Back in April, when much of the United States was still sheltering in place, Amazon made an extraordinary decision. As the company struggled to fulfill a surge in orders related to the pandemic, it subtly tweaked its website to encourage consumers to buy less, not more.
In addition to modifying shipping timelines and inventory, Amazon disabled a recommendation feature that displays items frequently bought together, like batteries to go with the toy already in your cart, The Wall Street Journal reported. The changes underscored, in a roundabout way, the extent to which digital retailers carefully calibrate their websites to maximize the amount that visitors spend. These tactics are often largely benign, such as offering free shipping for orders over a certain amount, but others can be more deceptive, falling into a category often referred to as “dark patterns.”