Review Gating

Understanding Review Gating

Review gating typically works through a two-step process. First, a merchant sends a post-purchase email asking the customer to rate their experience on a simple scale. If the customer indicates high satisfaction, they are directed to leave a public review on Google, the store, or a third-party platform. If they indicate low satisfaction, they are instead routed to a private feedback form or customer support.

Google explicitly banned review gating in 2018, and most major review platforms including Trustpilot and the FTC have taken similar stances. The practice is considered deceptive because it artificially inflates public ratings by filtering out negative experiences. Stores caught gating reviews risk having all their reviews removed and facing penalties.

The alternative to gating is building a review collection process that welcomes all feedback and uses negative reviews as opportunities to demonstrate responsive customer service. Stores that respond thoughtfully to negative reviews often see higher conversion rates than stores with only positive reviews, because the responses demonstrate accountability and care.