On May 28, 2022, a new EU directive came into force regulating the rules of online commerce and imposing new obligations on entrepreneurs, aimed at strengthening consumer protection, including against artificial price reductions or false opinions about products and services.

On June 1-8, the company ARC Rynek i Opinia conducted research on the attitude of Polish consumers to issues covered by the new EU regulations. The results of this research are quoted by the Virtual Media website.

According to the ARC Rynek i Opinia survey, 78% of Polish internet users admit that in the last 30 days they bought something online, and 59% have not experienced any form of fraud during their purchases. Nevertheless, consumers perceive problems in the form of, for example, false promotions or comments.

59% of respondents admit that they have not encountered any form of fraud in the case of online purchases. Those who experienced unfair practices complained primarily about the product itself (22%), 17% had a problem with payment, and 12% (6% each) of respondents complained about the return or delivery.

80% of the consumers are aware that online stores sometimes artificially increase prices in order to be able to lower them significantly – e.g. before Black Friday.

More than half of the respondents (59%) believe that stores remove negative opinions that appear online about them.

“Our research shows that respondents most often complain about artificial reductions. This phenomenon applies not only to e-commerce but also to sales and promotional periods in general. The second important area is the issue of giving an opinion. Opinions written on request, in accordance with the company’s policy or the removal of negative opinions, mislead consumers. The new regulations will protect clients against such manipulation” says Adam Czarnecki, PhD in economics from ARC Rynek i Opinia.

Adrian Andrzejewski order