Amazon
1. Urgency and Scarcity Tactics
- "Only X left in stock" messaging, even when inventory levels are higher
- "Order within [countdown timer] for delivery by [date]" creating artificial time pressure
- Flash deals with countdown timers to drive quick, less-considered purchases
2. Misleading Price Comparisons
- Displaying inflated "list prices" or "was" prices to make current prices seem like better deals
- Bundling items with "savings" that aren't actually savings when items are purchased separately
- Using "Prime Price" vs regular price to make Prime membership seem more valuable
3. Subscription Manipulation
- Pre-selected "Subscribe & Save" options that default to recurring purchases
- Making it deliberately complex to cancel Prime membership with multiple confirmation screens
- Hiding the annual subscription total by emphasizing monthly payment options
4. Hidden Costs and Options
- Not showing full pricing including shipping until late in checkout process
- Burying free shipping options beneath paid expedited options
- Making "no rush" shipping benefits less prominent than premium options
5. Interface Misdirection
- Making "Buy Now" buttons more prominent than "Add to Cart"
- Using color and size hierarchy to emphasize sponsored products over organic results
- Placing ads in search results that look nearly identical to regular product listings
6. Choice Architecture Manipulation
- Presenting Amazon-branded products prominently in search results
- Making it difficult to compare prices across different sellers
- Using default sorting that prioritizes items profitable for Amazon rather than best for customers
7. Data Collection Pressure
- Persistent prompts to enable personalized recommendations
- Making opting out of data collection more difficult than opting in
- Using social proof ("Customers who bought this also bought") to encourage additional purchases
8. Cart Manipulation
- Adding suggested items to cart automatically with some purchases
- Making it less obvious how to remove items from cart
- Emphasizing "savings" on bundled items even when individual purchases might be cheaper