- Donât Park That Cart
- Posts
- đď¸ FTC Hits Fake Reviews
đď¸ FTC Hits Fake Reviews
FTC fines fake reviews, Chrome boosts sales, Influencers tracked to SKUs

Good morning, eComm legend.
Super Sponge is back, babyyyyy! Saving marriages, scrubbing away existential crises, and moonlighting as a life coachâat least according to that glowing Amazon review on your knockoff Scrub Daddy listing. Plot twist: itâs faker than your high school crushâs âWe should hang out sometime.â And now, the FTC is kicking down the door.
But fear not. Today, weâre serving up the survival guide to keep your business squeaky clean (pun absolutely intended). No fake reviews, no abandoned carts, no ROI guesswork. Just the tools, tips, and tactics to turn todayâs eComm hurdles into your next big win. Letâs scrub this mess and get you shining.
In todayâs agenda:
1) Honest reviews = profits, fakes = $50k fines đ¸
2) Chrome autofill: cart completion up 75%.
3) Influencers tracked down to the SKU đď¸
4) PayPal spies (legally), you profit.
â Written by Alex Secanove

1) Honest reviews = profits, fakes = $50k fines đ¸

Thatâs the FTCâs new reality check, and itâs already started with AI tools like Rytr. If youâre still faking reviews, youâre risking fines bigger than a Succession settlement. Authenticity isnât optionalâitâs the line between thriving and going broke.
What Just Happened: In October 2024, the FTC sued Rytr for mass-producing fake reviews, signaling a crackdown. Fake it, and youâll payâup to $50K per violation. Sellers, not platforms like Amazon, will take the fall.
AIâs Role: Fake reviews used to be a joke (âThis sponge saved my marriageâ). Now, AI tools like Rytr churn out polished, human-like reviews, fueling a plague of fake content. Transparency Company flagged 14% of reviews in some sectors as fake, driven by AI.
How to Get Authentic Reviews:
Leverage purchase moments: Tools like Stamped.io request reviews right after delivery.
Reward honesty: Offer loyalty points or discounts for verified reviews (FTC disclosure required).
Use photos for trust: Apps like Loox encourage photo/video reviews.
Ask VIPs: Personally ask repeat buyers for reviews using tools like Bonjoro for a personal touch.
Transparency Wins: Genuine reviews donât just keep the FTC off your backâthey build trust and drive conversions. Use tools to showcase real feedback and turn honesty into profitability.
Sources: ftc.com, ksl.com, fortune.com

X-Ray of the Week: HELM Bootsâ $5M Growth Engine
đ Platform: Shopify
đ˘ Ads: Meta Ads + Microsoft Ads + Rakuten Ads
âď¸ Email Marketing: Klaviyo
đ° Upsell: CandyRack
đ Promotions: GOVX ID Exclusive Discounts
đł Buy Now / Pay Later: Sezzle
âď¸ User-Generated Content: Stamped.io + Yotpo
đŹ Customer Service: Attentive + Postscript
đ SEO: SC Easy Redirects + Sherpas
đ Analytics: Hotjar + Google Analytics
đ Returns: Happy Returns
đ Accessibility: accessiBe
You can also X-ray the growth engine behind ANY 8-figure Shopify store's success with our Free Chrome extension, revealing their growth apps and tech stack.

2) Chrome autofill: cart completion up 75%.

Chrome autofill used to be just a handy way to skip typing '123 Fake Street' for the hundredth time. Now, it's a powerhouse tool reducing cart abandonment rates with the same intensity as a toddler spotting an ice cream truck. A December study from the Chrome team confirms: auto-fill brings moneeeey.
Fewer abandoned carts: Checkout abandonment, the final boss of online shops, is cut by up to 75% with Chrome autofill. Long forms become quick clicksâno ZIP code memorization or card digging required. Just click, done. Applause, please.
Speed wins wallets: The Chrome teamâs December study shows autofill shaves off 35% of the time customers spend completing forms. In eCommerce terms, that's faster than your competitor's site loading. Because shoppers donât want to âregisterâ or squint at small keyboards. They want their stuff, and they want it yesterday.
Get tactical now:
Reduce form fields to essentials: address, payment, email. Make the rest optional.
Try Bolt for one-click checkout if youâre not using Shopify.
While you canât directly control how autofill works, knowing its quirks helps you spot trends. Check which devices and browsers convert betterâyou might find some unexpected wins.
Sources: google.com,

