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Is this a new thing, “Review engine ‘optimization?’” So what’s the real fix here? If I report the company then it’ll shut down and reopen under a different na
by mikehollinger 8y ago
Is this a new thing, “Review engine ‘optimization?’”
So what’s the real fix here?
If I report the company then it’ll shut down and reopen under a different name.
If I leave a review it’ll drown it out with fake reviews.
If I shame the company - no one will see it. mom trusts ama son because ten years ago I told her to look at the reviews there.
- tonyedgecombe 8y ago>So what’s the real fix here? Dump the reviews? Perhaps return rates would be a better metric.
- mikehollinger 8y agoYeah, but I can pay someone to keep the item and trash it.
- tonyedgecombe 8y agoYes, but you can't stop dissatisfied customers returning theirs.
- credit_guy 8y agoThe real fix is for Amazon to have a department of curation. Beyond a certain scale, you can't only be a passive intermediary. There are all sorts of negative actors. Just like HN has some curation (great work, Dang) Amazon needs some too, but obviously on a completely different scale.
- JustSomeNobody 8y agoWhy should Bezos care? He's worth $160 Billion so something must be working for him. Why would he feel the need to change? Amazon is making money, he's happy, investors are happy, so ... who cares about a few unhappy customers?
- moltar 8y agoBezos cares because he’s customer obsessed.
- petra 8y agomeh. just look at "Amazon dark patterns" : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17651488 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17651488
- petra 8y agoIf Amazon has exclusivity on those brands, having the most valuable and trusty reviews becomes very valuable, especially if the other reviews are crap. Could be a powerful tool for selling stuff to countries where Amazon isn't so strong.
- SmellyGeekBoy 8y agoGo to a physical "brick-and-mortar" store where you can test out different products in person and buy one there and then, knowing exactly what you're getting? Sometimes the ultimate price for cheapness and convenience is just too high to be worth paying.
- josefresco 8y agoThe only "local" store where I may possibly see a few drones is Best Buy, and you can forget about testing them.
- Gustomaximus 8y agoNothing new. As a marketer we look to optimise reviews as long as reviews were a thing, though tools are get increasingly sofisticated. And some businesses do this in more ethical ways than other. The fix is the same as always, brand. Companies and distributors establish a reputation good or bad. You pay a premium or chase cheap and take the risk. This I suspect will be a never ending cycle.
- petra 8y agoBrand, coupled with independent and trustworthy review companies is one solution. nytimes has started showing reviews from the nytimes's "wirecutter" review department. When reviewing, they also offer the best "budget" choice, so often, even the premium isn't large.