Time’s up for websites using fake countdown clocks
WEBSITES using fake countdowns to rush customers into making a purchase are breaking the rules, says the advertising watchdog amid fears the practice is a misleading “psychological tool”.
The budget fashion website Boohoo was found by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to have used misleading countdown sales, where the consumer was promised a large discount if they shopped before a digital countdown clock on the page ran out. The page urged the customer to hurry before the sale ended, but in many cases the clock was found to reset after expiry, meaning the sale was not timelimited as the website had claimed.
An ASA spokesman said: “Boohoo is breaking rules around sales promotions. Our team will work with the advertiser to ensure they bring their ad into line.” A Boohoo spokesman said a small number of sales were extended due to customer demand. “It is never our intention to mislead customers,” he said. “We are looking into our processes to ensure that further diligence is exercised in future promotions.”
Dr Patsy Perry, a senior lecturer in fashion marketing at the University of Manchester, said countdown clocks were a commonly used psychological tool on budget websites. “Research has shown that scarcity, or perceived scarcity, makes an item more attractive,” she said. “Scarcity marketing is a powerful trigger to encourage consumers to go through with their purchase for fear of missing out.”
Campaigners and MPS have criticised the fashion industry for using such methods, saying they pressurise consumers into buying clothes they don’t need, which is fuelling the fast fashion phenomenon.
Caryn Franklin, a British fashion commentator, urged people to turn away from brands that “drive a sense of urgency” and to engage instead with “brands that are at the price that suits you and are completely ethical.” She added: “Rather than having a false experience with an algorithm and a clock, take your £10 to a charity shop and spend it to help people in severe poverty have clean water.”
Mary Creagh, a Labour MP who as chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee is investigating fast fashion, said: “These sites are using sophisticated psychological methods online to encourage consumers to buy more than they need, spend more time on their sites and create a false feeling of urgency and fear of missing out. I think Boohoo has questions to answer about the sustainability of a business model which is predicated on getting young women to buy more than they need.”
Zac Goldsmith MP, also on the committee, said: “Fast fashion is bad for consumers and the environment. Retailers have a moral responsibility to up their game. The use of fake countdowns is not only dishonest, it fuels significant environmental damage.”