Cyprus, alongside 22 other European Union member states, as well as Iceland and Norway, participated in a joint inspection of online discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the European Commission announced on Thursday.
The inspections, known as “sweeps,” were carried out simultaneously by national consumer protection authorities to assess whether online discount offers and pricing practices comply with EU consumer protection laws.
Of the 314 online retailers checked, 30% were found to have presented discounts incorrectly, using reference prices that did not reflect the lowest price over the past 30 days, as required under the EU Price Indication Directive.
'Pressure techniques'
In addition, 36% of retailers added optional products to consumers’ shopping baskets without clear consent in four out of ten cases. Meanwhile, 34% displayed price comparisons, with six out of ten failing to adequately explain the comparison methodology.
Other issues identified included the use of pressure techniques by 18% of retailers, such as claims of limited availability or countdown timers, with over half considered misleading. Furthermore, 10% of retailers applied “drip pricing,” adding extra charges, such as delivery fees, during the purchase process.
The Commission emphasised that adding products without consent, misleading price displays, false claims of limited availability, and hiding additional costs until checkout are illegal under EU law. National consumer protection authorities now have the power to take action against businesses engaging in such practices.