So that we buy more:

How online stores manipulate us with psycho-tricks

If, after shopping online, you end up with more items in your virtual shopping cart than planned, you may have fallen victim to dark patterns.(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

When shopping online on a PC or smartphone, more often ends up in the shopping cart than was actually planned - especially in the age of cheap Chinese stores. This is no coincidence, as the stores use psycho-tricks - so-called dark patterns - to get customers into a buying frenzy.

"Dark patterns" can be found everywhere on the internet: Commercial offerings from streaming services and online games to social networks and online stores take advantage of the way our brains work to drive up their click figures or sell something. In this article, we take a closer look at the tricks used by online stores - and we're willing to bet that you've already been the target of such practices. Krone+ explains the most common strategies - and how you can protect yourself against them.