Stamped customers can feel confident knowing that our review practices meet the FTC guidelines outlined in the final rule, which took effect on October 21, 2024.
We care about authenticity at Stamped, and we think it's essential for brands to collect real and honest feedback from their customers.
We also want to ensure your brand stays compliant with current reviews policy, which is why we're highlighting the Federal Trade Commission's final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials.
This guide is a summary for merchants and is not legal advice. For how the rule applies to your business, consult the FTC's own materials linked below or your legal counsel.
In this Guide
- Breaking down the new final rule
- Collecting compliant reviews
- Moderating and displaying authentic reviews
- How Stamped helps brands stay compliant
- Conclusion
Breaking down the new final rule
The Federal Trade Commission's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect on October 21, 2024. It targets fake reviews and testimonials, prohibits the sale or purchase of such reviews, and allows the agency to seek civil penalties against those who knowingly violate it.
Fake reviews not only waste people's time and money, but also pollute the marketplace and divert business away from honest competitors. By strengthening the FTC's toolkit to fight deceptive advertising, the final rule will protect Americans from getting cheated, put businesses that unlawfully game the system on notice, and promote markets that are fair, honest, and competitive." - then-FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, announcing the rule in August 2024.
The rule prohibits:
- Fake or false consumer reviews, consumer testimonials, and celebrity testimonials
- Buying positive or negative reviews
- Undisclosed insider reviews and consumer testimonials
- Company-controlled review websites
- Review suppression
- Misuse of fake social media indicators
For the full details, see the FTC's final rule and its plain-language Questions and Answers for businesses.
Collecting compliant reviews
The general guidance for collecting reviews in a compliant manner includes:
- Do not create fake reviews or attribute them to nonexistent people.
- Do not ask for reviews from people who haven't used your product.
- Do not collect or showcase reviews from staff, family, or friends without clearly and conspicuously disclosing the relationship.
- Do not misrepresent reviews as independent if they promote your products or services.
- Do not use threats, intimidation, or false claims to remove negative reviews. Also, do not misrepresent the reviews on your site to hide negative feedback.
- When offering incentives for reviews, ensure there are no conditions attached. An incentive must never be contingent on a positive review. Disclose if a reviewer has a connection to the product or receives compensation.
- Avoid asking only customers you expect to leave positive feedback.
- Do not buy or sell fake social media indicators, such as followers or views generated by bots.
Moderating and displaying authentic reviews
The FTC also expects transparent moderation and display practices:
- Display negative reviews alongside positive ones. You may still moderate reviews that are irrelevant, unlawful, or abusive, but you must not suppress genuine negative feedback or present your displayed reviews as if they represent all or most of the reviews submitted.
- Do not falsely present reviews as independent.
- Ensure a fair display of reviews; positive reviews should not overshadow negative ones.
- Identify and remove fake or misleading reviews promptly.
- Do not alter customer reviews, even to correct typos or remove details.
How Stamped helps brands stay compliant
Stamped gives merchants tools that support compliance with the FTC's final rule and actively discourage fake or suppressed reviews.
Auto-Publish
We require all brands using auto-publish to auto-publish reviews regardless of star rating or sentiment. We believe you should publish all reviews, both positive and negative, as long as they are relevant and not offensive since this provides customers with an authentic view of sentiment about your products, and Stamped’s auto-publishing rules are compliant with FTC guidelines and Shopify’s Governance & Compliance.
Learn more about Auto-Publish in our help document.
Review Verification
Stamped verifies reviews that come from actual buyers through our Verified Buyer feature. This functionality checks that the review email matches the order email, the product reviewed aligns with the purchased item and filters out potential spam. It applies to reviews submitted via email, the main widget, or a self-hosted review page. This process enhances review authenticity and supports unbiased auto-publishing.
Learn more about Review Verification in our help document.
Archiving instead of deleting
Stamped does not support permanently deleting a review or editing the content of a customer's review. Instead, reviews can be archived, which removes them from your widgets and your average rating while retaining the original review and its photos, so they can be republished later. This supports the rule's restrictions on altering and suppressing genuine reviews, and keeps a record of what was submitted. If a customer made a mistake in their review, invite them to submit a new one rather than editing theirs.
Learn more in our Moderating Reviews help document.
Conclusion
Stamped customers can feel confident knowing that our review practices meet the FTC guidelines outlined in the final rule, in effect since October 21, 2024. Our review collection, moderation, and display processes give you the tools you need to gather and leverage authentic, honest customer feedback.