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Dark patterns are design tricks that push you into choices you didn't mean to make. We review IndianBrand every year against the 13 patterns listed in the Government of India's Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
Last reviewed: 6 November 2026
| Pattern | What we found and do |
|---|---|
| False urgency | No fake timers or “only a few left” messages. The deal timer counts down to the real end date of the discount. |
| Basket sneaking | Nothing is added to your cart or bill that you did not choose. No add-ons, donations or extra fees are added at checkout. |
| Confirm shaming | Buttons to decline or skip use neutral words. |
| Forced action | You don't have to sign up for newsletters or share extra data to buy. The browsing-mode picker can always be skipped. |
| Subscription trap | We don't sell subscriptions to shoppers. |
| Interface interference | Decline and skip options are visible and as easy to use as accept options. |
| Bait and switch | The price and product you add to the cart are what you pay for. Out-of-stock items can't be ordered. |
| Drip pricing | Shipping and taxes are shown before you pay; no charge is added after the order summary. |
| Disguised advertisement | There are no paid placements. If they are ever introduced they will be labelled “Sponsored”. See How we rank products. |
| Nagging | The browsing-mode picker is shown once and remembered; we don't repeatedly ask for permissions. |
| Trick question | Consent boxes are never pre-ticked and use plain wording. Marketing messages have their own optional box. |
| SaaS billing | We don't charge shoppers recurring fees. |
| Rogue malware | We don't install software or use deceptive downloads. |
Seen something on IndianBrand that feels misleading? Report it to our Grievance Officer (choose “Misleading design”), or contact the National Consumer Helpline on 1915.