Deceptive marketing practices often involve promoting a low-ticket price for entertainment events only to surprise consumers with a substantial online booking fee during the final payment stage. This bait-and-switch tactic is a widely reported dark pattern that deceives unsuspecting customers. Additionally, another misleading strategy observed on ticketing platforms is the inclusion of a mandatory contribution or extra charge in the shopping basket, necessitating consumers to manually deselect and eliminate it. This technique, known as Basket Sneaking, is perceived as another unethical dark pattern meant to exploit consumers.
A recent report released by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) also noted the use of deceptive patterns by many leading Indian apps. It analysed 12,000 screens across 53 leading Indian apps in nine different industries, and highlighted the use of one or more of 12 deceptive patterns in most of these apps.
ASCI’s guidelines on this subject, issued in June 2023, stated: “Dark commercial patterns are business practices employing elements of digital choice architecture, in particular in online user interfaces, that subvert or impair consumer autonomy, decision making or choice.”
A recent survey by LocalCircles stated 80% users of movie and event ticketing platforms surveyed say that they frequently experienced hidden charges (other than taxes) that were not disclosed upfront while making the selection.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) in a gazette notification on November 30, 2023 identified 13 such deceptive practices and classified them as dark patterns and classified them as amounting to misleading advertisement or unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights. These 13 dark patterns include false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription trap, interface interference, bait and switch, drip pricing, disguised advertisement, nagging, trick question, SaaS (software as a service) billing and rogue malwares.
Basket sneaking, a deceptive practice in e-commerce, refers to the unethical act of surreptitiously adding supplementary items or charges to a customer’s shopping cart without their explicit permission or awareness. These unauthorized additions may encompass subscriptions, services, or products that the user did not intend to purchase. The primary objective of employing the basket sneaking technique is to deceive and manipulate users into spending more money than they initially planned.
Drip pricing, on the other hand, is a strategic sales approach employed by businesses, wherein only a portion of a product or service’s total price is initially disclosed to the consumer during the initial stages of the buying process. Subsequently, further charges are gradually unveiled later on. These additional fees may encompass compulsory elements such as hotel resort fees, as well as discretionary upgrades and supplementary features.
Basket sneaking
73% users of movie and event ticketing platforms surveyed say they have frequently experienced Basket Sneaking where a social contribution or other charge was added to their transaction or cart without consent.
From physical stores to eCommerce platforms it is not unusual to seek consumers’ contribution for a social cause. Sometimes this contribution is added to the consumers’ bill without consent.
The survey noted that 46% of respondents reported that Basket Sneaking happens “very frequently”; 27% indicating “sometimes”; 10% indicating “rarely” and 17% of respondents not giving a clear response.
Hidden charges
80% users of movie and event ticketing platforms surveyed say that they frequently experienced hidden charges (other than taxes) that were not disclosed
upfront while making the selection.
Hidden charges other than taxes which are not disclosed upfront is another vexing problem consumers both online and offline face while booking tickets for movies and events. This is also known as Drip Pricing in the dark pattern terminology.
The survey noted that 59% of respondents indicated the problem of hidden charges happens “very frequently”; 21% of respondents indicated that it happens “sometimes” and 10% indicated “rarely” does it happen. However, 10% of respondents stated that they have “never” faced this problem.
Ticketing platforms
A subset of the same users who participated in the survey submitted their ratings for PVR, BookMyShow and PayTM Insider online ticketing platforms. Users reported experiencing 3 dark patterns i.e. Basket Sneaking, Drip Pricing as well as False Urgency on BookMyShow. On PayTM Insider and PVR both Basket Sneaking and Drip Pricing were reported as well.