Dark patterns, dimmed brands: the erosion of equity through deceptive design in e-commerce

Purpose

E-commerce companies employ deceptive techniques known as dark patterns (DPs) to manipulate customer decisions on online platforms. DPs are known to annoy and generate negative emotions in the consumers, which might be detrimental to a brand. Consequently, this study examines the influence of DPs on brand experience (BE) and consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) from the lens of stimulus-organism-response theory in an e-commerce organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data was obtained from 419 respondents who frequently make transactions on e-commerce platforms. Subsequently, the authors used partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via the R programming language to analyze the relationships.

Findings

It was found that DPs negatively impact the BE and CBBE of an e-commerce firm. Furthermore, BE positively impacts CBBE as well as mediates the relationship between DPs and CBBE. Additionally, no significant moderating influence of shopping frequency was discovered for the relation between DPs and BE.

Research limitations/implications

The study investigates the connection between DPs, BE and CBBE in a general e-commerce context. Results may differ across specialized e-commerce sectors.

Practical implications

The study’s insights could motivate e-commerce managers to reevaluate their use of DPs. The study could help online platforms reorganize their business strategies and adopt a customer-centric approach, which might create a long-term positive relationship with customers. The results might spark discussions over redressing customer relations after previous exploitation via DPs.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically assess the impact of DPs on crucial brand parameters like BE and CBBE.