Joint research by the Fédération romande des consommateurs (FRC) and Public Eye shows the extent to which consumers from Switzerland are exposed to so-called “dark patterns” when fashion-shopping online. These manipulative design elements, which are intended to entice consumers to make more purchases and disclose personal data, were found on all 15 online shops examined. But the differences between the platforms are considerable. The unenviable top position in this ranking is occupied by the fast-fashion giant Shein, with 18 dark patterns found out of 20 analysed.
[…] By far the most dark patterns, 18, were identified at the Chinese ultra-fast fashion shop Shein: the website dazzles visitors with so many ads and animated pop-up windows that users looking for something specific will find it hard to get past the various click traps.
The Chinese platform Aliexpress, the US company Amazon and the French Shop La Redoute follow some distance behind, but still with an above average number of different dark patterns. We found fewer dark patterns in the online shops of companies that still sell predominantly through brick-and-mortar stores, such as Zara, Globus and Manor. H&M uses slightly more tricks and ploys, with six dark patterns, taking the unenviable top spot in this group.