Pressure selling tactics exposed

Countdown clocks, low stock warnings and popularity claims – shop online and you can't fail to have seen some of these pressure tactics.

But how do you know whether 10 other people are actually looking at that product, whether only two items are genuinely left in stock, or whether that sale really does end at midnight?

We found lightning deals that didn’t end when they claimed to, low-stock alerts where the product continued to be available after the ‘last one’ had been bought, and popularity claims that didn’t always appear to be as responsive as you might expect.

Read on to find out how we tested the claims and how much you should really trust these online pressure selling tactics.

What happened when we put the tactics to the test?

Experts say many of these pressure-selling tactics can be manipulative and untrustworthy. 

And they are widespread: when we looked at the websites of 50 of the biggest UK retailers, we found that 21 of them used either a flash sale, a low-stock alert or popularity claims.

Some had fairly specific terms such as ‘10 other people have looked at this in the last 24 hours’ or ‘five people have added this to their basket in the last two days’. But others made much vaguer claims such as ‘trending’, ‘selling fast’ or ‘best selling’. 

We know many shoppers simply do not trust these techniques. And is it any wonder? 

Amazingly, none of the retailers explained how they defined the terms they used. And when we ran an experiment using a room of volunteers to test out the claims, we found some weren’t as responsive as you might think.

• Find out more: how to get the best price when shopping online

Should you trust countdown clocks?

There’s nothing like a ticking clock to make you feel under pressure. 

Around 30% of shoppers in our survey* had seen one in the past year. But more than half of those people have little or no trust in them. We found several cases where this cynicism is justified. 

An Amazon Marketplace ‘lightning deal’ on a balance board for £134.99 (RRP £209.99) was advertised as ending in six hours on 3 August. But the next day it was still £134.99 – and for the following five days when we checked.

We also found countdowns that reset repeatedly. An eyeshadow stick on Shein was on a flash sale with 49% off (£2.26, reduced from £4.49). The sale was meant to end at 5pm on 4 August. But it was extended until 7 August, and then to 8 Aug. All the while, the price remained at £2.26. 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says that countdowns where the sale price rolls on are misleading. It also says those where the sale price will be offered again soon, or where the same kind of discount continues but in a slightly different form, are likely to mislead. 

What did the retailers say?

Amazon said the balance board deal ended as scheduled, but the seller dropped the non-deal price the next day. 

It added: ‘Third-party sellers set their own prices on Amazon. The prices that followed the deals were independent seller pricing decisions outside of the deals programme.’ 

Shein said it had clear policies on flash sales, adding: ‘As soon as we became aware of this incident, we launched an internal review and promptly fixed the error. We have taken action ... to ensure that our promotions are implemented in line with CMA guidance.’

• Find out more: top tips for shopping on Black Friday 

Support investigative journalism

Our award-winning investigations help us in our mission to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone.

Join Which?

Should you trust low stock alerts?

If you saw only one item left on a shelf in a store, you might want to act fast and buy it. It’s only natural that the same principle applies to the low-stock alerts we come across online – the only difference is you can’t see for yourself that the claim is actually true. 

Used properly, low-stock alerts can be helpful to shoppers. But only if they are accurate. 

Our survey found about four in 10 shoppers had seen a low-stock warning and a whopping seven in 10 of them said they influenced their purchasing decisions. But again, more than half of those who had seen them had little or no trust in them. 

Dig a little deeper, though, and you quickly realise that all may not be as it seems on low-stock notices.

Definitions of a stock alert can be flexible. Many retailers have stock in different places – some in warehouses, others set aside specifically for online purchases and other stock in stores. 

We’ve seen examples of low-stock alerts where the product doesn’t become unavailable but simply has a slightly longer delivery time once the ‘last’ item has been bought. 

Should you trust popularity claims?

Popularity claims like ‘five other people are looking at this right now’ on online shopping sites have boomed in recent years. About four in 10 people in our survey said they had seen these types of claims, and about 60% of those said they influenced their purchasing decisions. 

We put claims to the test by asking 18 volunteers to simultaneously log in to some of the biggest UK retail websites to view a list of products and add them to their baskets.

