Syndication network policies

Learn about Bazaarvoice's rules for disclosing incentivized reviews and syndicating review content between brands or suppliers and their retail channel partners.

Incentivized review disclosure

If any form of incentive was provided to the reviewer when a review was originally written and collected, this must be disclosed in order to syndicate content through the Bazaarvoice Content Network. Examples of incentives include but are not limited to payments, loyalty points, samples, or entry into a sweepstakes. Bazaarvoice has created a standard disclosure statement to be used in all cases. Incentivized reviews that do not contain the standard disclosure statement will not be syndicated to the Bazaarvoice Content Network.

For content senders, this means that content collected via incentives must be marked as such using the Context Data Value (CDV). This can be done automatically for clients on the Bazaarvoice Conversations platform.

For content receivers, this means that content received must be disclosed as such. To do so, the receiver should enable the Context Data Value (CDV) and configure display properly.

For all syndicated content, content receivers cannot pick and choose which reviews they want to display as this would violate the Bazaarvoice Authenticity Policy Opens in new tab.

Additional instructions for how to set up incentivized reviews are available in the Ratings & Reviews knowledge base or from Bazaarvoice support.

Use of content outside of the Bazaarvoice Content Network

Unless otherwise specified, syndicated content received through the Bazaarvoice Content Network cannot be used outside the Network. The license provided to syndication receivers is limited to use of the content as part of the Bazaarvoice Content Network. Following is a list of acceptable uses for content received through the Network:

  • Appearance in whole or part on a product page, catalog, or listing page, or search results for a desktop, mobile, or tablet website; iOS or Android mobile application.

Content is licensed to be syndicated on your site on the Bazaarvoice Content Network only. Any electronic re-syndication or use in advertising is prohibited, including but not limited to:

  • Use in advertising, including but not limited to search ads, display ads, email, print, radio, and television
  • Use on boxes or any form of packaging
  • Use on end caps, store signage, etc.
  • Use in analytics, other than that provided by Bazaarvoice

Syndication reporting

All parties participating in the network, both senders and receivers, agree to share data on the volume of content being syndicated. Parties working directly with Bazaarvoice to collect and syndicate content, or to host and display syndicated content, will have access to Bazaarvoice's Inbound and Outbound Syndication reports as applicable.

Third-party content providers that wish to send content to the Bazaarvoice Content Network must:

  • Apply for partnership status under the Bazaarvoice Third-Party Content Provider Program, and
  • Meet all of the standards and guidelines of the Bazaarvoice Content Network.

Treatment of review content when joining the network

When new companies join the network by becoming Bazaarvoice clients, Bazaarvoice is able to import existing content already collected by the company prior to their Bazaarvoice partnership ("legacy content"). Legacy content is not eligible for syndication unless certain conditions are met and the content is approved for syndication by Bazaarvoice.

Additional guidelines for standard review syndication

In addition to the foregoing general guidelines for review syndication, Bazaarvoice has defined the following guidelines for syndication of review content from a brand or supplier to their retailer channel partners ("standard review syndication"). In the case of standard review syndication, the brand or supplier is the syndication sender and the retailer is the syndication receiver.

Rules for brands and suppliers using standard syndication

To be eligible to send content, a brand or supplier must have opted in for standard review syndication. Additionally, the sender must create or produce the products about which reviews are being collected. For senders, all eligible review content for all products will be sent to all the retailers in the Bazaarvoice Content Network. Content will never be sent to another brand or supplier. In some cases, a brand or supplier may not want content to be syndicated to a specific retailer. The following is a list of valid reasons for a brand or supplier to decide not to send content to a specific retailer:

  1. The syndication receiver is a grey market retailer.
  2. The products appear on the syndication receiver's properties because of a marketplace relationship with another retailer.
  3. The products produced by the syndication sender are highly regulated, such as pharmaceuticals.
  4. The products or the brand produced by the syndication sender are related to guns or other weapons, adult content, abortion, or other controversial topics.
  5. There is active or explicitly threatened litigation related to the products.
  6. There is active or explicitly threatened litigation between the syndication sender and syndication receiver.

Outside of those reasons, review content will syndicate to all retailers. For the sake of clarity, the following is a list of invalid reasons not to syndicate content to a retailer:

  1. The syndication receiver is not an authorized retail channel partner.
  2. The syndication receiver does not have a direct relationship with the retailers. Instead, the products are supplied to the retailer via a distributor.
  3. The syndication sender or syndication receiver are in unrelated contract negotiations and want to use syndication as leverage in those negotiations.

Rules for retailers using standard syndication

To be eligible to receive review content, a retailer must have purchased or otherwise opted in for standard review syndication. Additionally, the receiver must sell the products that reviews are being syndicated for.

For retailers, all eligible review content for all products will be received from the network. For the sake of clarity, content will never be received from another retailer.

In some cases, a retailer may not want content to be syndicated from a specific brand or supplier. The following is a list of valid reasons for a retailer to decide to not receive content from a specific brand or supplier:

  1. The products produced by the syndication sender are highly regulated, such as pharmaceuticals.
  2. The products appear on the syndication receiver's properties because of a marketplace relationship with another retailer.
  3. There is active or explicitly threatened litigation related to the product.
  4. There is active or explicitly threatened litigation between the syndication sender and syndication receiver.

Outside of those reasons, review content will syndicate from all suppliers. For the sake of clarity, the following is a list of invalid reasons to not syndicate content from a supplier:

  1. The syndication sender or syndication receiver are in unrelated contract negotiations and want to use standard review syndication as leverage in those negotiations.
  2. The retailer carries a competing private label product.

Additional guidelines for reverse review syndication

In addition to these general guidelines for review syndication, Bazaarvoice has defined the following guidelines for syndication of content from a retail channel partner back to a brand or supplier ("reverse review syndication"). In the case of reverse review syndication, the retailer is the syndication sender and the brand or supplier is the syndication receiver.

Rules for retailers using reverse review syndication

To be eligible to send review content, a retailer must have purchased or otherwise opted in for reverse review syndication. Additionally, the retailer must carry the products that reviews are being collected about. A retailer may select which brands or suppliers they choose to send content to. For these brands or suppliers, all eligible review content for all products will be sent to the network. For the sake of clarity, content will never be sent to another retailer.

Rules for brands or suppliers using reverse review syndication

To be eligible to receive review content, a brand or supplier must have purchased or otherwise opted in for reverse review syndication. Additionally, the brand or supplier must create or manufacture the products that reviews are being syndicated for. For brands or suppliers receiving reverse syndication, all eligible review content for all products will be received from the network. For the sake of clarity, content will never be received from another brand or supplier. In some cases, a brand or supplier may not want content be syndicated from a specific retailer. The following is a list of valid reasons for a retailer brand or supplier to decide to not receive content from a specific retailer:

  1. The retailer is a grey market retailer.
  2. The products are highly regulated, such as pharmaceuticals.
  3. The products and/or the brand produced by the syndication sender are related to guns or other weapons, sex, abortion, or other controversial topics.
  4. There is active or explicitly threatened litigation related to the product.
  5. There is active or explicitly threatened litigation between the syndication sender and syndication receiver.

Outside of those reasons, review content will syndicate from all retailers. For the sake of clarity, the following are invalid reasons not to syndicate content from a retailer:

  1. The retailer and brand or supplier are in contract negotiations and want to use syndication as leverage those negotiations.
  2. The retailer is not an authorized retail channel partner and/or is an aftermarket retailer.
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