At Shine Online, we believe in fair and honest feedback. Our position on Review Gating is that we should ensure that every customer, no matter their experience, receives the same chance to share their thoughts. No selective invitations, no hidden incentives, and full transparency: this is how we protect our reputation, that of our clients, and trust in review platforms.
Review gating means asking customers for feedback, and then only directing those with positive feedback to leave a review. This might seem like a great way to protect your reputation, but it actually isn’t. An un-gated process is not only fairer, but is likely to result in more reviews and an improvement in online presence
Customers can however, be given the option to leave private feedback or a public review, and that is how review management and quality assurance can work hand in hand, to ensure that your customers get the experience they deserve, and you business gets the online reputation that it deserves.
Why This Matters
Feedback powers improvement. Regulators and review platforms require that every invitation to review be equal. Gating, or pre‑screening customers or only inviting those likely to leave positive comments, undermines trust, risks penalties, and can lead to account suspension. By following this statement, you help Shine Online and your business maintain credibility and compliance.
What You Must Not Do
Pre‑screen or filter: Never ask satisfaction questions (e.g., “How was your experience?”) and then only send review links to those who answer positively.- Segment invitations: Do not sort customers by purchase size, satisfaction score, or any other metric before inviting them.
- Hide incentives: If you offer rewards like discounts, freebies, contests, then you must disclose them clearly in your review request.
What You Must Do
Uniform invitations: Send every customer the same review request, with identical wording and timing. The Shine Online platform will do this for you by default.- Clear disclosures: If you include any incentive, add straightforward language such as, “Get 10% off your next purchase when you share your feedback.”
- Keep records: Log all review invitations; who was invited, when, and how (email, SMS, app). The Shine online platform fulfils this as a standard feature.
Platform‑Specific Guidelines
Platform | Key Rule
Google | Never discourage negative reviews or selectively ask for positives.
Amazon | Zero tolerance for any review manipulation—violations may lead to suspension.
Yelp | Solicited reviews get filtered or penalized; always let customers review on their own.
Monitoring & Audits
If you create your own feedback campaign, make sure that a customer's journey through the campaign, up until the point where they have left a review, has the same options open to them
Consequences of Non‑Compliance
Feature suspension: We’ll disable your review invitations until issues are resolved, if we think you are using Shine Online systems to review gate your review requests.- Platform penalties: Review platforms like Google or Amazon may flag or suspend your profile.
- Legal risk: Failing to comply can lead to regulatory action under FTC rules, or other nations or trading areas' equivalent.
By adhering to this Review Gating Statement, you help Shine Online and your customers build trust through genuine, balanced feedback.