The Impact of Negative and Fake Reviews on consumer attitude and behavior towards online products

The rapid growth of digital commerce has made online reviews a critical source of information in consumer decision-making. However, the increasing presence of negative and fake reviews poses significant challenges for consumer trust and online marketplaces. This review paper employs a qualitative secondary research approach, synthesizing peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and 2024 using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that negative reviews exert a stronger influence than positive ones, leading to heightened perceived risk, reduced trust, deteriorated brand attitudes, and lower purchase intention. Additionally, fake reviews distort information credibility, complicate consumer decision-making, and undermine confidence in digital platforms. By synthesizing fragmented evidence across peer-reviewed studies, this review provides an integrated framework demonstrating that negative and fake reviews operate through distinct psychological mechanisms—product-level risk versus system-level distrust—necessitating differentiated mitigation strategies for platforms, managers, and policymakers to preserve e-commerce integrity.