New era in e-commerce begins August 1: Strict rules for AI advertisements and discounts

New regulations aimed at protecting consumers against misleading advertisements and unfair commercial practices in e-commerce will come into effect as of August 1. With the changes made by the Ministry of Trade, stricter rules will be applied to AI-supported advertisements, targeted advertising, influencer posts, discount campaigns, and consumer reviews.

The regulation change, published in the Official Gazette on July 1, aims to increase transparency in digital commerce. The regulations are expected to require e-commerce platforms and businesses selling online to make new preparations regarding their advertising, campaign, and customer review processes.

WHAT DO THE NEW RULES BRING?

Within the scope of the regulation, if digital characters created using artificial intelligence that are difficult to distinguish from real people are used in advertisements, it will be mandatory to state this to the consumer in a clear, understandable, and noticeable manner. It will not be permitted to use AI-generated digital copies in advertisements in a way that creates the impression that a real person has experienced or recommended the product.

The reference price application in discounted sales advertisements is also changing. Accordingly, the lowest price applied in the last 10 days before the start of the discount can be shown as the pre-discount price. This step aims to prevent the practice of raising a product's price before a campaign and then presenting it as if there is a high discount. Conditional campaigns will also be subject to the same rules.

The timeframes regarding the consumer review process are also being shortened. The time allowed for sellers and providers to respond to consumer complaints has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours. If no response is given within this period, the reviews may be published. Furthermore, only consumer reviews where the purchase process can be verified will be allowed to be published.

TOBB E-commerce Council Member and Ticimax Founding CEO Cenk Çiğdemli stated that the regulation will significantly limit the long-debated fake discount practices. Çiğdemli said, “It will now be harder to artificially raise the price of a product and then call it a ‘50 percent discount.’ Basing the reference price in discounted sales on the lowest price of the last 10 days will ensure that campaigns become more transparent.”

According to Çiğdemli, the new era will not be limited to protecting the consumer; it will also change the understanding of competition in e-commerce. Since tracking price history, verifying consumer reviews, and making advertising content compliant with legislation require a strong digital infrastructure, companies that invest in this area are expected to gain an advantage during the compliance process.

Emphasizing that reliability will also become a competitive factor, Çiğdemli assessed, “The new regulation will not only protect the consumer but will also create a new understanding of competition in e-commerce.”