Badge FAQs

Native badges apply to reviews written directly on your own site. Syndicated badges apply to reviews that originated on a different site and were shared across the Bazaarvoice Network to your site.

The badge relies on a user token (User Authentication String) contained within a secure submission link (ssURL).

When a consumer submits a review through that specific link, the system automatically identifies them as a verified purchaser.

Contributor badges, specifically Staff (Affiliation), Expert (Rank), and Top Contributor (Merit), are applied to the contributor profile to disclose the reviewer's affiliation or recognize their level of expertise and content quality.

The Useful content score used to determine how merit badges are calculated is updated daily. It is based on contributor activity published in the last 24 hours.

Yes. You can upload a custom image or icon for most badges. Learn more about custom image guidelines.

Valid file formats are PNG, GIF, or JPG. PNG is the recommended format because it offers superior quality and transparency capabilities.

On desktop and tablet displays, a maximum of three badges can be shown simultaneously. On mobile devices, only the single highest-priority badge is displayed to maintain visual clarity.

Badges are displayed based on a specific priority hierarchy:

1. Incentivized - highest priority

2. Verified Purchaser

3. Featured

4. Staff

5. Top Contributor

6. Expert - lowest priority

The core difference between a token-based and a response-based badge is that they are structurally the same (both controlled by a question and answer on the submission form), but their visibility differs:

Token-based: The triggering question is hidden on the form, meaning the answer is injected programmatically (using a token or ssURL). The user cannot see or change the answer.

Response-based: The triggering question is visible on the form, relying on the user to manually select the answer.

Yes. If you use the manual assignment set up method in Portal. You can enable native staff badge for your own site or syndicated staff badge for partner sites, or enable both.

The most robust solution is using a User Authentication String token (passing an isStaff=true parameter) to assign the staff badge, embedded in a staff-only ssURL. However staff badges set up using these methods do not syndicate.

No. The Staff badge is a "Contributor" badge tied to a contributor ID or profile. This allows a single ID or "team" profile to be shared across multiple staff members, such as a "Support Team" profile. This allows all team submissions to be labeled consistently.

When the Staff badge is manually assigned to the contributor's profile in Portal, all current and future reviews submitted by that specific contributor will automatically carry the Staff badge.

Crucially, the Staff badge will be syndicated with all syndicated reviews, appearing correctly on external retailer sites.

Yes. You can automate assignment using Token-based badging via a pre-populated URL.

This method requires creating a token-based Staff badge that is triggered by a hidden parameter embedded in the simple submission URL (ssURL) sent to the employee. The badge is applied automatically upon review submission.

Important note
While this method is automatic, reviews badged this way may not be eligible for syndication (sharing with partner retailer sites). For guaranteed syndication, use the Manual assignment using the contributor profile.

If a staff member submits an initial review before their Staff badge is assigned, the review will likely be rejected by the Authenticity Team and assigned the moderation code [STAFF] Requires Staff Badging.

The review will remain locked until the Staff badge is successfully assigned to the contributor's profile. Once the badge is assigned, the Authenticity Team performs a weekly audit to automatically reverse the rejection, and the review will then proceed to live status. There is typically no notification sent to the client upon approval.

Mandatory disclosure is required by consumer protection laws, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA), and the EU Omnibus Directive.

Transparency signals build consumer trust and ensure compliance with Bazaarvoice authenticity policy.

Yes. You can enable a "Non-incentivized Review Filter" in the Portal settings under Display Options.

This allows consumers to select a filter on the Product Display Page (PDP) to view only non-incentivized content.