Zalando removes customer reviews

Zalando will no longer show customer reviews: the German platform is replacing them with a survey, as customers apparently barely publish reviews.

Surprising decision

The Zalando platform has recently removed the option for shoppers to post reviews, and older reviews were removed. The retailer has replaced the reviews with a link to a short survey into whether the product description helped the customer make a purchase decision.

The change was spotted by experts on LinkedIn and in the press. They were quite surprised, as reviews are supposed to play an increasing role in online buying decisions. Amazon, for instance, is putting increasing emphasis on it. However, a drawback is the increasing number of fake reviews, which may have prompted Zalando’s action.

Only 3 % write reviews

Commenting on Spanish website e-commerce-news.es, Zalando says that only 3 % of customers left a review. “The vast majority of our products do not get a single review. This is why we have decided to remove this feature from our shop.” Zalando says it is evaluating how the platform can provide a better and more valuable experience in the future. In the meantime, customers can continue to voice their opinions via their profile or when giving reasons for returning a product.

Zalando has recently introduced several innovations aimed at improving the buying experience on the platform, increasing conversion and reducing returns. For example, the retailer developed a tool that can predict a customer’s body measurements based on two photos in tight clothing. It is also testing a virtual fitting room in which customers can try on trousers using their avatar.