When shopping becomes a streak, the cart is not the only product.

In February 2026, the European Commission opened formal proceedings against Shein under the Digital Services Act. It said the investigation would examine the platform’s addictive design, the transparency of its recommender systems and systems for limiting illegal products. This is an investigation; it does not establish that Shein has breached the law.

The commission’s focus on rewards for engagement is a useful expansion of the consumer conversation. Online shopping does not need to misstate a price to narrow a person’s choices. A service can turn browsing into a loop of points, prompts and personalised urgency until stopping feels like giving something up.

Choice needs a way out of the feed

The Digital Services Act requires large platforms to disclose the main parameters of their recommender systems and provide at least one easily accessible option not based on profiling for each recommender system. That does not eliminate persuasion. It gives a user a meaningful alternative to the version of the shop that knows exactly which button is likely to keep them scrolling.

There is a simple test for a retail interface: can a customer search, compare and leave without being turned into a behavioural metric? If every pause generates another nudge, the service is no longer only selling goods. It is selling the continuation of attention.