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Can Bonus Packs Mislead Consumers? A Demonstration of How Behavioural Consumer Research Can Inform Unfair Commercial Practices Law on the Example of the ECJ’s Mars Judgement

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  • Kai P. Purnhagen

    (Wageningen University)

  • Erica Herpen

    (Wageningen University)

Abstract

The use of psychological findings in EU internal market regulation has gained interest, particularly in the area of unfair commercial practices. This study investigates consumer perceptions of bonus packs containing an oversized indication of the “extra” volume in the package, such as in the Mars case. The Mars case serves as a standard reference in EU unfair commercial practices law which is used as a benchmark to determine the “average consumer.” Our study demonstrates how an experiment can be set up to provide empirically based insights on whether a practice is “deceptive.” Results of our experiment show that consumers overestimate the extra volume when confronted with an oversized indication compared to control conditions, which is first empirical evidence that this practice is potentially deceptive.

Suggested Citation

  • Kai P. Purnhagen & Erica Herpen, 2017. "Can Bonus Packs Mislead Consumers? A Demonstration of How Behavioural Consumer Research Can Inform Unfair Commercial Practices Law on the Example of the ECJ’s Mars Judgement," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 217-234, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jcopol:v:40:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s10603-017-9345-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10603-017-9345-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. K. P. Purnhagen & E. Herpen & S. Kamps & F. Michetti, 2021. "Oversized Area Indications on Bonus Packs Fail to Affect Consumers’ Transactional Decisions—More Experimental Evidence on the Mars Case," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 385-406, September.
    2. Iqbal Thonse Hawaldar & Mithun S. Ullal & Felicia Ramona Birau & Cristi Marcel Spulbar, 2019. "Trapping Fake Discounts as Drivers of Real Revenues and Their Impact on Consumer’s Behavior in India: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-20, August.

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