Amazon Beta-Tests One-Tap Product Reviews

Easier, more legitimate reviews. But will it be useful?

Amazon is beta-testing a one-tap ratings system with the aim to make it much easier for Amazon customers to leave product feedback. The company began the trial among select customers in September.

Amazon’s hope is to motivate more customers to leave feedback. Many have resisted writing reviews due to a lack of time and interest. The end result of the one-tap review would be an enhanced ecosystem of more and better ratings for shoppers who rely on reviews to make informed buying decisions.

The system couldn’t be simpler. Tap once to leave a rating from one star to five stars. Unlike the current review system, which requires a title and a written statement, one-tap requires no additional information.

Verified Purchases are the only ones allowed under the one-tap reviews. Customers have the option to add to their feedback later with photos, videos and written statements.

In spite of multiple lawsuits, and the explicit banning of paid reviews, Amazon still struggles to reckon with a steady, if not dramatic, increase of fake reviews. The one-tap review holds out the hope of mitigating against it. Time will tell. Perhaps, with a significantly higher number of honest reviews, the net effect will neutralize the scammer review phenomena.

“I think that the one-tap review could lead to a greater proportion of legitimate reviews,” said Karl Kronenberger, partner at Kronenberger Rosenfeld. “It’s easier to review a product with the ease of one tap, and a lot of people will do it. There could be fewer fakes and that’s a good thing. But, with fewer written reviews, I wonder if the one-tap will be as insightful as the traditional Amazon review,” he said.

Currently, Amazon has positioned the one-tap review program as an experiment. It is not an official public launch, the company said.

Kronenberger Rosenfeld assists Amazon merchants of all sizes with a variety of legal services, including intellectual property and counterfeiting issues, disputes with Amazon, MAP pricing and reseller matters, and disputes with competitors.

For more information, please contact Kronenberger Rosenfeld.

Here is a more in-depth article on Amazon Reviews