Online stores misleading consumers with countdown timers on special offers: ACM

Online stores mislead consumers with countdown timers on special deals, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) said after an automatic check on webshops that target Dutch shoppers. In many cases, the discount still applied after the countdown timer ran out, it found.

In its investigation, the ACM found hundreds of countdown timers, saying things like “3 hours remaining to take advantage of this deal,” for example. According to the ACM, using a countdown timer is not prohibited as long as the timer has actual consequences. If the timer runs out, the deal must be over.

But in 41 cases, the ACM found that the deals were still available after the timer had reached zero or that a new timer had started with the same or even better offer. That is misleading and prohibited, the ACM said.

While the correct use of countdown timers is not prohibited, the ACM considers it a “dark pattern” and advises against it. “Dark patterns are technical and behavior-influencing techniques, as a result of which consumers are persuaded to make purchases that are not to their benefit,” the ACM explained. “Timers put pressure on consumers to make a purchase decision faster than they probably want to.”