Roughly 40 per cent of South Korea’s major online shopping platforms rely on proprietary algorithms to rank product reviews without disclosing the criteria behind those rankings, raising concerns about consumer trust and transparency, according to a new report by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
In a survey released Friday by the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center, 33 out of 50 leading domestic online retailers (66 per cent) displayed customer reviews using algorithm-based rankings such as “most popular” or “best”, while 18 platforms (36 per cent) failed to reveal any explanation of how these algorithms function.
The review ranking systems, which vary by platform, often prioritise high-star ratings and favourable comments. Very few platforms give visibility to critical yet helpful reviews, or allow users to sort by those with meaningful pros and cons.
While most platforms provide basic filtering options like “photo/video reviews” or “newest first”, more nuanced controls are rare. Only one platform allowed users to sort by “most commented,” and just four offered options to exclude incentivised reviews from promotional testers.
“In online shopping, where consumers cannot inspect the product in person, reviews are a critical decision-making factor,” the city noted in its report. “Overemphasis on positive reviews undermines trust and limits informed consumer choice.”
By contrast, major international platforms have implemented more transparent and user-friendly review systems. For instance, Costco and Rakuten highlight one positive and one critical review deemed most helpful, while Sephora flags incentivised reviews and allows users to filter them out entirely.
Amazon offers tools to surface both favourable and critical reviews that have been rated useful by other consumers.
Seoul officials plan to recommend regulatory changes requiring online retailers to disclose their review-sorting algorithms and strengthen oversight.
“A balanced review policy helps consumers make quicker decisions and reduces unnecessary returns and disputes,” said Kim Myung-sun, director of Seoul’s Fair Economy Division. “We will continue to push policies that protect consumer rights.”
- This story was originally published on The Korea Bizwire.
