Honest feedback or paid praise? The controversy surrounding review incentives in Singapore

SINGAPORE, Aug 3 — When Korean restaurant Obba opened its doors in Singapore more than a decade ago, its staff members admitted that they “did not really pay much attention to restaurant reviews”.

Then as the years went by, the restaurant noticed a growing trend of people deciding what to eat or which business to patronise only after they do a quick search on Google Maps or TripAdvisor for user reviews.

Obba had to respond to the changing times. “We’ve come to see the importance of these reviews,” the restaurant chain told TODAY.

From May to July this year, Obba held a “review event” to encourage customers to leave reviews of their dining experience. By doing so, they stand to win prizes such as Apple AirPods and dining vouchers.

It conducted a similar event last year, offering the chance to win tickets to English singer-songwriter Sam Smith’s concert as prizes if customers submit a Google review. The restaurant, which now has 13 branches around Singapore, received around 500 submissions then.

Obba is one of several businesses in Singapore that TODAY found, ranging from food-and-beverage establishments to aesthetic beauty services, which asked their customers to pen a review on Google or other online platforms in exchange for freebies such as vouchers or desserts.

How they conduct this differs from merchant to merchant.

Some explicitly ask for five-star reviews in order for the customer to be eligible for the freebie, calling into question the authenticity of such reviews in the first place, several consumers who spoke to TODAY said.

Information technology professional Alexander Glass, 51, said: “I think the practice of incentivised positive reviews exploits the greed of both buyer and seller, is undoubtedly dishonest, makes reviews essentially untrustworthy, and ultimately harms all consumers.”

In response to queries, Google said that the search engine has policies to ensure that reviews are “based on real experiences”.

Deliberately fake content, copied or stolen photos, off-topic reviews, defamatory language, personal attacks, and unnecessary or incorrect content violate Google’s policy.

An article on Google’s Help Centre website states that “business owners shouldn’t offer incentives to customers to leave reviews”.

On its end, Obba said that it does not “force” its customers to give five-star reviews but wants “honest” ones instead.

“Indeed, some customers gave us three stars and wrote honest reviews,” it added. “Those who were not satisfied with our food and service would not even consider participating in the event just for the prize.”

Pressured to put in a good word

Whether or not establishments stipulate that the reviews need to be positive in order to be eligible for freebies, several people told TODAY that there are ways in which businesses can coerce their customers to give a positive testimony.

An advertising executive who wanted to be known as just Priscilla recounted how she was offered a free mask in exchange for a five-star review while she was at a facial spa.

“I was in this tiny room with two girls staring at me (while I wrote the review),” the 33-year-old said.

“It was a bit unethical because on top of asking for five stars, they asked me to use specific keywords. And there was even a word count.”

Priscilla said that she deleted the review afterward and never returned as a customer, adding that she wondered if the business would benefit in the long run from such practices if it cannot live up to the hype.

“Customers might have gone there expecting this service and this food, but if it did not deliver, I feel that there might be a second wave of bad PR (public relations). Customers might call out the businesses on TikTok or deliberately leave bad reviews because they were disappointed,” she said.

As for Glass, he recalled how a vacuum cleaner he ordered online included a small note in the packaging that offered to extend the product warranty for a positive review.

“I did it anyway knowing these devices are prone to frequent breakdowns and very expensive to fix. Of course, I had not even owned the product long enough to write any meaningful review, positive or negative.”

Finance analyst Dan Lim, 30, felt that businesses that practise this are not being fair to potential customers, and it also makes brands “look cheap and desperate”.

He said that these businesses are untrustworthy and are “interested in only making a quick buck instead of thinking long-term”.

Just another marketing strategy

However, some consumers felt that incentivised reviews are a legitimate marketing strategy for businesses, so long as they do not pressure customers to write only positive reviews.

Lau Guang Wei, 39, who is on a sabbatical, said that asking for reviews helps fledgling businesses establish a presence and attract more customers.

“Businesses, especially new ones, need reviews to help spread the word,” he added. “People will usually check out Google reviews or other sources for reviews before making a reservation, so they need good reviews quickly to build the brand.”

Ultimately, it should be up to consumers to discern between honest reviews and incentivised ones, Priscilla said.

