New FTC Guidelines: Displaying Negative Reviews
As a result of this, Shopify has updated its policy which now states that all legitimate reviews - both positive and negative - must be published in full. At this time, responding to negative reviews is super important.
At REVIEWS.io, we offer the ability for you to reply to reviews, regardless of plan type. We expect that platforms like BigCommerce are likely to follow suit with Shopify's policy update, and therefore we anticipate more changes to come.
With these current changes in guidelines, we are doing our best to support you and hope to do the same with any future changes.
Our whitepaper offers a more in-depth explanation of why these changes should be viewed as a positive opportunity rather than something to be concerned about. For more information please read ‘9 easy to handle negative reviews’.
Still unsure on what this means for merchants or how REVIEWS.io can help? Reach out to us on live chat.
Here's an outline of the email issued via Shopify to the REVIEWS.io team regarding the updates👇
This is Shopify’s Partner Governance team. As you may be aware, regulatory teams across the tech industry, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), have been updating their guidelines surrounding product review apps for eCommerce. In line with these changes, we are reaching out to our partners to ensure compliance with these new standards.
One of the key features that requires attention is the auto-publish functionality within REVIEWS.io. To comply with the new guidelines, we request that you update this feature to automatically publish all reviews, regardless of rating, to the merchant's store within a maximum of 14 days from the date they are submitted by the buyer unless otherwise rejected for valid reasons such as profanity or hateful speech.
This update should also include clear messaging to the merchant directly inside of the app's user interface (UI) that reviews should only be rejected for valid reasons. This will ensure that our merchants are fully aware of this change and understand the importance of transparency in customer reviews.
Please have the above changes implemented by October 18th, 2023. We understand that this update may require some effort on your part, but we believe it is a crucial step in maintaining the integrity of our platform and the trust of our merchants and their customers. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to continuing our partnership and working together to ensure a transparent and trustworthy eCommerce environment. Should you have any questions or need further clarification on this update, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here to support you through this transition.