How E-Commerce sites manipulate you into buying things you may not want
” Dark patterns” is a marketing strategy that has been on the rise among online service providers and stores. It is a manipulative element meant to deceive or trick the user into engaging in some activities they would not usually indulge in under normal circumstances. The strategy is also commonly prevalent with subscriptions and paid purchases. Even though this marketing strategy is deceitful and misleading, the companies using label it as a persuasion strategy rather than manipulation.
Researchers from Princeton University became the first ones to engage in an extensive systematic study of a large number of sites to measure the ubiquity of dark patterns across the web platforms. Coincidentally, a bill proposed by senators from Nebraska and Virginia, Mark Warner and Deb Fischer pushes to curb the use of dark patterns and other deceiving marketing strategies by categorizing them as illegal. A personal experience of Ms. Fitscher with some of the methods used to lure customers motivated her to present the bill. If passed, the Federal Trade Commission will help put an end to customer’s manipulation by ensuring only the right techniques are used by companies to lure customers. However, the certainty of the bill is unknown, as it is difficult to distinguish between “wrongful manipulation and permissible persuasion.”
The findings from the research showed that out of more than 10,000 sites scanned by their software, 1,200 of the techniques got labelled as dark patterns. Some sites used confusing messages to rally users into signing up for e-mails or other services, while 30 other sites simplified the signing up of services. However, but the process of cancelling was long and tedious. Also, more than 160 stores practiced “confirm shaming” which is a technique to trick customers into
clicking a button with unclear information.
For instance, ThreadUp, a thrift store that sells second-hand clothes of high-quality online lure customers through the use of programmed messages with the list of items, locations and names. The messages are displayed on the screen whenever a potential customer logs in to the website. For example, “Alexandria from Anaheim just saved $ 222 on her order”. Unfortunately, the messages are usually not accurate but meant to play on the emotions of the customers by coercing them psychologically into buying the products even if they had not planned or want to buy them. Awareness of these dark patterns used by various sites to trick consumers was by Harry Brignull, a consultant in Britain dealing with user- experience in 2010. Ever since then, consumers and web designers have been on the frontline highlighting these dark patterns.
Dark pattern techniques seem to perform exemplary in tricking consumers into taking specific actions than allowing them to make their own informed choices without being manipulated. The credibility of the source of information greatly influences the decision making of consumers. The behaviour and attitude of consumers are greatly influenced by how they connect with the source and the level of trust established. For instance, the fake messages used by ThreadUp influenced the consumers to purchase the products since they could relate to the other consumers who have already bought the products. The Von Restoff effect can also explain the behaviour of the consumers whereby the marketing strategy used determines the impact the product will have on the customer. People tend to get attracted to things that don’t involve complicated or lengthy procedures. It’s human nature.
The Argument that the dark pattern methods used by various sites are to convince customers to use their services or purchase their products as a persuasion strategy is wrong. The customers should be at liberty to make their own informed choices without being manipulated in any way. The practices are unethical and morally inappropriate.