Listen: watching out for online deals during summer sales

As summer sales get underway, research of over 11,000 products from the UKs biggest retailers found that 1 in 4 deals were fake. Subsequent findings have discovered that based on this information, 78% of consumers are highly unlikely to buy from these companies again.

Research by PriceRunner also highlights that, due to the impacts of the pandemic, Brits have more disposable income to spend. On average, consumers plan on spending around £100 on discounted goods this season, meaning there is all the more need to be in the know about the risk of ‘fake deals.’ 

Fake deals are a tactic used by retailers to orchestrate the impression of a sale by raising prices on goods for a period of time, before subtly decreasing them towards the usual value in anticipation of a ‘sale’. Special one-off days and pseudo-national holidays have been created by large retailers for the display of these ‘fake deals’. With 64% of people suggesting that they are motivated to buy based on perceived ‘value for money’, over contemporary concerns such as how and where their products are made, and with what environmental implications, this is troubling.  How can consumers ensure they are getting the value that they think they are?

Aston spoke to Christine Gouldthorp, consumer expert from PriceRunner

Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash