If you're filtering reviews to only show positive ones, you're breaking platform rules and risking fines. Review gating—screening customers before they post reviews—might temporarily boost your rating, but it's illegal and will get you banned.
This guide is for ecommerce operators who want to collect reviews legally and effectively. We'll cover the difference between review generation (legal) and review gating (illegal), plus how to build a compliant strategy that actually works.
Review Generation vs. Review Gating: What's the Difference
The difference is simple: review generation invites all customers to leave feedback. Review gating only invites the happy ones.
Review Generation: Collecting Honest Reviews
Review generation is asking all buyers to share their opinions, whether they had a positive experience or a negative one. You're not filtering based on expected satisfaction—you're giving everyone the same opportunity to leave a review.
Effective methods:
- Review request emails: Send post-purchase emails or SMS messages asking for reviews. Don't filter who gets these—send them to everyone.
- QR codes: Include scannable QR codes on packaging or receipts that link to review pages.
- Follow-ups: Send friendly reminders if no review is received after the first request. This isn't gating—it's just following up.
- Incentives: Provide small perks like gift cards or discounts, but make it clear the reward is for participating, not for positive feedback. Disclose incentives per platform guidelines.
Why review generation works:
- It builds a library of independent reviews that reflect real customer opinions.
- It helps maintain a high volume of reviews, which improves your Google Business Profile visibility.
- Positive feedback showcases your strengths, while negative feedback helps you fix problems.
Review Gating: Filtering Out Bad Reviews
Review gating involves screening customers before they post reviews. For example, a business might survey buyers and direct satisfied customers to public review sites like Google reviews while sending unhappy customers to a private feedback form instead. This tactic manipulates the feedback process by suppressing bad reviews.
Risks of review gating:
- Policy violations: Major platforms like Yelp and Google prohibit gating. Violations may result in account suspension, removal of all reviews, or a ban on your business listing.
- Customer distrust: Buyers value honest reviews. If they discover you're suppressing criticism, they may question the authenticity of your feedback.
- Legal action: Regulatory bodies like the FTC enforce advertising regulations. Gating practices can lead to enforcement action, fines, or lawsuits.
Case study: Fashion Nova
Fashion Nova suppressed negative feedback by not publishing reviews with ratings below four stars. This led to a $4.2 million fine by the FTC for creating misleading reviews. Their actions violated the principle of authenticity and misled consumers, damaging trust and reputation.
The key difference:
Review generation is about transparency and fairness—collecting feedback from all buyers. Review gating manipulates the system to highlight only positive reviews while hiding negative ones. The ethical and legal risks of gating far outweigh any short-term benefits.
Compliance Requirements for Major Review Platforms
Collecting reviews comes with responsibilities. Understanding the rules of review platforms like Google, Yelp, and Amazon can save you from costly mistakes.
Google Reviews
Google's review policy prohibits gating or incentivizing reviews without proper disclosure. All customers, whether satisfied or dissatisfied, must have equal opportunities to leave reviews. Any attempts to manipulate Google My Business or Google Maps listings can lead to penalties.
Case study: Google lawsuit against fake reviews
Google took to court a group responsible for over 14,000 fake reviews and 350 fraudulent business profiles. These reviews deceived consumers and undermined confidence in the businesses operating on the platform, which demands authentic reviews.
Yelp
Yelp takes a strict stance against review solicitation. The platform prohibits offering any form of incentives in exchange for reviews, and businesses caught breaking the rules risk having their profiles flagged.
Yelp actively investigates suspicious activity, such as sudden spikes in reviews. Businesses flagged for violating the rules may see their profiles labeled with warning badges, which can drive away potential customers.
Amazon
Amazon focuses heavily on maintaining review integrity. The platform bans offering incentives for reviews or manipulating consumer reviews in any way. Violators face severe consequences, including account suspension or removal of products.
FTC Guidelines and the Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule
The new FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, which went into effect on October 21, 2024, focuses on reviews and testimonials based on deceptive and unfair practices.
The rule enables courts to assess civil penalties for such breaches in a bid to cleanse the marketplace of fake reviews, sham endorsements, or other trickery hurting consumers and honest businesses alike.
Key points of the rule:
- Authenticity is mandatory: Reviews and testimonials must reflect the actual experience of the consumer. Fake or fabricated reviews, including those manipulated through review gating, are prohibited.
