Gov’t Cracks Down on Dark Patterns in Ecommerce 🛡️

Dark patterns have long lurked in the corners of ecommerce. Think of those sneaky checkouts and the infamous subscription traps. But change is finally catching up, one government crackdown at a time ⌛.

Hey there, and welcome to another issue of The Ecom Press 🗞️!

This week, India puts ecommerce brands on notice over shady interface tricks. TikTok goes full throttle with new AI-powered ad tools 🤖. And Walmart? They’ve introduced Sparky, a smart assistant that might just shop better than you.

Let’s dive into the good stuff, already, shall we ☺️? 

In a rush? Here's the juice🤭:

🛡️ Gov’t cracks down on dark patterns in ecommerce.

🎥 TikTok launches Search Ads Campaign and a toolbox of AI upgrades.

🤖 Walmart’s new AI ‘Sparky’ wants to shop for you.

🛠️ Workshop: How to Build a Pro Shopify Site Without a Dev Team

⚡️Worthy Mentions

🛡️ Gov’t cracks down on dark patterns in ecommerce.

India’s government is putting ecommerce platforms on notice: clean up shady UX tricks or face consequences. On June 7, 2025, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) ordered all platforms to self-audit for dark patterns — deceptive tactics that trick users into purchases — and certify compliance within three months.

Here are the deets ⬇️:

Platforms have been told to identify and eliminate 13 types of manipulative practices, including:

• False urgency (misleading scarcity tactics)

• Basket sneaking (adding items like insurance without notice)

• Subscription traps (easy sign-ups, hard cancellations)

• Confirm shaming, bait-and-switch, drip pricing, and disguised ads

The goal? Restore transparency and trust in India’s booming digital economy. A Joint Working Group made up of government bodies, legal experts, and consumer advocates is overseeing enforcement.

The government also launched 3 new digital watchdog tools:

• Jagriti App: Users report shady experiences

• Jago Grahak Jago: Rates safety of ecommerce links

• Jagriti Dashboard: Backend analytics for regulators

Big tech platforms, like Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Meta, and more, have already been looped into this effort, and some received early violation notices.

Why it matters 🤔

We all know that these dark patterns not only trick customers but eventually damage brand image. As such, it’s always best to provide real value for customers with ethical design trumping manipulative design. Every design decision, from how discounts are shown to how subscriptions are cancelled, must be done with the interest of your customers in mind. 

If your store builds trust, you're future-proofing your business. But if you rely on sneaky tactics to boost conversions, the clock’s ticking. 

🎥 TikTok launches Search Ads Campaign and a toolbox of AI upgrades.

TikTok just rolled out its new Search Ads Campaign, officially turning its search results into prime ad real estate. Alongside that, it’s launching a powerful suite of AI-driven tools to help brands get seen, clicked, and converted, all without leaving the TikTok ad ecosystem.

And with one in four users searching within 30 seconds of opening the app, TikTok’s message is clear: discovery is the new intent.

Here’s the lowdown ⬇️:

🧠 Search Ads Campaign Goes Live: Brands can now run keyword-based ads directly in TikTok’s search results, targeting users based on exactly what they’re typing. This brings control and precision to a space that was previously a bit of a black box.

🛠️ New Tools in Ads Manager:

• Search Ads Center: Plan smarter with keyword suggestions, creative previews, and negative keyword filtering, all in one place.

• Automated Keyword Tool: Uses AI to expand your reach by adding new, relevant search terms based on your creative.

• Smart Thumbnails: Automatically chooses the most eye-catching thumbnail from your video to drive clicks in search results.

• Smart Multi-Text Ads: Upload multiple text options, and TikTok’s AI will mix and match to find the best-performing combos.

• Insight Spotlight: See what your target audience is watching and searching for, then get AI-powered suggestions for the next ad to make.

• Market Scope: A visual dashboard that shows where users are in the buying journey (awareness, consideration, or conversion).

• Content Suite: Find influencer content already talking about your brand, and turn it into ads, all without sliding into DMs.

• Smart+ x Catalog Ads: Automatically turn your product feed into shoppable ad units, matched to users ready to buy.

📈 The Data Back It Up: TikTok says pairing Search Ads with In-Feed Ads drives 20% more conversions, and nearly one in five users who don’t convert after a feed ad will convert after a Search Ad.

Why it matters 🤷‍♂️

TikTok is fast becoming a visual-first search engine, where purchase intent meets discovery. SEO isn’t just for Google anymore, which means that brands now need to optimize for scroll-stopping, search-friendly content that shows up when users type things like “cute summer bag.” For ecommerce teams, that means thinking like a search engine and creating content designed to be found, watched, and acted on.

