The online promotions market has become significantly more opaque in recent years. Between the fake discounts flagged by the DGCCRF and search results where the first displayed offer often corresponds to a sponsored placement, finding a real good deal today requires more method than luck. There are plenty of trendy shopping offers at the moment, but their readability raises questions.
Fake promotions and inflated prices: what the DGCCRF checks reveal
Several online retailers have been sanctioned by the DGCCRF for fake promotion practices, notably artificially inflated reference prices a few weeks before a sales event. The mechanism is simple: an item displayed at a high price for a short period serves as the basis for a spectacular discount that isn’t real.
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This type of practice has led to increased checks and public fines for misleading displayed discounts. For the consumer, the direct consequence is that a percentage discount means nothing without a reliable point of comparison.
This is where price history tracking tools become useful. Extensions like Keepa or comparison sites that include price graphs allow users to visualize the price evolution of a product over several months. An item whose price was raised just before sales immediately shows up on these curves. Before confirming a discounted purchase, checking this price curve takes a few seconds and avoids paying the full price for a fake deal.
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To browse a fashion catalog that groups trendy pieces at reduced prices without going through these tedious checks, you can see all DLG Fashion offers directly in their dedicated space.
Digital Services Act and ranking of online shopping offers
The implementation of the Digital Services Act in Europe has changed how platforms display their results. Major marketplaces must now disclose sponsored content and explain their ranking criteria. What seemed to be “the best offer” at the top of the page was often a paid placement by the seller.
This imposed transparency changes the game for those looking for trendy clothes at the best price. The first offer is no longer necessarily the cheapest. Field feedback varies on this point: some users notice an improvement in readability, while others feel that the “sponsored” labels remain too discreet to actually change purchasing behaviors.
In practice, this means that one must systematically scroll down the results and compare beyond the first three or four displayed. Specialized sites for good deals and independent price comparison sites remain more reliable alternatives than a default sort on a marketplace.
Price tracking and browser extensions: game-changing tools
Price history tracking tools are now the most concrete way to distinguish a real promotion from a commercial gimmick. Their operation relies on daily price recording, which produces a consultable curve before each purchase.
Here are the elements to check before confirming a promotional purchase:
- The price curve over the last three months: a spike just before the sales period indicates an inflated reference price
- The lowest price recently reached, which serves as a true point of comparison (and not the strikethrough price displayed by the seller)
- The presence of a “sponsored” label on the offer, indicating a paid placement and not a relevance-based price ranking
A strikethrough price proves nothing without verifiable history. This verification habit takes less than a minute with an installed extension and avoids most false good deals.
Independent price comparators and automatic alerts
Independent comparators aggregate prices from several retailers for the same product. Some offer alerts via notification or email when an item reaches a price threshold set by the user. This system is particularly suited for non-urgent purchases (wardrobe pieces, basics, next season’s clothing).
The alert system helps avoid compulsively checking sites and turns the search for good deals into a passive process. You set a target budget, and wait for the notification.
Promotion calendar: when to buy to pay less
Discount periods follow a predictable rhythm, but not all are equal. Legal sales (summer and winter) remain regulated, which limits retailers’ leeway on reference prices. In contrast, commercial operations outside of sales (private sales, occasional promo codes, clearance sales) escape this framework and present a higher risk of inflated prices.
The available data does not allow for concluding that a specific day of the week consistently offers better prices. Some retailers launch their promotions mid-week to boost sales during slow periods, but this practice varies from site to site.
What works more reliably:
- Prepare a list of sought-after items before sales periods to avoid impulsive purchases
- Cross-check the discounted price with the price history to confirm the reality of the discount
- Favor sites that clearly display the lowest price practiced over the last thirty days, in accordance with European obligations
- Monitor end-of-season sales, where markdowns on previous collections are generally the most significant
The best savings rarely come from a stroke of luck on a flash sale. They result from a combination of patience, a pre-established list, and verification tools. The most cost-effective reflex remains to never rely solely on the displayed percentage discount, regardless of the site, and to keep in mind that the transparency imposed by European regulations now works in favor of the attentive consumer.