Fast-Fashion Giant Shein Faces EU Complaint Over Manipulative Online Tactics

A leading European consumer advocacy group filed a formal complaint against online fast-fashion retailer Shein on Thursday, accusing the company of employing manipulative “dark patterns” designed to drive compulsive shopping behavior among consumers.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) documented several concerning practices in their report, including aggressive pop-up notifications that warn customers they’ll lose promotions if they exit the app, artificial countdown timers creating purchase urgency, and an infinite scroll feature that keeps shoppers browsing products endlessly.

“For fast fashion you need to have volume, you need to have mass consumption, and these dark patterns are designed to stimulate mass consumption,” explained Agustin Reyna, BEUC’s director general, in an interview. The organization found that a single mobile phone received 12 notifications from the Shein app in just one day.

The complaint, backed by 25 consumer groups across 21 European countries including France, Germany and Spain, was filed with both the European Commission and the European consumer protection network. It represents a significant escalation in regulatory pressure on the Chinese-founded retailer that has rapidly captured market share across Europe with its ultra-low prices and constantly refreshed inventory.

In response, a Shein spokesperson stated the company is “already working constructively with national consumers authorities and the EU Commission to demonstrate our commitment to complying with EU laws and regulations.” The spokesperson added that BEUC had declined Shein’s request for a meeting to discuss these concerns.

This isn’t the first time BEUC has targeted fast-fashion e-commerce platforms. The organization previously filed a similar complaint against Temu, another discount retailer that has gained popularity in Europe. Both companies have leveraged gamification elements to drive user engagement and boost sales.

Shein’s “Puppy Keep” game exemplifies this approach. Users care for a virtual dog and accumulate points redeemable for free merchandise. The game incentivizes daily app logins, extensive browsing, and making purchases. If users fail to engage daily, they risk losing their accumulated rewards – a tactic BEUC describes as manipulative.

“For us, to be satisfactory they need to get rid of these dark patterns, but the question is whether they will have enough incentive to do so, knowing the potential impact it can have on the volume of purchases,” Reyna noted.

The BEUC acknowledged that such tactics aren’t unique to Shein, pointing out that dark patterns are widely deployed across the mass-market clothing sector. The organization called for regulators to broaden their investigation to include other retailers employing similar practices.

This complaint comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny for Shein. Just last month, the European Commission formally notified the company that several of its practices breach EU consumer protection laws and warned of potential fines if these issues remain unaddressed.

Beyond consumer protection concerns, EU tech regulators are also examining how Shein complies with the bloc’s online content rules, suggesting the company faces a multi-front regulatory challenge in one of its key markets.

The increased focus on dark patterns in e-commerce reflects broader concerns about how digital interfaces can be designed to manipulate consumer behavior, often at the expense of informed decision-making and financial wellbeing.