Biznes Fakty
Renne and Born2Be Online Stores. Their Owners Punished for Constant Promotions
The Azagroup firm, which operates the online shops Renee and Born2Be, has been penalized with a fine close to PLN 15 million by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. The cause? Endless promotions that could mislead consumers.
According to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), visitors to the clothing and footwear retail sites renee.pl and born2be.pl were misled into believing they were receiving special pricing benefits. As a result, the President of UOKiK has levied a penalty of nearly PLN 15 million on Azagroup, the parent company of these online shops, and mandated an end to the deceptive practices.
Manipulation, not genuine promotion
„No matter when we access the Renee and Born2Be websites, it can feel as if we have just discovered a unique opportunity,” UOKiK notes in a statement. The sites feature tabs advertising special deals or phrases like „shopping night” or „crazy Wednesday.” However, these are merely marketing phrases.
As determined by the UOKiK President, the company employs discount codes on a continual basis, meaning the discounts provided are not occasional promotions that might incentivize a purchase.
– When a price promotion is perpetually available, it ceases to be a true promotion. It becomes manipulation and undue pressure. Indicating that the promotions presented are extraordinary, when in fact they are valid constantly, with only the discount code’s name changing, misleads consumers and constitutes an unlawful practice – states Tomasz Chróstny, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
Illegal marketing tactics
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) highlights that ongoing promotions are essentially a marketing tactic designed to display regular prices in a way that creates artificial pressure on consumers.
„Permanent promotions are in reality a marketing strategy that represents regular pricing in a manner that creates undue pressure on the consumer’s decision-making process. The consumer should not be subjected to pressure or manipulative tactics. Endless promotions, perpetually refreshed discount codes, and countdown timers for promotions are examples of so-called dark patterns, which exploit knowledge of online shoppers’ behavior in a deceptive manner to sway their decisions,” the information regarding the penalty for the company noted.
Discounts from non-existent prices
The Office asserts that „the purported limitation on the promotion’s duration, artificial pressure, and emphasis on the unique nature of the discount offer (such as during the brand’s anniversary, pre-holiday weekends, or shopping nights) may have influenced consumers to make purchasing choices they would not have made had they been fully informed about the seller’s practices.”
It was further noted that „products on the Renee and Born2Be retail websites may never have been sold at the prices from which the discounts are calculated. The representation of promotional prices is also subject to ongoing proceedings by the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection against Azagroup. The accusations include misleading presentation of pricing opportunities that do not comply with the Omnibus Directive, failing to reference the lowest price from 30 days prior to the promotion announcement.”
The fine imposed on Azagroup amounts to nearly PLN 15 million (specifically PLN 14,910,599). This decision is not final, and the company retains the right to appeal to the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection. Once the decision is finalized, the company will announce it on its websites and social media platforms.
We reached out to Azagroup for a comment on the office’s ruling. As of the time of publication, we have not received a response.
