Faview - Virtual Reviews for WooCommerce By VillaTheme 1.0.5

**Faview - Virtual Reviews for WooCommerce** by VillaTheme is an "intelligent social proof" plugin designed primarily for new online stores. It allows you to generate and display "virtual" (simulated) reviews to make your products look established and reliable, while also providing tools to make it easier for real customers to leave their own feedback. 

As of early 2026, the plugin has evolved into a more streamlined engagement tool, though some users have noted changes in how search engines like Google treat "virtual" reviews regarding SEO rich snippets. 

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### 🚀 Core Features 

* **Virtual Review Generator:** Bulk add reviews to your products. You can customize the author names, ratings (e.g., random 4-5 stars), and the specific review content to ensure they look realistic. 
* **Canned Reviews (Smart Feedback):** Displays a list of pre-written comments (e.g., "Fast shipping!" or "High quality") below the review form. Customers can simply click one to leave a review without typing. 
* **Auto-Selected 5 Stars:** Automatically pre-fills the rating to 5 stars on the review form (which the user can still change), encouraging higher ratings. 
* **Auto-Fill Content:** Pre-populates the review text field with a default message like "Excellent product, highly recommended!" to reduce friction. 
* **Purchased Label:** Displays a "Purchased" or "Verified" badge next to reviews, with customizable icons and colors to match your brand. 
* **Drip Scheduling:** (Premium feature) Allows you to schedule virtual reviews to appear over time, simulating organic growth rather than a suspicious sudden spike. 

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### 🛠 How to Use Faview 

1. **Configure Form Settings:** Go to **Settings > Faview** and set your defaults, such as "Auto-select 5 stars" and your custom "Canned Review" list. 
2. **Add Virtual Reviews:** * **Manually:** Go to a specific product's edit page to add a single virtual review. 
* **Bulk:** Use the plugin's dashboard to select multiple products and assign a specific number of random reviews from your pre-defined content list. 


3. **Manage Styles:** Use the "Canned Style" settings to choose between a **Select Dropdown** or a **Slide Style** for how the pre-written reviews appear on desktop and mobile. 

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### ⚖️ Comparison: Free vs. Pro 

VillaTheme offers a free version on WordPress.org and a "Pro" version with expanded automation. 

| Feature | Faview (Free) | Faview Pro | 
| --- | --- | --- | 
| **Review Generation** | Basic manual/bulk add | **AI-assisted & Drip Scheduling** | 
| **Canned Reviews** | Yes | Yes (with more styling options) | 
| **Replies** | Manual | **Automatic replies based on rating** | 
| **Media** | Text only | **Support for Photo/Video reviews** | 
| **Author Data** | Random from list | **Custom Avatars & Real Locations** | 

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### ⚠️ Important 2026 Usage Note 

While Faview is excellent for building initial "social proof," modern SEO guidelines are increasingly strict about **Schema Markup** for virtual reviews. If your primary goal is getting star ratings to show up in Google Search results, ensure you are also actively collecting real reviews, as Google may filter out reviews it identifies as non-organic. 

**Would you like me to show you how to set up the "Canned Reviews" list so that it only shows specific positive phrases for your best-selling products?**