Fighting fake reviews with blockchain-enabled consumer-generated reviews

Abstract

Online consumer-generated reviews are part of eWOM (electronic word of mouth). These reviews are very important for tourists in their decision-making processes regarding purchases and bookings. The reviews can be found in two types of sources: websites that sell the product and independent websites. In both cases, current review systems have relevant shortcomings: the possibility of fake reviews, the representativeness of those who review, platform decisions than can bias the results and other possible manipulations. Additionally, some users may not feel comfortable posting reviews due to the possible loss of anonymity. In this scenario, blockchain provides a suitable framework for solving most of the stated problems. In this paper, we describe an implementation of an online review system based on blockchain that would help solve most of the problems that exist in the current systems. We discuss managerial implications of the proposed system, possible limitations and future research needed in the area.