Amazon has pledged to tackle fake reviews and crack down on sellers using them to boost product ratings, following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
According to the CMA, around 90% of UK consumers rely on reviews, with an estimated £23bn a year influenced by crowd-sourced information. Fake reviews have been explicitly banned, since April 2025.
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: “So many people use Amazon, from buying a new bike lock to finding the best coffee machine – and what’s clear is that star ratings and reviews have a huge impact on their choices. That’s why these new commitments matter and help set the standard. They mean people can make decisions with greater confidence – knowing that those who seek to pull the wool over their eyes will be swiftly dealt with.
“The undertakings from Amazon and Google, alongside our recently published advice to review platforms, paint a clear picture of what the law requires from businesses.
“Following this, we’re now launching the next phase of our work. This will scrutinise whether review platforms, businesses who list products on them, and reviewers themselves, are complying with the strengthened laws around fake reviews – and whether further action will be needed to see real change for shoppers.”
In the new RetailX Amazon Seller Summit 2025 report, Chris Turton, managing director of Ecommerce Intelligence, stressed that in fact review volume won’t get your ranked.
“Many sellers believe that more reviews mean higher rankings. I can tell you this isn’t the case. While review scores do impact conversions, the total number of reviews actually has diminishing returns after around 25 to 30. Whether you have 50 or 5,000 reviews, it won’t affect your Amazon SEO. What matters the most is maintaining a high score and ensuring your product meets customer expectations.”
This harnesses an extract from the Amazon Sellers Summit Report 2025.
This in-depth report distils expert insights and actionable strategies to help both established sellers and newcomers thrive. Discover proven methods for leveraging Amazon’s Fulfilment (FBA), optimising your advertising campaigns for maximum ROI, and harnessing the power of social media to drive traffic and conversions. Explore pathways for international expansion and understand how the transformative power of AI is reshaping the ecommerce landscape for Amazon sellers.
Stay informed
Our editor carefully curates two newsletters a week filled with up-to-date news, analysis and research, click here to subscribe to the FREE newsletter sent straight to your inbox and why not follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates on our research and analysis.
