Travel platform Agoda has modified certain design features on its website and app after the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) raised issues with them.

The platform's accommodation search and booking features may have misled customers, said the competition watchdog.

CCCS also listed five such issues and the actions taken by Agoda to rectify them in its news release on Monday (June 16).

Firstly, Agoda's "Best Match" search results were presented in a way that suggested they were based solely on the search criteria such as the travel dates or guest ratings.

In reality, these results also take into account the platform's potential earnings. 

Agoda has since replaced the "Best Match" label with "Our Picks" to better reflect that the results are Agoda's recommendations, said CCCS.

The platform also displays an "Agoda Preferred" badge on selected properties, indicating that they have "a long-standing relationship with Agoda and meet specific criteria", making them "trusted and verified". 

However, Agoda did not provide enough information about the criteria and failed to mention that businesses have to pay Agoda for this badge, said the CCCS.

Agoda has revised the explainer to clearly disclose that these properties pay additional commission to Agoda. 

According to the CCCS, the default "ranking" of search results on Agoda's site could also cause consumers to believe it is solely based on their search parameters even though accommodation providers can pay to boost their visibility.

Based on the competition watchdog's feedback, Agoda has revised the explainer to clarify that the specific placements of these accommodations are influenced by other factors including money paid to Agoda.

Moreover, accommodations labelled "cheapest x-star stay" were not always the lowest-priced options when search results were sorted by price for the same star-rating. 

Consumers may mistakenly believe that a labelled accommodation is the cheapest choice available when it may not be, said CCCS.

Agoda has removed the label in question to avoid confusion.

Lastly, Agoda's website would show customers a five-minute countdown timer as they entered their details. The time could in fact be extended up to 20 minutes by clicking the "I need more time" button. 

CCCS expressed concerned that the initial time limit might be inadequate and create a false sense of urgency for consumers to complete the booking.

The website's countdown timer has now been standardised to match the mobile app's time limit, increasing it from five to 20 minutes.  

This provides more time for consumers to complete the booking process, or shop around for better options.

AsiaOne has contacted Agoda for more information.

Important information should be 'presented upfront'

Utilising user interface features that may mislead or even deceive consumers can be considered unfair trade practices under Singapore's fair trading laws, said CCCS, adding that this could result in enforcement action by the commission.

Businesses should design their user interface to present options in a clear and neutral manner to consumers to make well-informed choices, it added.

"Important and material information, particularly those relating to pricing, should be presented upfront and not be hidden in fine print," CCCS said, adding that statements regarding a business's practices and policies should also be clear and easily understood.

CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh stated that this is part of its efforts to improve the online commerce space where consumers may face undue pressure to complete their transactions, problematic website features or even "dark patterns" such as misleading messages, and manipulative user interfaces.

"In the coming months, CCCS will make it a point to educate consumers on identifying these misleading practices and how consumers can better protect themselves," he said.

In a Facebook post on June 16, Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) president Melvin Yong said he was happy to know CCCS had raised concerns about the potentially misleading features on Agoda's Singapore website.

He added that "dark patterns" in online commerce is an area of concern for Case.

"I encourage all consumers to patronise CaseTrust-accredited businesses, for greater peace of mind when online shopping," he said, referring to the association's accreditation arm.

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