Home⇛International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research⇛vol. 7 no. 9 (2026)

The Relationship Of Negative Fake Online Reviews With Customer Product Trust And Product Perception

Leiff Laurence M. Sedentario | Deanne John E. Lascota | Jraldine Amotan | Jramae Amotan | Mary Jorica L. Ardinez | Neogin Gil A. Sollano | Nicole M. Cantil | Peter G. Narsico

Discipline: Marketing

 

Abstract:

Consumer reviews are important sources of information for purchase decisions in online marketplaces. The increasing number of negative fake reviews – false or exaggerated comments that are intended to damage a product or business – raises questions regarding the rela-tionship between them and customer product trust and product per-ception. The present study used a quantitative correlational design to examine these relationships among 337 university students in Cebu City, Philippines who purchased products online at least once a month. Perceptions of negative fake reviews, customer product trust and product perception was measured by a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were applied to analyze the data. Respondents generally concurred on the existence of negative fake reviews that can be harm-ful and difficult to differentiate from authentic reviews. Regression analysis revealed that negative fake review perception was a signifi-cant predictor of customer product trust (R2 = 0.26) and product per-ception (R2 = 0.28). The findings reveal that the perceptions of nega-tive fake reviews are significantly linked to consumers’ trust-based reactions and their assessments of product quality, dependability and worth. The findings emphasize the significance of review authentica-tion, credibility indicators and consumer digital proficiency in rein-forcing the integrity of online marketplaces.



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