CMA reflects on its launch of direct consumer enforcement under the DMCC Act
Thursday 7th May 2026
Last April, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched its new direct enforcement regime under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act). The regime aimed to give consumers more confidence when shopping online by ensuring that advertised pricing is clear and accurate.
Between April 2025 and April 2026, the CMA opened investigations into 14 businesses and ordered that a total of £760,000 be refunded to customers.
Furthermore, the CMA imposed fines on businesses totalling £4.7 million, issued 157 advisory and warning letters, and sent 46 information notices.
The CMA has focussed on 3 main target areas of enforcement:
- Drip pricing – a sales technique where only part of a price for a product/service is advertised upfront and additional mandatory fees are revealed later (usually during checkout process).
- Fake reviews – the CMA is looking at how reviews are obtained, moderated and displayed.
- Online choice architecture – when businesses add extra products or services by default.
As it goes into its second year of direct consumer enforcement, the CMA encourages businesses to ensure that they:
- Use true, accurate and not misleading pricing
- Have robust review policies in place
- Review consumer contract terms carefully
- Be prepared to comply with upcoming rules on subscription contracts (expected Spring 2027)
- Use agentic AI responsibly