Document reports on the safety and cost of these services.

The National Institute for the Defense of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) launched a new comparative guide for users to learn about the main features offered by the most used applications in the country in order to make a better choice.

The document, among other aspects, reports on the safety of these tools and the costs of their services. It also accounts for the use of dark patterns, that is, those commercial methods used to distract and influence the purchase decision. And review the clauses found in the terms and conditions.

In this context, it recommends that users review the terms and conditions of the digital platforms before making a purchase and do not accept them without first reading them.

Also avoid entering sensitive information, such as personal data, card numbers, among others, on platforms or windows where you have not decided to make a purchase or transaction; and before making a payment, verify that the product or service chosen, as well as the price initially offered, is the same as that selected on the platform.

Also keep in mind that providers cannot charge the cost of services or products not chosen.

In general terms, the guide warns that some applications include charges that are not required during the purchase of products and services, such as, for example, the tip option that is pre-established without consent in the shopping cart. This commercial practice could potentially lead to unforeseen expenses for users, which over time and due to the number of daily transactions would constitute significant amounts.

Also that the clauses set could be abusive insofar as its terms and conditions show that the providers may affect the rights of consumers indicated in the law, such as, for example, their freedom to choose or their refusal to claim before the platform. for the service received.

Finally, the guide has considered various characteristics of each supplier according to the basic phases of the acquisition process, that is, before, during and after the purchase, which allows an overview of business practices in relation to the forms of payment, returns and those developed in order to attract more customers, among others.

Increasing demand

For Indecopi, delivery or distribution applications are the work platforms that have increased the most in recent years. Thus, in 2020, these represented 49.3% of all platforms in the world (ILO, 2021). While in Peru, 46% of people who buy online in urban areas do so through mobile applications, according to Ipsos.

In addition, in April 2021, in Peru there were 580,000 users of delivery applications, who made an average of 4.6 orders per month (IPE, 2021).

Another characteristic identified by Indecopi is that in Peru the most used delivery platforms are Rappi and OrdensYa, which are also the applications with the greatest presence in the country.

Similarly, in countries of the region, regulatory breaches have been observed for delivery applications that also operate in Peru, mainly abusive clauses. Even, he adds, there have been dark patterns in their business practices.

Source: The Peruvian