The BEUC also highlighted that the online shopping platform sends frequent app notifications, noting one phone received 12 in just one day.
“For fast fashion, you need to have volume, you need to have mass consumption, and these dark patterns are designed to stimulate mass consumption,” said Agustin Reyna, the general director of BEUC.
“For us, to be satisfactory, they need to get rid of these dark patterns, but the question is whether they will have enough incentive to do so, knowing the potential impact it can have on the volume of purchases," he added.
Shein declared that they “are already working constructively with national consumer authorities and the EU Commission to demonstrate our commitment to complying with EU laws and regulations," adding that BEUC had not accepted an invitation for a meeting.
Shein and its rival online shopping platform Temu have seen a surge in popularity across Europe, driven in part by their apps, which engage with users with games offering chances to win discounts and free products.
Gamification has brought Shein a considerable part of its success, incorporating a “Puppy Keep” game in the app, where users need to feed a virtual dog to collect points and win free products. The points can also be boosted by placing orders and scrolling through the items. However, the rewards can be lost if the consumer is not logging into the game every day.
The BEUC drew attention to the fact that dark patterns are widely spread within the mass-market clothing retailers and asked for the consumer protection network to include other retailers in the investigation.
It also said that 25 of its member organizations across 21 countries, including France, Germany, and Spain, participated in the complaint filed with the European Commission and the European consumer protection network.
The BEUC has also filed a complaint against the online shopping platform Temu.
The European Commission recently warned Shein that it was breaking EU consumer rules and warned that it could be fined if the problems aren’t fixed.
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