It was found that 6 out of 10 domestic online shopping malls arrange reviews based on their own algorithms, prioritizing favorable reviews of products on sale.
On the 25th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the results of a survey on the review policies of 50 domestic online shopping malls.
According to the survey results, 33 (66%) were sorting reviews based on 'self-developed algorithms.' Moreover, more than half of these, 18 (54%), did not clearly explain the sorting criteria of their self-developed algorithms.
Due to the nature of online shopping malls, reviews have a significant impact on consumer purchasing decisions, as the actual products cannot be confirmed until received.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated that most shopping malls utilizing self-developed algorithm sorting tend to display reviews that are rated highly and described positively first. In contrast, there are almost no online malls that prioritize or separately display reviews that consumers rated as useful or helpful, even if they have lower ratings.
It also turned out that the functionality for consumers to directly choose the review sorting method is lacking. While most online shopping malls provide basic sorting features such as viewing photo or video reviews, sorting by latest or oldest first, very few offer options for 'most commented' based on consumer reactions.
Unlike in Korea, major overseas online shopping malls display both favorable and critical reviews simultaneously. The U.S. Costco online mall and Japan's Rakuten select one of the most helpful favorable reviews and one of the most helpful critical reviews to display prominently at the top.
Thus, the Seoul Metropolitan Government emphasized the need to disclose the components and weights of algorithms to make it easier for consumers to compare and trust review information.
Kim Myung-sun, head of the Fair Economy Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, noted, 'We will continue to create an environment where consumers can easily check necessary information and will consistently promote policies to protect consumer rights.'