30-day lowest price in online store - Omnibus Directive

Omnibus Directive in Brief

The Omnibus Directive came into force on January 1, 2023, as an extension of the EU Consumer Protection Directive, aiming to improve the clarity of pricing information provided by businesses. It generally targets publicly available discounts but excludes specific customer loyalty offers and targeted discount codes from the regulation.

Reducing Misleading Marketing

The purpose of the Omnibus Directive is to eliminate misleading marketing and highlight honest discount percentages. As a result, consumers are offered more transparency when making purchasing decisions.

30-Day Lowest Price Rule

Retailers must now state the lowest price at which a product has been sold in the last 30 days if the product is sold at a discount. This applies to all commercial communications related to the product, including advertising and product page pricing.

60-Day Rule for Discount Campaigns

If a discount campaign lasts up to 60 days, the retailer does not need to update the lowest price during the campaign. For campaigns lasting more than 60 days, the 30-day rule must be followed.

AI Commerce Online Store and the 30-Day Lowest Price

AI Commerce online stores automatically support the requirements of the Omnibus Directive, particularly when it comes to discount campaigns lasting up to 60 days. By default, the lowest price is displayed on product cards, and our customer service is ready to help if you want the price to be visible elsewhere. If the discounted price set by the merchant is higher than the lowest price for the past 30 days, our system uses the historical price as the reference price for calculating the percentage discount.

Planning Campaigns

It is advisable to keep campaigns short, favoring those lasting no more than 60 days that comply with the new directive. It is the responsibility of retailers to keep products for sale at the regular price between campaigns.

Non-Applicable Situations

The directive's obligation to report the lowest price does not apply in certain cases, such as the sale of services or the sale of perishable goods.

Additional Information and Support

Visit the Consumer Ombudsman’s Guidelines for more information and check out the checklist for marketing sales promotions.