3 online retailers in S'pore found to have used deceptive website tactics to manipulate shoppers

Three online retailers have been found to have used deceptive website features designed to pressure consumers into making purchases.

According to a media release by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) on May 18, the retailers involved are Seager Inc., which operates lifestyle travel retailer Boarding Gate, mattress brand Origin Sleep, and international e-commerce platform Light In The Box.

All three were found to have used fabricated visitor counts, artificial countdown timers, and misleading discount claims to manufacture a false sense of urgency and demand.

Such features are commonly referred to as "dark features".

Misleading features

Investigations found that Boarding Gate's website displayed messages such as "XX people are looking at this product right now." and "XX people added this item to cart," giving shoppers the impression that the products are in high demand.

CCS said an examination of the site's source code revealed these figures were randomly generated, with no real data behind them.

Similarly, Origin Sleep’s website showed shoppers messages like "Other people want this. XX people have this in their carts now" at checkout, alongside countdown timers warning that orders were reserved for only a limited window of time.

CCS found that these messages had no bearing on actual product availability.

The retailer also ran what appeared to be a series of time-sensitive promotions offering discounts of up to 40 per cent.

However, investigators found that the sales ran continuously for nearly two years, simply cycling through different names — from a "Flash Sale" in January to a "Valentine's Day Sale" in February, then a "CNY Sale," a "3.3 Mega Sale," and so on.

Light In The Box came to CCS's attention after a tip-off from a European regulator.

The retailer labelled products as "Almost sold out", despite operating on a made-to-order model with little to no standing inventory.

CCS said the scarcity warnings were applied at random for promotional effect.

The company also listed items at discounted prices against inflated "original" prices that had never actually been offered to consumers.

Such features erode customer trust

CCS added that the investigation also revealed that one of the retailers claimed its website design had been purchased as a template from an overseas vendor.

However, they rejected this as a defence, stating that businesses remain responsible for their consumer obligations regardless of whether their websites were built in-house or sourced from third parties.

CCS Chief Executive Alvin Koh described dark patterns as particularly harmful as they are difficult for consumers to detect.

"CCS will continue taking firm action to protect consumer trust and honest businesses from those who choose to compete unfairly," he affirmed.

All three retailers have since provided formal undertakings to CCS, ceased the identified practices, and committed to complying with fair trade standards going forward.

Light In The Box has also removed the misleading content from its Singapore- and Europe-facing website and mobile application.

CCS said the cases highlight how such misleading practices can propagate across markets through shared templates and multi-market platforms, and reaffirmed Singapore's commitment to holding digital retailers accountable.

Consumers who encounter suspected unfair trade practices can report them to the Consumers Association of Singapore at 6277 5100 or through its online complaints portal here.