Learn the hidden patterns of e-commerce platforms and expose them.
Learn the hidden patterns of e-commerce platforms and expose them.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has shed light on some of the questionable practises that are prevalent on e-commerce platforms. It has identified nine distinct sorts of dark patterns that are employed by e-commerce platforms and has requested that enterprises involved in online commerce avoid engaging in such unethical business practises.
Dark patterns, also known as misleading patterns, are a type of business practise in which applications or websites trick users or purchasers into carrying out actions that they had not planned on or want to carry out. Take, for instance, the scenario in which you are purchasing an egg from an online grocery store.
You have decided that you will only purchase one or two eggs, with the total cost being either 12 or 13 rupees. However, after that, you will be presented with three other choices that you may put in your shopping basket. That is, you may buy two eggs for 12 rupees, six eggs for 24 rupees, and ten eggs for 36 rupees, with the phrase “special offer” attached to each transaction.
Therefore, rather of buying only two eggs, you would be persuaded to buy more, even though this was not something you had planned or desired to do in the beginning.
Confirmation shaming is an additional form of negative pattern. One possible illustration of this may be found in the hotel business. Imagine that you are using a travel aggregator to book a hotel room for yourself. The aggregator will now display a pop-up advertisement that states, “25 other people are viewing this same page right now just like you.”
If you wait much longer to make your reservation, you won’t be able to take advantage of the 15% discount offered by this hotel, and you may end up having to pay a higher rate as a result. So, what exactly are you waiting for? Get moving! This amounts to making the user feel guilty or ashamed for not making the purchase or agreeing with a specific viewpoint, which is practically the same thing.
Observing the myriad of distinct shadowy patterns utilised by online retail businesses. The government has requested that they refrain from engaging in such unethical business practises that mislead clients or attempt to manipulate their decision-making. It has established a task group with 17 members to provide rules for the protection of customers.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has identified nine distinct kinds of dark patterns that are utilised by online retail businesses. Among these are:
(i) Creating a feeling of urgency or scarcity with the intention of pressuring customers into making a purchase is an example of false urgency.
(ii) Basket Sneaking, or the practise of adding additional items or services to a customer’s order without first obtaining the customer’s approval
(iii) Confirm shaming refers to the practise of using shame to persuade customers to adhere to a position, as well as blaming them for not confirming to a viewpoint.
(iv) Forcing a customer to take an activity that they might not want to take is an example of a forced action.
(v) Nagging is defined as making repeated complaints and demands that something be done.
(vi) Subscription traps are situations in which it is simple to join up for a service, but it is difficult to cancel the subscription.
(vii) Bait and switch refers to the practise of advertising one product while delivering another, which is typically of an inferior quality.
(viii) Hidden expenses, sometimes known as delaying the disclosure of additional charges to customers until after they have committed to making a transaction
(ix) Disguised advertisements, also known as adverts that are made to seem like user-generated content or news items.
It is essential for the government of India to protect consumer interests given that India’s digital economy is expected to become a market worth one trillion dollars by the year 2030. And consumers, on their part, should educate themselves about the strategies that are utilised by apps and websites to influence their decision-making processes.
