Abstract The European Union’s Omnibus Pricing Directive mandates that traders disclose the lowest price offered in the previous 30 days, aiming to curb inflated reference prices and enhance consumer protection. We present an experimental test of this policy’s behavioural impact. In a pre-registered online experiment with 500 UK consumers (where the Directive is not yet implemented), we examined whether displaying a lower prior price (the “Omnibus Price”) affects willingness to buy, and whether this varies by product type or financial information avoidance. Across all goods, the Omnibus Price significantly reduced purchase intentions, with a larger effect for utilitarian than for hedonic products. No evidence was found that financial ignorance, measured via the Financial Homo Ignorans (FHI) scale, moderated the impact. Our findings provide a behavioural baseline for policymakers and suggest that mandated price transparency can meaningfully dampen consumer demand for products marketed with inflated reference prices.

Abstract Digital infrastructures, such as online platforms, and digital services, such as scoring, and the algorithms behind them, have often been described as a “black box.” This is a problem for consumers and consumer organizations that wish to enforce their individual rights or collective remedies in civil law litigation. The reason is that traditionally, the burden of proof is normally on the claimant, who has to prove those elements of a legal provision that act in their favour, whereas the burden of proof for defences is normally on the defendant. Burden of proof has therefore been identified as a major obstacle in the fight against digital unfairness. This means, at the same time, that the important element of private enforcement is insufficient, which hampers the effectiveness of EU consumer law in general. On this background, this article discusses, after some preliminary remarks addressing the scope of the problem, (1) to what extent EU law already requires alleviations of the burden of proof in litigation around unfair digital commercial practices in national courts and (2) how a tailor-made regime of specific provisions related to the burden of proof could, or should, be designed.

One noteworthy provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 in the USA was the mandate for restaurants with more than 20 locations to provide nutrition information on their printed restaurant menus and menu boards. This provision has received a wide variety of scrutiny in the literature and in popular press. This systematic review attempts to summarize the current state of research exploring the consumer behavior effects of providing nutrition information, identify gaps in the literature, and suggest future areas for research into the provision of such nutrition information. PRISMA guidelines were followed, and study quality was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project’s (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool. Due to stringent inclusion criteria, focusing on research from ACA 2010 onwards in the USA, published in English, and assessed using EPHPP for high quality, 24 papers were ultimately included. The studies included dependent variables such as the calories or nutritional values of the meal choices made following menu exposure, the perceptions of the restaurant, the sales of the menu items, and evaluations or perceptions of the menu itself. The final discussion in this paper identifies a multitude of gaps in the current literature and avenues for further research into the effects of providing nutrition information on different socio-demographic segments, in different food and restaurant categories, in different health contexts and individual health situations, and groups with pre-existing eating disorders.

The achievement of sustainability goals will take a joint effort and content creators could be one of the actors helping with reaching it. Reliable but relatable communication on sustainable lifestyles on social media could reach many consumers and contribute to changing their behaviour patterns. However, the content creators’ activities need to fit within certain parameters for the benefits to outweigh the costs. This article identifies three important parameters that regulation should safeguard: Relatability, reliability, and redress. A key reason why content creators have managed to establish themselves as influencers is that they are relatable. But content creators may not be able to ensure what they tell their followers is reliable. That in turn raises the question of who should be responsible for providing redress in cases of misstatements. Following the critical analysis of the European legal framework, this article considers the need for further adaptations to the current rules or even the adoption of new rules more strictly regulating sustainable activism on social media.

This paper is an attempt to provide new perspectives on green energy defaults (GED) that promote the purchase of renewable energy electricity (REe) among consumers. We aim to complement existing studies and improve the understanding of GED, particularly when they are less, or unexpectedly, effective. To that end, we run a randomized controlled experiment and take the UK as a case study. We replicate the research design of previous lab experiments for comparative reasons. We also expand the analytical framework, identify key determinants and compare stated versus revealed preferences. Initial results indicate a lack of effectiveness across all treatment groups. This seems to challenge most of the existing lab experimental evidence and questions external validity claims. In addition to the actual treatments, current tariff agreements appear as significant determinants of choices. Nevertheless, when stated and revealed preferences are analysed, statistical tests revealed positive and significant differential effects, suggesting that the sole provision of an explicit, simple decision framework can trigger a greater adoption of REe, even in an opt-in treatment scenario. We thus argue that GED can still influence consumer decision-making in the desired policy direction. However, outcomes are likely to be context-specific so policy generalisations are not advisable. Building upon existing knowledge and our experimental results, we propose various motivational and contextual issues affecting consumer behaviour and thus the effectiveness and suitability of GED. They can offer guidance for future GED studies, particularly in countries in which market and consumer policy conditions for REe may be less advanced or certain.

As overconsumption has negative effects on ecological balance, social equality, and individual well-being, reducing consumption levels among the materially affluent is an emerging strategy for sustainable development. Today’s youth form a crucial target group for intervening in unsustainable overconsumption habits and for setting the path and ideas on responsible living. This article explores young people’s motivations for engaging in three behavioural patterns linked to anti-consumption (voluntary simplicity, collaborative consumption, and living within one’s means) in relation to sustainability. Applying a qualitative approach, laddering interviews reveal the consequences and values behind the anti-consumption behaviours of young people of ages 14 to 24 according to a means-end chains analysis. The findings highlight potential for and the challenges involved in motivating young people to reduce material levels of consumption for the sake of sustainability. Related consumer policy tools from the fields of education and communication are identified. This article provides practical implications for policy makers, activists, and educators. Consumer policies may strengthen anti-consumption among young people by addressing individual benefits, enabling reflection on personal values, and referencing credible narratives. The presented insights can help give a voice to young consumers, who struggle to establish themselves as key players in shaping the future consumption regime.

There have been seven qualified health claims (QHCs) in the marketplace about the relationship between the consumption of green tea and the reduced risk of breast and/or prostate cancers that were written by three stakeholders (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Fleminger, Inc. (tea company), and the Federal Court). This paper evaluates assertions about the effects of these claims on consumers, which were contested in a federal lawsuit. Using a 2 × 7 experimental design, 1,335 Americans 55 years and older were randomized to view one QHC about green tea and cancer, or an identical QHC about a novel diet-disease relationship; yukichi fruit juice and gastrocoridalis. The results show that differing stakeholder descriptions of the same evidence significantly affected consumer perceptions. For example, QHCs written by Fleminger, Inc. were rated as providing greater evidence for the green tea-cancer claim. An FDA summary statement implied mandatory (vs. voluntary) labelling and greater effectiveness, and qualitative descriptions suggested that greater evidence existed for the claims (vs. quantitative descriptions). Greater evidence was also inferred for familiar claims (green tea and cancer).

The regulation of financial products is generally increasing in response to misconduct or crises that have led to losses for (retail) investors. Under the guise of various directives and laws, international and national regulators have introduced rules and standards to restore investor confidence. We tested the success of these efforts by analysing the distribution of attention in current product information sheets in an eye-tracking experiment. The results suggest that regulation has been successful as attention profiles of the different sections of product information are highly similar for different products. This suggests first success of regulation with respect to the standardization of product information sheets. However, this increased comparability does not necessarily lead to an improvement in the investment decisions of private investors, as a further aim of regulation, the increase in comprehensibility cannot be confirmed by this investigation.