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Fake store: 65% of consumers may consider an online store that does not have customer reviews to be a scam

By Tiago Moraes 6 minutes reading
Fake store: 65% of consumers may consider an online store that does not have customer reviews to be a scam
Fake store? Stores that appear fake to consumers are not taken seriously. Purely illustrative photo: @azerbaijan-stockers
Fake store? Stores that look like fake for consumers are not taken seriously. Photo for illustration purposes only: @azerbaijan-stockers

For online consumers in general, a fake store is a virtual store that does not provide the necessary credibility for them to make purchases safely. For them, between a store that is fake and another that appears to be fake there is no difference. In this context, if your online store appears to be a fake store in the eyes of consumers, then you, the merchant, have a big problem. If this is actually happening, you could be losing precious sales without knowing it.

To give you an idea, according to the E-commerce Trends 2024 study conducted by Octadesk in partnership with Opinion Box with over 2.000 online consumers, 65% of consumers may consider an online store without customer reviews to be fraudulent.

But that's not all. Other problems such as poor design , lack of photos, and absence on social media also convey a sense of disbelief to consumers. Next, we'll show you more factors that may be making your online store look like a fake. Learn about these factors and, of course, avoid them!

FAKE STORE: CONSUMERS ARE AFRAID OF FRAUD

According to data from the aforementioned E-commerce Trends 2024 survey:

  • 92% of online consumers have already abandoned purchases in certain online stores because they thought they were fraud;
  • 74% of consumers have stopped buying more than once in stores that they considered fake stores, that is, fraudulent.

There are several factors that can make an online store appear to be a fake store, scam or fraud. Namely, Octadesk research demonstrated that:

  • 65% of consumers may consider an online store that does not have reviews from customers who have already purchased from it to be fraud;
  • 56% can avoid online stores and applications whose visuals do not seem trustworthy;
  • 55% may consider a store to be fake if it does not have clear information about the products;
  • 51% will consider your store fake and they will abandon it if they don't find it in Google search results;
  • 41% may find a fake app or store if they do not have photos of the products;
  • 39% tend to consider an online store that does not have a presence on social media to be fraud;
  • 29% may think a store is fake if it has few payment methods.
Video: learn more about the importance of having customer reviews in your online store (use the controls in the player on Youtube to activate and translate the subtitles into your language)!
Video: understand why fake reviews compromise the credibility of your online store (use the controls in the player on Youtube to activate and translate the subtitles into your language)!

The study also points out that for 62% of consumers, the number of frauds in e-commerce is increasing. In other words, there are a huge number of consumers on alert, for whom an online store with bad design, for example, is not worth a visit. Keep reading to find out more about it!

WHO HAS BEEN A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

According to E-commerce Trends 2024:

  • 42% of online consumers interviewed reported that they have already been victims of scams during a purchase in an online store. 

And more. Among consumers who have already been victims:

  • 44% said they did not receive the product;
  • 43% bought from a fake store, that is, one that did not exist;
  • 22% received a product different from what was purchased;
  • 21% had their credit card cloned;
  • 12% had their data stolen.

As you can see, the impact and damage done by fake stores in the market is significant. Therefore, if you are a serious merchant, it is important to avoid making your online store look fake as much as possible . Below are some tips to correct this problem!

HOW TO FIX THE FAKE STORE PROBLEM?

There are several actions you can take to prevent your store from appearing fake in the eyes of consumers. For example:

  • invest in a Design nice, as this gives the feeling that your brand has credibility;
  • Enter the physical addresses, electronic addresses and telephone numbers of the headquarters and your physical stores in the virtual store, as well as the company's CNPJ;
  • Use an SSL certificate to demonstrate that your store is secure;
  • Provide even more security by including trust seals;
  • Include shipping, returns and data usage policies, among others;
  • Maintain a means of real-time contact in the store, such as a chat, for example;
  • Include your online store on the main social networks;
  • Carry out an SEO project to index your online store on Google and other search engines.

Ultimately, to prevent consumers from looking at your online store and thinking “this is a fake store”, you need to make it convey credibility and security. Only then will consumers have the courage to access it, share personal data and complete purchases.

SUPPORT TO FIX THE “FAKE STORE” PROBLEM

If you need help fixing this problem in your online store, contact e-Plus Agency. e-Plus Agency is certified in the largest e-commerce and digital marketing platforms on the market, such as VTEX, Shopify Plus, Nuvemshop, Google Ads and Meta Ads, among others. Therefore, it is qualified to create, migrate, integrate, test, optimize, evolve, manage, promote and scale online stores using these technologies.

Video: get to know the e-Plus Agency office!

In addition, Agência e-Plus provides consultancy, advisory and training services for traders like you and your employees. This way, when hiring the e-Plus Agency, you guarantee that your online store will have the best possible appearance on the internet. 

With more than 10 years of history, the e-Plus Agency has carried out projects for more than 400 brands, including Xerox, Pirelli, Embelleze, Pierre Cardin, Speedo, Vila Romana, Le Coq Sportif, Sonda and Torra, for example, in Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Brazil, among other countries. You can also hire from anywhere in the world. To do this, click the following button and start a conversation via the messenger app right now:

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