In November of the previous year, regulatory bodies across 23 EU nations, alongside Iceland and Norway, conducted a thorough examination of adherence to EU regulations during the prominent Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events. These sales are known for significant discounts offered by numerous retailers. The operation, orchestrated by the European Commission, involved a review of 314 online retailers.
As the European Commission reported, approximately 30 percent of the advertised discounts were presented inaccurately. EU legislation mandates that the discounted price must be compared against the lowest price recorded during the preceding 30 days. Furthermore, nearly 20 percent of the investigated retailers employed manipulative sales tactics.
Common pressure-based techniques included the “time-offset” strategy, where products were falsely presented as still available at the reduced price, and declarations emphasizing limited stock availability. Analysis revealed that in over half of the cases examined, these problematic practices were observed within the online retail sector. The investigation focused on ensuring retailers accurately displayed discounts and avoided misleading consumers during these major sales periods.
The scrutiny targeted the actions of these online retailers.
Topics: #online #discounts #retailers
