Business Benefits
Be aware of brands’ attempts to influence your emotions or push you to make specific choices.
Watch out for dark patterns and avoid them.
Dark patterns are tricks used in websites and apps that make the visitor do things they didn’t mean to, like buying or signing up for something.
Be wary of trusting the testimonials that brands offer.
Some companies use phony testimonials - ‘testiphonials’ - to artificially build credibility. Others use real quotes out of context to give an appearance of support from influential people or companies. For example, this company used a CXL article quote to create a false testimonial.
Think twice before jumping to take advantage of a limited time deal.
Forced scarcity is a common tactic where a company abuses customers’ fear of missing out to boost sales. For example, this email tries to make you pay more by saying how monthly memberships are sold out, but yearly ones are still available.
Stay aware of your emotions towards a brand while reading information about its products.
While many companies choose to embrace honesty and authenticity, others use negative admissions about their products as a manipulative tactic. If you think they’re trustworthy, you’re more likely to accept a false positive statement as well.
Look for the free or cheaper option during online transactions to avoid unnecessary costs.
For example, Ryanair hides their free Don’t insure me option in between Denmark and Finland under its list of Insurance - country of residence.
Last edited by @hesh_fekry 2023-11-14T12:01:00Z