- Transparency about incentives: Businesses must clearly disclose any material connections (e.g., discounts, free products, or payments) offered in exchange for reviews. Misleading consumers by hiding such relationships is a violation.
- Accountability for violations: Courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations, adding legal consequences to unethical practices.
- Impact on competitors and consumers: Fake or deceptive reviews not only mislead buyers but also create an unfair advantage over businesses that follow the law.
Example: Bountiful's review hijacking
Bountiful, a supplement company, reused consumer testimonials from one product to boost another. This practice misled buyers and violated the FTC's principle of fair competition. They paid $600,000 to settle the case.
GDPR and Customer Privacy
If your business collects data from EU residents, you must comply with GDPR regulations. This includes obtaining proper consent for data collection and ensuring customer privacy when collecting reviews.
How to Build a Compliant Review Collection Strategy
Building a compliant review collection strategy requires transparency, fairness, and adherence to platform guidelines. Here's a step-by-step approach:
Step 1: Automate Review Requests Fairly
Use a review management platform like RaveCapture that integrates with multiple channels (email, SMS, website, and social media) to reach customers wherever they interact with your business.
- Schedule follow-ups: Set up reminders for customers who haven't left a review after the initial request, but avoid excessive messaging that might feel intrusive.
- Analyze engagement: Review automation reports to track the effectiveness of your review requests. Adjust timing or messaging if response rates are low.
Common mistake: Filtering who gets review requests based on expected satisfaction. Don't do this—it's gating.
Step 2: Personalize Your Approach
Personalize review requests based on customer behavior and purchase history, but ensure all customers—regardless of their experience—have equal opportunity to leave reviews.
- Timing matters: Send review requests at optimal times based on product type and delivery confirmation, but never filter based on expected satisfaction.
- Customize messaging: Personalize email templates with customer names and product details, but maintain consistent messaging that invites all feedback.
What works: Use smart email sequences that trigger based on delivery confirmation, not order date. If Smart Reminders are enabled, you're not sending one email—you're sending up to three touches. Plan your timing accordingly.
Step 3: Respond to All Feedback
- Thank reviewers personally: Use their name and reference specific points from their review to show you value their input.
- Address complaints promptly: Offer solutions for issues raised in negative feedback. For example, "We're sorry to hear about this issue. Let us make it right by sending you a replacement."
- Use a consistent voice: Maintain a professional brand voice in all responses to reinforce your brand image, even when addressing bad reviews.
Step 4: Offer Legal Incentives
- Focus on honest reviews: Make it clear that rewards are for participating, not for positive feedback. For instance, "We appreciate your time in sharing an honest review and want to thank you with a small discount."
- Comply with guidelines: Follow specific rules set by platforms like Google and Amazon. Clearly state that the incentive is unrelated to the content or tone of the review.
- Track redemption rates: Monitor the use of incentives to ensure they're being distributed fairly and within your allocated budget.
Don't: Offer incentives only to customers who leave positive reviews. This is gating.
Do: Offer incentives to all customers who leave reviews, regardless of rating, and clearly disclose the incentive.
Step 5: Turn Positive Reviews Into Marketing Assets
- Create social proof: Use snippets of positive reviews in ad campaigns, product pages, or email newsletters to reinforce trust with potential customers.
- Highlight key themes: Group similar feedback into categories, such as product quality or customer service, to showcase your strengths.
- Showcase visuals: If a review includes a photo or video, with permission, share it on your social media or website to make the testimonial more relatable.
Fake Reviews and Their Consequences
Using fake reviews may seem tempting, but the consequences can be disastrous. For businesses, they risk fines, bans, and lost trust.
Spotting fake indicators:
Review platforms like Google and Yelp use algorithms to detect suspicious patterns, such as:
- Large volumes of reviews posted within a short timeframe.
- Reviews with repetitive language or overly promotional tone.
- Reviews lacking specific details about the product or service.
If flagged, businesses may face enforcement action, including removal of business listings or lawsuits.
Wrapping Up
Collecting reviews the right way is essential for building trust and growing your ecommerce business. While review gating and fake reviews might offer short-term benefits, they come with legal, ethical, and reputational risks. The smarter choice is to focus on transparency, fairness, and compliance.
If you only do one thing after reading this, stop filtering who gets review requests. Send them to everyone, respond to all feedback, and disclose any incentives clearly.
Want to simplify your review strategy? Explore RaveCapture to collect, showcase, and manage authentic reviews effortlessly.