🤖 Walmart’s new AI ‘Sparky’ wants to shop for you.

Walmart just rolled out Sparky, a generative AI assistant built into its mobile app, and it’s more than just a chatbot. Sparky helps customers search, compare, plan, and shop with smarter, faster recommendations based on context like weather, events, and personal needs.

Here’s the scoop 🍨:

A new kind of AI assistant: Hit the smiling “Ask Sparky” button and you can…

🧠 Ask questions about products

📝 Get review summaries and comparisons

🎯 Receive tailored suggestions for specific occasions

Planning a birthday party? Sparky can suggest decorations, gifts, and even check the forecast if it’s an outdoor event, all in one flow.

The future features coming soon: Walmart isn’t stopping here. In the coming months, Sparky will evolve into a full-blown retail agent:

🔁 Reordering essentials automatically

🧰 Offering how-to instructions (e.g. fixing a faucet, planning meals)

🖼️ Accepting image, video, and even voice queries

📆 Booking services directly through the app

All of this will connect to Walmart’s broader AI stack, including Wally (their merchant-facing AI), and other tools like review summaries, smart comparisons, and navigation-based search.

Why it matters 🤨

Sparky tells us that for ecommerce brands, the product page is no longer the starting point for product discovery. It’s the AI assistant’s suggestion that decides what gets seen, clicked, and bought. 

And considering Sparky will evolve to become an agent, it means the entire journey, from inspiration to purchase, could be owned by AI. If your product isn’t recommended, it may as well not exist. Once again, you need to optimize not just for search or design, but for conversation, context, and intent.

🛎️ The Ecom Press Insider

 Ecom Fact: The AI video generation market is expected to grow from $0.69B in 2024 to $0.85B in 2025, marking a 22.9% year-over-year growth. By 2029, it's projected to reach $1.92B. And it’s not just hype—78% of businesses are already using AI to create video ads.

💡 Takeaway: AI video tools are rapidly becoming a core part of marketing workflows. For ecommerce brands, this means faster creative testing, lower production costs, and more personalized content at scale. 

🛠️ Workshop: How to Build a Pro Shopify Site Without a Dev Team

Let’s be real: building a great ecommerce site can feel overwhelming. But with the right guidance, you can create something that looks like it was built by pros (even if you’re solo and starting from scratch). 

This week, we’re spotlighting a full workshop on how to build a stunning Shopify website, from setup to design to checkout, without writing a line of code.

🎥 If you’re serious about launching or leveling up your ecommerce store, this is the tutorial you’ll want to binge. 

Here’s the click-by-click breakdown 👇

1. Start for Just $1/month: Shopify’s new offer gives you 3 months at $1/month—plenty of runway to test and launch your store. Setup is straightforward and tailored to your sales volume.

2. Add Products with Variants Like a Pro: From flavors to sizes, learn how to set up product variants, pricing, inventory, and optimized descriptions (even using AI if you're in a rush).

3. Design That Feels Custom-Built: Use Horizon or AI-generated themes, then customize colors, layouts, and images. You’ll even learn how to create interactive sections like carousels and hover effects.

4. Set Up Subscriptions and Discounts: Install Shopify Subscriptions to offer recurring orders (like Subscribe & Save), and create custom discount codes and automation with tools like Omnisend.

5. Fine-Tune the Essentials: Cover the backend: payments, domains, taxes, shipping profiles, and policy pages. Everything you need to go from “just live” to “actually ready.”

📦 Bonus: You’ll also learn how to connect with customers via email/SMS and track everything with built-in analytics and apps. If you’ve been waiting for the “right” time to launch your site—this is it. Watch the full tutorial here and build alongside.

⚡️Worthy Mentions

• Best Buy leverages agentic AI for smarter, more responsive customer support.

• Meta sets goal to replace manual ad design with AI by end of 2026.

• TikTok introduces charges for brands based on feed view counts.

• Samsung and Glance collaborate on new AI tool to enhance shopping experience.

• Trump expected to push for third extension of TikTok ban.

Wrapping up…

We’re only halfway through the year, and already the updates have been coming in hot, and big enough to reshape how we do ecommerce 🛒.

With another half to go, you can bet there’s plenty more around the corner. And as always, we’ll be right here, tracking the shifts and dropping the insights straight into your inbox 📬.

So stay curious, hit that subscribe button if you haven’t already, and we’ll see you next week with more of the good stuff 😉.