See how top Shopify brands are leveling up their lifecycle marketing
3X the opt-in rate of your existing pop up
Grow your subscriber list by 40%
Increase abandonment flow revenue by 55%

3) Influencers tracked down to the SKU đď¸

Big merger: Boston-based influencer tech company Later just acquired Mavely for $250M. This isnât just corporate posturingâeCommerce owners, take note. Think tracking sales down to a SKU level (yes, finally) and smarter campaign ROI.
Why this matters: Influencer marketing is projected to hit $9.29B by 2025. With Mavelyâs tools, Later lets you see exactly which Instagram post drove sales for those socks youâre selling. Goodbye, âI think it worked?â, hello precise metrics. Bonus: access to Mavelyâs 120K creators who've moved $1B in goods.
Game-changing tools:
Track sales by post: SKU-level attribution for sharper insights with Mavely.
Creator matchmaking: Later now offers AI to match you with influencers who actually convert.
Same-day payouts: Faster cash for influencers = happier creators.
Retail integrations: Integrations with 1,400 brands (Nike, Macyâs, Lululemon).
How to level up: Ditch the guesswork. Start smallâpair with 2-3 creators, track sales with Mavely links, and double down on what works. If ROI doesnât add up, pivot fast.
Final boss move: Consolidation is reshaping influencer marketing. Publicis snagged Influential for $500M last year; now Later and Mavely are teaming up. For you, it means fewer tools, more powerful platforms, and less togglingâjust more selling.
Sources: stocktitan.com, adweek.com, ppc.land

4) PayPal spies (legally), you profit.

PayPalâs Ad Gamble: PayPal Ads just launched, aiming to rival Big Ad Dogs like Amazon and Walmart. Itâs not just PayPal anymoreâitâs PayPal, Venmo, Honey, and soon, your ad enabler. With 225 billion transactions analyzed, this is your inside track to targeting like never before (creepy but effective). However, Honeyâs PR issuesâlike alleged affiliate link hijackingâmight make some tread cautiously.
Why It Matters: You (𫵠YOU), eCommerce owner, now have a rival to Big Ad Dogs like Amazon and Walmart. PayPalâs juicy dataâ400M users, 30M merchantsâlets you spy (legally) on shopping behavior. Oh, and theyâre throwing in closed-loop attribution. Translation: see who clicked, bought, and ghosted.
How to Start:
Assess if ads on platforms like Venmo fit your audience.
Test PayPal Ads with:
Shopping history targeting (ultra-specific).
Display ads (video coming in 2025).
Closed-loop tracking (faster ROI analysis).
Fine Print: Privacyâs in play here, but PayPal offers opt-outs (theyâre trying to stay likable). However, donât over-rely. Diversify your strategy like you diversify snacks for road tripsânever just one option. But about Honey: its alleged affiliate link hijacking and shady discount practices have sparked backlash. Proceed cautiously if your users trust influencers.
Next Steps: Use it, but donât overuse it. Keep experimenting with video ads (next yearâs feature) and self-service tools. Remember, eCommerce is like Mario Kart: you need power-ups everywhere. PayPalâs just a really good red shell for nowâHoney, maybe a banana peel.

Try Artisanâs All-in-one Outbound Sales Platform & AI BDR
Ava automates your entire outbound demand generation so you can get leads delivered to your inbox on autopilot. She operates within the Artisan platform, which consolidates every tool you need for outbound:
300M+ High-Quality B2B Prospects, including E-Commerce and Local Business Leads
Automated Lead Enrichment With 10+ Data Sources
Full Email Deliverability Management
Multi-Channel Outreach Across Email & LinkedIn
Human-Level Personalization

* Executive Cheat Sheet
Fake Reviews: Reviews that are intentionally fabricated to mislead consumers, often created using AI tools, now punishable by the FTC with fines up to $50K per fake review.
Chrome Autofill: A browser feature that automatically fills checkout forms, reducing cart abandonment by up to 75% and speeding up transactions by simplifying the purchase process.
SKU-Level Attribution: A marketing metric that tracks which specific product (SKU) was sold through a campaign, providing detailed insights into influencer marketing performance.
Closed-Loop Attribution: A system that connects ad spend directly to sales data, allowing businesses to track which clicks resulted in purchases for precise ROI analysis.