There are four patterns, defined as dark patterns, that are used on many e-commerce to induce the consumer to make a purchase without his will
E-commerce in Italy every year are increasingly used. Consumers have become accustomed to online shopping and in many cases are rewarded by lower prices and faster service. Unfortunately, however, it is not always all roses and flowers.
In recent times, in fact, have been discovered e-commerce sites designed to destabilize the purchases of users. Thanks to the use of particular graphical interfaces, these “smart” sites led people to perform predetermined actions. In addition to selling products, these e-commerce sites aimed to convince users to activate additional services and subscription plans. These sites have generated a lot of debate on the web and among IT security researchers, as they use graphical interfaces that many define as fraudulent.
The research
These are the so-called “dark patterns”, i.e. graphical interfaces that lead the user to perform actions against his will. In order to understand how much this practice is diffused on the various e-commerce present on the Net, the academy Poli.design, the agency GreatPixel and the society of consultation Personalive have realized a survey that has involved 1.017 consumers “heavy e-shopper”. That is, those who buy on the web at least once a month. 95% of the interviewees declare to have come across dark patterns at least once. One in three say they have encountered them more than once.
Opt-out trick
There are four different types of “dark” patterns, or graphic interfaces used for unwelcome sales. The first pattern is what is referred to as an opt-out trick. This pattern induces the user to add ancillary and non-essential options to the product, or to subscribe to a newsletter. In practice, in the cart we see the product with its final price, to which the various accessory parts attached by default by the site have already been added. 12% of respondents said they had fallen for this “scam” at least once. While the 47% has declared to have found “sometimes” this model in the various e-commerce of the Net.
Forced continuity
The second model is that defined of forced continuity. It is used to entice the user to sign up for a paid subscription after an initial free trial period. The survey shows that 10% of consumers have fallen into this “trap” at least once. While a pattern has been found that drives consumers away a lot. The research shows, in fact, that 53% of people who realize this tactic not only give up the expense but tend not to trust the same site for a future purchase.
Fast-forward trick
The third dark pattern is the one defined as Fast-forward trick. In this case the strategy used is more sophisticated and also more similar to a real scam. The consumer, in fact, is driven to involuntary payment because of a click on a button similar (in shape, color or position in the screen) to others that in the previous steps did not refer to a payment. It may seem unbelievable and yet 59% of people said they have encountered this method at least once in e-commerce. And it’s also one of the most dangerous schemes so much so that 20% of respondents said they didn’t notice and paid.
Sneak into basket
The latest pattern is the Sneak into basket. This is the automatic, unsolicited addition to the cart. In a somewhat similar way to the first pattern but a bit easier to spot. It is a widespread practice but only 2% of respondents claim to have fallen for it. In fact for the user is simple to notice the attempt of fraudulent sale thanks to the final price that results different from the one read a moment before. In general, the survey has tried to analyze why sites use these models. It turns out that in the short term these schemes increase profits slightly but in the long term they cause consumers to leave the site for good.