Government will make these rules for e-commerce companies, consumers will benefit
If you do online shopping then this news is for you. The government is considering making it mandatory for e-commerce companies to follow quality norms for consumer reviews after voluntary efforts failed to effectively curb fake reviews, a top official said on Monday. The government had issued new quality norms for e-tailers a year ago, barring them from publishing paid reviews and demanding disclosure of such promotional material, PTI reported.
Fake reviews of products and services still exist
According to the news, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, said that but fake reviews of products and services are still coming to the fore on e-commerce platforms. Khare pointed out that it has been more than a year since the voluntary standard on ‘online reviews’ was notified. Some institutions claim that they are complying with it. But it is also true that fake reviews are still being published. He said that to protect consumer interests, we now want to make these standards mandatory.
There will be a meeting on 15th May
Khare said the ministry has scheduled a meeting with e-commerce firms and consumer organizations on May 15 to discuss the proposed move. The Ministry’s Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) prepared and released the new standard for online consumer reviews in November 2022. Prohibits the publication of reviews purchased and/or written by persons employed for that purpose by the supplier or a related third party.
Consumers trust online reviews a lot
With no opportunity to inspect products in person, consumers rely heavily on online reviews when making purchases. Misleading reviews and ratings may lead them to purchase goods or services based on incorrect information. The proposed move comes against the backdrop of India’s boom in online retail. According to a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India, the sector is projected to grow from US$70 billion in 2022 to US$325 billion by 2030.
