Basket Sneaking

Adding unwanted items to a user's online shopping cart
without their explicit consent

Prevalence

13.2%

of the applications studied (7 of 53), used some form of Basket Sneaking in their designs

Industry

Delivery & Logistics

had the most instances of Basket Sneaking (5 instances across 4 applications), accounting for over 50% of the instances

App User Flow

Purchase Journey

is where Basket Sneaking was commonly observed

Understanding Basket Sneaking

Have you ever found extra subscriptions mysteriously added to your online shopping cart?

Understanding Basket Sneaking

Businesses rely on users to overlook pre-selected features or subscriptions, subtly inflating the final cost

Definition

A pattern that businesses employ to deceive users
into purchasing unintended items or services by
preselecting them in the shopping cart
without consent, in order to increase revenue

How does it affect users?

Unexpected cart additions lead to frustration,
mistrust in the business,
and potential financial loss.

Ethical Alternatives

Ways in which design can address

Basket Sneaking

ClearTrip
ClearTrip

Respecting User Attention

Allocate designated areas for Add-ons within the interface, ensuring users are fully aware of what is being added to their cart.

Amazon
Amazon

Active Opt-in

Allow users to actively choose
additional items
or services for their
basket, ensuring transparency.

Need more Inspiration?

View 50+ Ethical Alternatives to
Privacy Deception and other Deceptive Patterns