Three online retailers caught using misleading website features to pressure shoppers

On Boarding Gate’s website, messages such as “XX people are looking at this product right now” and “XX people added this item to cart” gave shoppers the impression of strong real-time demand. 

“However, when CCS examined the website’s source code, it discovered that these numbers were randomly generated,” the agency said.

Origin Sleep was found to have used similar tactics, including claims that other shoppers had items in their carts without any real-time data to support these statements.

The mattress retailer’s checkout pages also featured countdown timers, implying purchases had to be completed before the time expired.

“In reality, these messages and timers had no impact on product availability or shoppers’ ability to buy,” CCS said. 

In addition, Origin Sleep ran what appeared to be time-limited promotions offering discounts of up to 40 per cent. In reality, investigators found that these sales continued for nearly two years under different names – from “Flash Sale” to “Valentine’s Day Sale” and “3.3 Mega Sale” – undermining the impression of urgency.