A study published by Trustpilot suggests that a typical British shopper will splash out around £63 annually on purchases made via safe shopping online which are motivated by product reviews that end up being unreliable.

Since nine out of ten people turn to reviews before deciding to go through with an e-commerce purchase, it is clear that this element can be very influential over spending habits.

Indeed, if an item has a positive review, the only thing which will be more powerful in determining whether or not a shopper buys it will be its reported reliability.

Online reviews from other users are also one of the most significant factors in convincing consumers that a product meets their needs, with real-world recommendations being the only thing which hold more sway in this respect.

The rising number of phoney or misleading reviews posted on many e-commerce sites is something which plenty of consumers are familiar with, which is why the actual raw rating of a given product is less relevant than the extent to which shoppers trust that the reviews they are presented with are genuine, analysts found.

Almost two-thirds of those questioned in the survey said that they would be more inclined to shop with an e-commerce site which has been afflicted by fake reviews in the past and has taken action to remedy this rather than with a rival which has an apparently squeaky-clean record.

This shows the extent to which trust in online reviews has been eroded just as consumer awareness of misleading and fake reviews has grown and the ability to detect them has increased.

Trust is a key commodity for any online retailer, and those that which to maintain it should do their best to tackle fake reviews or risk losing customers.