BEIJING: China’s consumer association has warned people about being misled by vloggers on social media who review consumer products, saying that some of them offer misleading information or may have conflicts of interest or may be deliberately influencing buyers for their own commercial gain.
A recent survey conducted by the China Consumers’ Association investigated 350 social media accounts that provide third-party evaluation for products and commodities, including electronics, makeup and skin care products, baby and maternal products, and food and beverages.
The accounts post evaluation videos on an array of popular video-sharing platforms in China, such as Douyin, Kuaishou and Bilibili, in which they often do comparisons between similar competing products.
According to the survey released on Tuesday, 93.1 percent of those third-party videos were suspected of having flawed or over-subjective standards for evaluation. Some 56 percent of them had problems in their fairness for allegedly having commercial interests with product sellers, with 36 percent suspected of disinformation. The association outlined 10 typical cases in which the so-called third-party evaluations had problems.
In a post on video-sharing app Kuaishou last March, a vlogger claimed a facial cleanser “fitted all skin types” when assessing the product for viewers. However, the association said many consumers complained in comment areas that the facial cleanser wasn’t suitable for sensitive or dry skin.
Another account released three videos last summer on Douyin, in which it apparently evaluated three products — a skin-care set, milk powder and a household water purifier. But the account’s evaluation results were only based on its own subjective comments, instead of setting standards and making parallel comparisons, according to the association.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
