Mattress retailer Simba Sleep has agreed to alter its online sales practices following an investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
The CMA’s probe, initiated in December 2023, suggested that Simba Sleep engaged in potentially misleading pricing strategies and exerted undue pressure on consumers to make rapid purchases.
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The regulator outlined its concerns and requested that the retailer address the issues.
Simba has now signed a formal commitment agreeing to ensure that any “was” prices displayed are authentic, meaning that a significant volume of the product has been sold at that price before it is advertised as a discount.
Simba Sleep will also make countdown timers on its website more transparent, clearly indicating to which products they pertain.
It has agreed to avoid giving customers the false impression that they need to act swiftly or that prices will shortly increase if this is not the case.
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By GlobalDataTo verify adherence to these commitments, the company is required to report back to the CMA before the end of 2024.
This case forms part of the CMA’s broader initiative targeting online choice architecture, which seeks to address potentially detrimental online selling techniques.
The regulator had previously notified another mattress company, Emma Group, to change its practices.
CMA consumer protection interim senior director Hayley Fletcher stated: “With increasing living costs adding pressure to household budgets, more of us are looking for bargains online when shopping for home essentials and expensive purchases like a mattress.
“Companies that use potentially unfair tactics to sell products – including misleading countdown clocks and false pricing claims – risk pressuring customers into making purchases in haste and could be getting an unfair advantage over fair-dealing firms.
“This agreement means a better shopping experience for Simba Sleep customers – but it’s now time for other traders in the mattress sector to take note and ensure their practices comply with consumer law.”