Many of the popularity claims didn’t seem to update in real time or accurately reflect the numbers in our test. For example, all 18 people viewed and then added a frying pan to their basket at John Lewis. 

At the time of the test, the pop-up on the product said: ‘six customers added this to their basket in the last 48 hours’. But this message remained unchanged afterwards. When we checked around an hour later, the message had updated to 15 people, which didn’t make much sense. 

At M&S, all 18 people added a tie and handkerchief set to their baskets, but the message that popped up an hour and a half later said ‘added to bag 12 times in the last five days’. 

What did the retailers say? 

John Lewis said: ‘Our online prompts are a helpful guide, highlighting popular items to customers. We make sure they are accurate – but there will be a short delay before the figures go live – as happened with your frying pan test.’

We understand M&S’s ‘added to bag’ messages were based on genuine customer activity and were processed in real time, but that some customers’ activity may not be recorded due to tracking and consent settings, and figures may not update where the page isn’t refreshed. 

We understand M&S could not conclusively explain why our test showed 12 without knowing more about the consent/tracking status and test conditions. 

• Find out more: how to shop safely online

Other tactics to look out for

Pressure-selling tactics come in many different forms. Here are some more to watch out for…

• Comparison prevention: Being able to compare prices and quality puts consumers in a powerful position. So it’s not surprising that some businesses make it difficult. Retailers can play on this by offering complex pricing bundles or confusing specifications.
• Nagging messages: Messages such as ‘are you sure?’ or ‘you’ve left this in your basket’ might seem helpful but are designed to make us think again. When offered repeatedly, they can wear us down. 
• Pre-selected tick boxes: People generally tend to accept the status quo (a psychological phenomenon known as the default effect). Businesses use this to their advantage by pre-ticking check boxes or pre-selecting options for things like premium membership.
• Hard-to-cancel subscriptions: Shoppers often find it easy to sign up for a service or subscription but infinitely harder to cancel. Hurdles such as hiding the cancellation info, requiring a phone call or making it really tedious. The good news is that the law is soon changing.

What are the rules?

The law says prices must not be misleading, but the problem is that many of these pressure-selling claims go unchecked and are unverifiable. 

Last year, the CMA launched a string of investigations into businesses – including the alleged use of misleading time-limited sales at Wayfair and Appliances Direct. It’s also taken action against mattress firm Emma Sleep and secured changes at Simba Sleep over concerns that their use of countdown clocks could mislead shoppers. 

The CMA has new powers to decide whether consumer laws have been broken. It can order businesses to pay compensation to affected customers and fine companies up to 10% of global turnover.

Hayley Fletcher, the CMA’s director for consumer protection enforcement, told us: ‘The law requires that these claims are genuine and accurate, and authorities like the CMA can take tough enforcement action when that’s not the case. The rules are really clear – if you’re making a claim, then that needs to be true. The law is clear, and traders must abide by it.’

We’re sharing our findings with the CMA. But the task is enormous, and these cases could just be tiny drops in a very large ocean. 

Academic Mark Leiser, author of Dark Patterns, Deceptive Design and The Law, told Which? that the problem was meaningful enforcement. He said: ‘Deceptive patterns are techniques employed by designers to benefit a platform or app; usually at the expense of the user.’ But in the ever-expanding world of internet retail, enforcing the law effectively is a huge task.

How to resist the pressure

The best way to fight back is to try not to feel rushed and always be sceptical.

For flash sales, it’s unlikely the low price will never again be offered. Focus on whether or not you really want to buy the product at that price. 

When it comes to popularity claims, try to focus on whether you like the product -- not whether other people are looking at it or buying it.

And if you see a low stock alert, don’t feel rushed, and only buy the item if you would have done so without the stock warning. 

Jeff Bray, professor of consumer behaviour at Bournemouth University, told Which?: ‘We should always be sceptical about marketing claims that can’t be verified. And if they are really selling out so quickly, why do they need to shout about it?’

Which? thinks online stores should make their claims specific, verifiable and transparent, so that shoppers can make informed choices. 

• Find out more: best and worst shops, rated by you

*Based on an online survey of 2,053 members of the public from 14-17 August 2026. Fieldwork carried out by Deltapoll.