Fake Reviews Push Shoppers Away From Purchases
New research from the Coalition for Trusted Reviews finds most consumers in the UK, US and Italy have skipped buying products over fake review concerns.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Shopping — General
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Research from the Coalition for Trusted Reviews, an alliance including Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, G2, Holidaycheck, Tripadvisor and Trustpilot, surveyed 6,000 people across the UK, Italy and the US. Large shares of respondents said concerns about fake or misleading reviews had led them to abandon a purchase.
Why it matters
Online reviews remain a major input for shopping decisions in all three countries, so doubts about their authenticity directly affect buyer confidence. The findings suggest that review integrity is becoming a commercial concern as well as a platform-policy issue.
Of 6,000 respondents surveyed, 74% in the UK, 73% in the US and 61% in Italy say they have avoided a purchase over fake review concerns. Respondents also indicated that identity checks and AI involvement would reduce their trust in or willingness to engage with reviews.
The players
Coalition for Trusted Reviews
An alliance of online platforms including Amazon, Booking.com, Expedia Group, G2, Holidaycheck, Tripadvisor and Trustpilot that commissioned the research on consumer attitudes toward fake reviews.
The details
Respondents said they would be less likely to leave a review if required to provide ID, at 56% in the UK, 46% in the US and 43% in Italy. Majorities in each country also said they would trust a review less if they knew it had been generated or written with AI assistance.
Culture Shift
The coalition's cross-platform research documents a growing consumer wariness toward online reviews, with trust increasingly tied to how reviews are verified and produced. Bad actors reusing identities and tactics across platforms and jurisdictions makes the problem harder for any single platform to address alone.
Shoppers who rely on online reviews may find that verification requirements and AI-generated content change how much weight they can give a rating. Checking review credibility before purchasing is becoming a more active part of everyday buying decisions.
The takeaway
Consumers are increasingly treating review authenticity as a deciding factor, so it pays to weigh a product's rating alongside how that rating was produced. Platforms that can show verified and transparent review processes may hold a trust advantage in this environment.
Further reading
Explore more Shopping — General coverage on how consumers evaluate online reviews before buying.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Retail Technology Innovation Hub.
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Do you trust online reviews enough to rely on them when buying something?
