Trust · Dark patterns
Pressure messages like 'only 2 left' look fake
Fake-looking urgency puts people off. The law treats misleading urgency as unfair, and you could be fined.
- Applies to
- every page
- Typical severity
- high
- Effect on conversions
- medium
- Effort to fix
- Quick to fix
What to look for
Countdown timers, scarcity or popularity messages that look generic or permanent (e.g. a timer that resets, "selling fast" on everything).
What good looks like
No urgency messages, or they're clearly genuine (a real sale end date, real stock).
How to fix it
Remove countdowns and stock warnings unless they're real. Give honest reasons to act now, like a real sale end date.
Based on
- UK CMA guidance on online choice architecture (dark patterns)
- UK DMCC Act 2024 (drip pricing, fake reviews)
Related checks
TrustPeople can't easily say no to cookies or marketingThe law requires an equally clear way to say no, and pre-ticked boxes don't count as consent. You could be fined, and it feels sneaky.TrustYour 'no thanks' wording makes people feel guiltyButtons like 'No, I don't like saving money' annoy people and make your business look pushy.TrustThere are no reviews or recommendations on your pagePeople want to see that others chose you and were happy. Without that, many will pick someone who shows it.
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