What Are Dark Patterns? 5 Ecommerce Examples
Five checkout dark patterns show where price, consent, pressure, copy, and cancellation can distort a shopper’s choice, with checks for honest alternatives.
Dark patterns are hidden fees, default extras, fake deadlines, shaming copy, or blocked cancellations that manipulate a shopper's decision. This guide shows where 5 common patterns appear and what to use instead.
I've run my own Shopify stores, where each cart or app change shaped what a shopper saw and did. A misleading choice still hurt the shopper, whatever the designer meant.
Key takeaways
What are dark patterns?
Dark patterns use design or copy to distort information that could change a shopper's decision. UX specialist Harry Brignull coined the term in 2010. The label covers misleading words and layouts as well as controls such as preselected boxes.
The problem is the gap between what the interface suggests and what's true. A shopper acts on the price, deadline, or default they can see before finding a condition that could change the choice.
Some pages are hard to use because the design is poor. A real low-stock message or firm sale deadline can push a shopper to act without hiding the truth. The shopper still knows the facts before they choose.
Start with what a first-time shopper sees on a phone. Read the price, controls, and fine print in order, then check what changes after a click, page load, or return visit. This often exposes the gap even when each sentence looks harmless on its own.
Dark pattern examples in ecommerce checkouts
Five common ecommerce dark patterns target the price, cart, deadline, decline choice, or cancellation path. Use this map to see where each one appears:
- Drip pricing
- Sneak-into-basket upsells
- False urgency
- Confirmshaming
- Forced continuity
Now let's look at how each pattern works, what to use instead, and what the change may cost.
1. Drip pricing
Drip pricing advertises a partial price, then reveals unavoidable fees later in checkout. By the time the real total appears, the shopper may have compared products and entered their details.
The FTC accused Grubhub of a "pricing shell game" that sometimes more than doubled the advertised price. The agency's current Grubhub case record tracks the proceeding.
A court order imposed a $140 million judgment. Grubhub had to pay $25 million, with nearly all of that payment set aside for refunds.
Show known mandatory fees with the first useful price. If shipping depends on the address, call the early total an estimate and explain what could change it. A tip or optional insurance isn't drip pricing when the shopper chooses it and can see the cost.
All-in pricing can look higher next to a competitor's partial price. I'd accept that drawback because the lower sticker price disappears once both full totals reach checkout.
2. Sneak-into-basket upsells
A sneak-into-basket upsell adds an item, warranty, donation, or subscription unless the shopper removes it. The pattern turns inattention into a charge. The same FTC report includes unwanted cart additions among the practices it has challenged.
Check for this pattern anywhere a store uses a cart, bundle, warranty, or subscription app. You can keep the offer, but leave it unchecked and show the cost beside the control. The shopper should have to tap or click to add it.
A shopper-selected item with a clear remove control preserves a deliberate choice. An opt-in offer may win fewer add-ons, but every accepted upsell reflects the shopper's own action.
Test these three cart states:
- Open the store in a new browser.
- Sign in to a returning account.
- Change the quantity of an item.
In every case, the final cart should contain only the items selected during that visit.
3. False urgency countdown timers
A false urgency timer resets for each shopper or hits zero while the offer stays live. In a crawl of shopping sites, Mathur and colleagues counted 393 timers. Some offers still worked after time ran out.
Tie the timer to one server-side end time, then disable the price or bonus at zero. Pay particular attention to timers that start over for each visitor. A flash sale or cart hold is legitimate when the stated event actually happens.
A genuine deadline is less convenient because the offer has to end. That's also what makes it credible. Open the offer in a private browser and on another device. When the timer reaches zero, confirm that the old deal is gone.
4. Confirmshaming
Confirmshaming uses guilt or ridicule in the decline option to push someone toward acceptance. "No thanks, I like paying full price" is a common shape because it assigns a foolish motive to the shopper.
Check for this pattern whenever a popup, upsell, or email form has a written decline choice. Replace the joke with "No thanks" or "Continue without the offer." The accept button can still explain the real benefit.
The pattern starts when the decline text judges the person or a tiny, low-contrast link hides the alternative. Benefit-led accept copy can stay.
Neutral copy may collect fewer opt-ins. It keeps the shopper's choice clear and lets the offer stand on its own value.