“If all of the reviews are five stars with no or minimal descriptions, we should be able to spot (the disingenuous submissions) and tell for ourselves,” she said.

One business owner who offers such incentives agreed that customer reviews are vital for building trust and ensuring a steady stream of returning clients.

Jasmine Yong, 39, the managing director and founder of Sugar(ed), said that her hair-removal business gives out S$5 (RM17) discounts to customers for their next visits if they write a Google review of their experience, adding that she requests they leave these reviews up on the platform for at least a month.

Stating that her marketing practice is a fair one, Yong said that the main goal of these reviews is so that newer staff members who might not get many bookings when they first start out can be acknowledged by customers for good service.

These reviews also serve to direct other customers to book appointments with them, hence building their confidence.

“Singaporeans just need to be pushed and motivated. People are lazy so the S$5 is just to push them to write it,” she added.

Other consumers said that even if reviews are tagged to incentives, it does not matter since they would still leave their honest feedback.

Becky Tan, 25, a management trainee who spoke to TODAY after a meal at Obba, said that even if there was a freebie that she wanted, she would still base her review on her experience of the business.

“If I really had a good experience, I will feel more inclined to write a longer and better review with photos for them,” she added. “But if not, then I will leave a not-so-good review and just leave.”

Shipping manager Alvin Wee, 44, agreed, saying that he will also stick to his guns and give an honest review regardless of whether he was offered freebies.

Incentivised reviews a ‘grey area’

Speaking to TODAY, Bryan Tan, chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (Asas), acknowledged that the practice of offering prizes and incentives compromises the integrity of reviews.

Asas is an advisory council under the Consumers Association of Singapore, or Case.

These brands risk hurting their reputation since customers would not be able to tell whether their review score is authentic, and cause people to doubt all user-submitted reviews, including the genuine ones, Tan said.

“(These businesses) are basically just shooting themselves in the foot.”

Tan added, though, that Asas has not come to a conclusion on whether this would be an activity it would consider “egregious or breaching Singapore’s advertising standards”.

“I don’t think it’s fair to outlaw (the practice). But it’s certainly worth thinking about and businesses should consider how they also want to be fair to the readers and how they can demonstrate authenticity.”

However, Tan said that at the moment, platforms such as Google have “more significant problems to deal with” such as fake reviews created by bots or people who have not even tried the products.

The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003 in Singapore prohibits unfair trade practices, which include the posting of fake reviews. Businesses found engaging in such practices can face enforcement actions such as court orders and injunctions.

Earlier this year, furniture retailer Loft Home was warned by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore for posting fake five-star reviews on its website. The company had published reviews attributed to their customers’ initials without their knowledge.

When it comes to the practice of incentivised reviews, Tan advocated for a lighter touch rather than an outright ban.

For example, businesses and customers could mark the reviews as incentivised or sponsored, perhaps by using a hashtag as an indication.

“The labelling should be clear enough for someone reading to know that there is an incentive involved. And it should be made a standard that is expected from all brands and reviewers.”

Agreeing, senior lecturer Leung Sau Yee from Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Business said that when it comes to incentivised customer reviews, “it takes two hands to clap”.

“While businesses can be dangling carrots for glowing reviews, consumers are ultimately the ones who decide whether or not to provide authentic reviews.”

Leung also said that customer reviews are a “double-edged sword”. They may provide valuable insight into the brand, but they are based on consumer perception, which is subjective and “sometimes biased”.

“It is also inevitable that some of the reviews may not be fully authentic due to a variety of reasons, from businesses providing incentives for five-star reviews to family and friends of businesses wanting to show support.”

On the offering of freebies specifically for five-star reviews, she said that it can be an unfair practice.

Felicia Wee, the course chair in marketing at Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Business, said that ethical marketing must be grounded in principles of honesty and transparency.

She advised consumers to exercise judgement when it comes to trusting online reviews.

“Look at the volume of reviews. A business with many reviews generally provides a more reliable overall picture than one with just a few,” she said.

She also suggested checking the date when the reviews were posted. This is because a business can change over time, so recent reviews would be more indicative of the current experience offered.

“Likewise, evaluate the reviewers’ profile to determine their credibility.

“And if many people mention the same issue or heap praise on the same aspect, it is more likely to be accurate.” — TODAY