Dark Patterns – Is your ecommerce portal pulling a fast one on you

A recent report by Datum Intelligence pointed out that Indian ecommerce buyers were losing around ₹28,000 crore each year; purely on account of dark patterns and forced subscriptions. How do these work, and what can ecommerce users do?

Understanding what are dark patterns

Dark patterns are hidden influences in online commerce. They are subtle and customized, so very difficult to pick up and more difficult to regulate. Dark patterns are any online interface that either coerce you or steer you or even deceive you into making a choice you normally would not make. Most of these dark patterns look like benefit, but are a method of fleecing the customer. For example, when you book an airline ticket, you unwittingly end up paying for trip insurance, seat choice, add-ons etc; which you can avoid if you are a bit more alert. All these dark patterns have a cost to the customer.

Be cautious of the Roach Motel pattern online

This is derived from the technique to trap insects (roaches). The idea is that the roach can get into the trap, but cannot get out. Many of the subscription models and online urgency models work on this Roach Motel pattern. For instance, you may find a claim that the massive discount is only valid for a period of 3 days. Now, to claim that perceived benefit, you sign up for products or services you do not exactly need. However, checking out of these services is almost impossible and are regularly charged to your cards. Basically, this dark pattern has 3 steps. Firstly, they create a sense of urgency; secondly, they lure you into a subscription trap; and finally, they make exit almost impossible.

Visual interference is another popular dark pattern

Visual interference is something we all face on a daily basis in ecommerce, but tend to overlook it. For instance, when the website is making you an additional offer, the Consent Button would be prominent or presented in a bright colour, so you do not miss it. However, the choice to opt out of the service would either be an insignificant button, or even deliberately drowned in choices. When you book a cab and you cancel it because the delay was too long, you find that reason missing from the list. If you choose any other reason, you are required to pay a small penalty, which gets quietly debited to your account. That is how visual interference forces you into making the wrong choice.

Data privacy is the biggest of them all

The way most online commerce portals handle data privacy is the most contentious part. For instance, you can opt out of data sharing. However, you will find that option hard to get or too ambiguous. Also, you find that even when you opt out of marketing mailers or data sharing, your data still gets shared and portals even monetize your private data. Also, when you share details like PAN card, Aadhar, Credit Card details on the website, you are never too sure how much of these data points can be misused. But the biggest risk is perpetuity. Even after you close your account or cancel the subscription, the data remains active and the data sharing continues. That is a huge cost you bear!