In response to concerns raised by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS), travel booking platform Agoda has revised several user interface elements on its website and mobile app to improve transparency and ensure compliance with fair trading practices.
Key issues identified by CCCS included:
- Misleading Search Labels: Agoda's "Best Match" results, previously perceived as objective, were influenced by commercial considerations. The label has been changed to "Our Picks" to reflect curated recommendations.
- Inadequate Disclosure of Paid Badges: The "Agoda Preferred" badge lacked transparency around payment requirements. Agoda has updated disclosures to indicate that properties pay higher commissions for this designation.
- Opaque Ranking Practices: Search result rankings were impacted by paid visibility without clear consumer notice. Explanatory text has been revised to reflect this.
- Inaccurate Price Representations: Labels such as "cheapest x-star stay" were potentially misleading and have been removed.
- Countdown Timer Pressure: The five-minute booking timer created undue urgency. Agoda has standardized the countdown to 20 minutes across all platforms.
CCCS emphasized that presenting material information—particularly pricing and business practices—clearly and upfront is essential. Practices that obscure such information or create artificial urgency may constitute unfair conduct under Singapore's consumer protection framework.
The matter underscores the importance of neutral and transparent interface design in e-commerce. CCCS and consumer advocacy group CASE have reaffirmed their commitment to addressing "dark patterns" and encouraging responsible business conduct in the digital economy.
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