Customer reviews in e-commerce: get real reviews and display them by the rules

Why reviews sell

Research measured it long before social media. In a study published in 2006 in the Journal of Marketing Research, Judith Chevalier and Dina Mayzlin compared reviews and book sales on two major retail sites: an improvement in a book’s reviews leads to an increase in its relative sales, and a one-star review carries more weight than a five-star one.

Two practical consequences for a shop. First, reviews count even when they are not perfect: a product with real, nuanced reviews inspires more confidence than a product with none. Second, a negative review deserves a reply: it gets read, and so does your answer.

What French law requires when you publish reviews

When reviews are published on your own site, the French Consumer Code requires you to tell visitors how they are handled. According to the French Ministry of the Economy’s page “Can you trust online reviews?”, you must state:

• The publication date of each review, and the date of the consumer experience it relates to.
• The criteria used to rank reviews, chronological order among them.
• Whether anything is given in return for posting a review.
• The maximum period for which a review is published and kept.

The reference texts cited by the DGCCRF (the French consumer protection authority) are article L.111-7-2 and articles D.111-16 to D.111-19 of the Consumer Code for information on reviews, and articles L.121-2 to L.121-4 for misleading commercial practices.

“Verified reviews”: what the word commits you to

“Avis vérifiés” (verified reviews) is searched 5,400 times a month in France. It is also the name of a review provider, but in the eyes of the law it is a claim that binds you. A business that states its reviews come from consumers who actually bought or used the product must have put checks in place to verify it: that is article L121-4 of the French Consumer Code, which transposes a European directive.

In practice, the simplest and most robust method is to ask for a review only after a real order, through a unique link sent to the customer, and to keep the record that ties each review to its order. If you use a provider, check which verification method it applies and describe it on your site.

What is prohibited, and what it costs

The DGCCRF points out that the French Consumer Code prohibits a business from:

• Falsely presenting itself as a consumer.
• Claiming that reviews are posted by consumers who used or bought the product without having taken the necessary steps to verify it.
• Posting fake reviews, or having someone else post them.
• Editing consumer reviews to promote products.

These acts constitute the offence of misleading commercial practices, punishable by two years in prison and a fine of €300,000; in proportion to the benefits gained from the offence, the fine can be raised to 10% of average annual revenue. Rewriting a review to promote a product is explicitly covered; sorting reviews to keep only the good ones betrays the ranking criteria you are required to disclose.

Getting real reviews: the method

Real reviews come from asking, at the right moment, in the right way. Here is the sequence we recommend:

1. 1
   The right moment: a few days after delivery, once the customer has used the product. For a digital product, a week after purchase.
2. 2
   A single short message, with a direct link to the review form for the product purchased.
3. 3
   One simple open question: “What did you think of your purchase?” rather than a rating alone.
4. 4
   No conditions: do not ask for a positive review, do not reserve a gift for good ratings. If you offer something in return for any review posted, you must say so.
5. 5
   A reply to every negative review: acknowledge, explain what was done, no arguing.
6. 6
   Google reviews for your business, if you have a physical shop or a local service: you ask for them in the same way.

Where and how to display reviews

On the product page, reviews sit below the description and the buy button, with a summary (average rating and number of reviews) near the title. Show the date of each review, sort from newest to oldest by default or explain your sorting criterion, and leave negative reviews visible.

For Google, reviews can be described in structured data (Review, AggregateRating) provided they match exactly what is shown on the page. Google Merchant Center can also show product reviews in Shopping, under its own rules.

No reviews yet?

A new shop has no reviews, and that is normal. Do not make any up: replace them with other true proof until the first customers arrive. Real product photos, a video of the product in use, precise specifications, a guarantee, a clear returns policy, the seller’s full contact details.

On our own sites, we display no reviews until we have real ones; trust signals rest on facts (lead time, instant access, secure payment, returns procedure). It is less spectacular, but it is true, and it does not put the shop at risk.