpful to customers by providing a foundation of reviews for new or less well-known products," Chew said.

Amazon community guidelines were updated on Monday to prohibit reviews of free or discounted products unless authors are part of an Amazon Vine program that "identifies and invites trusted and helpful reviewers on Amazon to post opinions about new and pre-release products".

Chew said that Amazon does not attempt to influence the content of Vine reviews, nor does it even require they be written in exchange for an author getting a product.

The exception to the rule will be books.

"We will continue to allow the age-old practice of providing advance review copies of books," Chew said.

Source: AFP

Source: I-Net Bridge

For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.

We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.

Go to: http://www.inet.co.za