5. Forced continuity
Forced continuity pairs recurring charges with a cancellation path that's much harder than signup. Look for it in subscriptions and trials. A store that only takes one-time purchases has no recurring path to inspect.
Show the renewal terms before enrollment and put cancellation where a customer would look in the account area. If someone joined online, don't require a support call or a long retention flow to leave. The FTC's report describes hard-to-cancel recurring services as a consumer-protection concern.
When I built a cancel flow for a fintech client, I saw how extra friction could stop a customer from coming back. A simpler exit can raise cancellations. Still, it keeps the focus on the product instead of starting a new dispute over how to leave.
Run signup and cancellation on a phone, then compare three parts:
- Check which channel each path uses.
- Count the screens in each path.
- Compare the fields each path requires.
Then remove any step that doesn't complete or confirm the cancellation.
Are dark patterns illegal for online stores?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can act when a dark-pattern design amounts to an unfair or deceptive practice under US law. FTC Act Section 5 declares unfair or deceptive acts unlawful and authorizes the agency to stop them. The Grubhub case above shows how that authority can apply to misleading prices.
The crawl cited above found 1,818 dark patterns on 1,254 of roughly 11,000 shopping sites. That was about 11.1% of the study sample. The finding shows historical scale rather than today's rate across all stores.
The conduct matters more than the label. Look at what the shopper saw, which fact arrived late, and whether the design made another choice harder.
The FTC's staff report offers guidance, but the statute and the facts of each case determine the legal result. A page can resemble one of its examples without causing the same harm.
A store's duties also depend on the consumer and data laws in every country where it operates. Get legal advice when a tactic could affect a shopper's decision and the applicable rule remains unclear.
How to run urgency and scarcity honestly
A legitimate urgency or scarcity claim is true, shown before the decision, and enforced by the store. I ask two questions when I audit one. Is the limit real? Would the shopper make the same choice after seeing every material condition?
Apply the test to facts your systems can prove:
- Tie each countdown to one end time and disable the offer at zero.
- Tie stock messages to inventory on hand.
- State who gets a limited price and when it ends.
Save the end time, inventory source, discount rule, and renewal copy with the campaign record. If those systems stop supporting the claim, remove it.
Review the live page after publishing. App settings, theme updates, and reused campaigns can leave the page copy out of sync with how the offer works. A claim that was true at launch can become false when the system changes.
Check subscription cancellation on its own because clear renewal terms can appear next to a blocked exit.
What dark patterns cost beyond legal risk
Dark patterns may cost you the sale when shoppers catch the trick and their repeat business when they discover it later. Baymard Institute's research connects late costs with cart abandonment, while hidden costs also add checkout friction before payment.
Other costs show up after the purchase. A default-on add-on can lead to a refund request, while an obstructed cancellation can stop a former subscriber from returning.
Tag support contacts by issue:
- Surprise fees.
- Unwanted extras.
- Renewal confusion.
- Cancellation.
Compare those tags with refunds, disputes, completed orders, and repeat sales. Watch them for one full renewal cycle plus the return window.
Keep the device, traffic source, and customer status steady while you compare results. A new ad audience or a large sale can change the outcome even when the interface stays the same. If you can't control those inputs, treat the result as a clue instead of proof.
I'd fix hidden costs and default-on extras first because they change the price or the shopper's consent. Subscription exits come next because their harm appears after the sale.
Keep the clearer version if complaints fall without reducing completed orders. If completed orders fall, compare the old and new totals, offer terms, traffic source, and device mix before changing the clearer design.
FAQ
How can I identify dark patterns on my store?
Check the first price, cart defaults, timers, decline copy, renewal terms, and cancellation path. Flag false claims, key terms that appear late, and choices the page makes for the shopper.
What are dark pattern practices?
Dark pattern practices block informed consent or hide key terms. The five types above depend on hidden facts, false claims, manipulated defaults, shaming copy, or obstructed exits.
Can urgency trigger an FTC complaint?
A false deadline or false claim of scarcity can support an FTC claim that the practice is unfair or deceptive. Honest urgency is different, and enforcement depends on what the store did, the evidence, and the jurisdiction.
Do dark patterns help or hurt long-term sales?
Dark patterns may boost a short-term action by hiding facts or adding friction. Track cart exits, complaints, refunds, and repeat sales before judging the long-term cost.
