Welcome to the world of Chinese consumer reviews, where fakes lurk round every corner and a “water army” can torpedo e-commerce businesses
On a Sunday evening in a shopping mall in Beijing, Dazhong Dianping sinks yet another restaurant’s chances of gaining Chen Xin’s business. “I said to my boyfriend, ’Are you sure we should eat here? It’s only got 4.1 [out of 5]…with many negative reviews saying the food is poor. Maybe we should find another place,’” Chen tells TWOC, indicating the unlucky Thai restaurant’s review score on the app.
Whenever Chen, a 29-year-old accountant, chooses a restaurant to eat at, she always checks Dazhong Dianping first. She swipes through comments and feedback from previous customers before she decides where to go. Restaurants, bars, parks, tourist sites, and all manner of entertainment venues are rated out of 5 stars according to user reviews on the app, and anything under 4.5 is likely to raise doubts in Chen’s mind. The platform is practically gospel to her: “Referring to these reviews can help us avoid some unpleasant experiences,” she says.
Chen, along with millions of other Chinese consumers, relies on ratings platforms like Dazhong Dianping to inform her purchasing decisions in everything from e-commerce to dining out. But she and other users are becoming increasingly wary as the growing influence of these online ratings has led to rampant review manipulation. Rather than improve their services or ensure product quality, many sellers and platforms engage in shady tactics such as offering discounts for five-star ratings, deleting bad reviews, or even employing hordes of fake reviewers to boost their scores and business, sometimes with fatal consequences for users duped into buying faulty products.
High ratings for sale
Since 2003, when Dazhong Dianping was founded as one of China’s first online consumer review platforms, similar apps in the country have grown to have millions of users. Dazhong Dianping merged with group buying and online food delivery service Meituan in 2015; the merger has since become China’s most popular review platform with over 290 million monthly active users. On e-commerce platform Taobao, users post 20 million reviews and comments a day.
On the whole, consumers in China seem to trust user-generated reviews more than descriptions of products and advertisements on corporate websites. According to KPMG’s “China’s Connected Consumers 2016” report, 60.8 percent of Chinese shoppers search online for reviews and recommendations before making an online purchase—a rate far higher than that of consumers in the US (39.4 percent). Chinese consumers are also more willing to voice their opinions on purchases online: Over half of Chinese online shoppers review the products they buy, compared to a global average of 30.7 percent.
Yet the authenticity of reviews is difficult to guarantee, in part because of the platforms’ business models. On Dazhong Dianping users can boost their ranking and earn privileges and discounts for posting “high-quality” reviews (with at least three photos and at least 100 characters in length) of products, services, and destinations. Those who reach “Level Three“ or above in the app‘s user rankings (by posting frequent high-quality reviews) can earn free dining opportunities, discounts on Meituan’s shared bikes, and even 50 percent discounts on group-buying promotions through Meituan’s other platforms.
The Shady World of Chinese Online Reviews is a story from our issue, “After the Factory.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine.
Ji Jingjing is a freelancer and a former intern at The World of Chinese. She mainly writes on Chinese culture, history and society. As a movie fanatic, she’s passionate about sharing her reviews with TWOC readers.
