Rules and ethics
Part of Mapping UK conversion rules to each store decision with separate review gates
Ecommerce conversion advertising rules: claims, offers and affiliate links
Check ecommerce conversion advertising rules before testing claims, offers or affiliate links: name the CAP Code, CMA guidance and DMCCA 2024.
Review the message before its click rate. Ecommerce conversion advertising rules must be satisfied before any A/B test or funnel metric is meaningful, because a non-compliant claim will be corrected or withdrawn and its measured lift becomes unusable. A page can combine the seller's claim, a paid placement, an affiliate recommendation, customer reviews and a prize promotion. This pre-publication review aid is not legal advice; use a qualified advertising practitioner and consumer-law solicitor for the actual sign-off.
What to take away
- Review the message before its click rate because a page can combine claims, placements, reviews and promotions.
- Each item needs a relationship, evidence and audience record, with a named specialist for actual use.
- A conversion result is not substantiation for product quality, savings or safety.
- Affiliate disclosure must appear with the content and be seen before the user acts.
- The advertising decision does not approve tracking, accessibility or safety.
Classify what the customer sees
- Name the item and placement.Capture the exact headline, image, badge, comparison, review, countdown, price, call to action and destination. Preserve a dated rendering for each device or route in scope.
- Identify the commercial relationship.Record advertiser, publisher, agency, affiliate, seller and any payment, gift, commission or control. CAP Code rule 2.1 requires marketing communications to be obviously identifiable as such; rule 2.3 requires commercial intent to be made clear when it is not apparent.
- Separate editorial work.A supplier document may support a factual statement, but it does not turn a supplier claim into independent evidence. Mark editorial assessment, paid material and unresolved uncertainty visibly in the working record.
Test the claim and offer
- Match evidence to the wording.Keep the claim, product edition, audience, conditions, source, date, owner and expiry together. CAP Code rule 3.1 prohibits materially misleading communications; rule 3.7 requires marketers to hold documentary evidence to substantiate objective claims. A conversion result is not substantiation for product quality, savings or safety.
- Review the overall impression.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enforces the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which cover false or misleading information, deceptive presentation, material omissions and aggressive practices. Check the sequence, prominence and combined effect, not only whether each sentence is literally true.
- Protect price choice.Use the CMA's price transparency guidance for mandatory fees, taxes and charges. Optional extras need express consent under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulations 40–41, which prohibit pre-ticked boxes for additional payments. Do not count a default addition as evidence of preference.
- Verify promotions separately.For a prize, discount or limited offer, record eligibility, significant conditions, availability evidence, closing mechanics and fulfilment owner. CAP Code rule 8.1 requires promotional marketing to be designed and conducted with a sense of responsibility; rule 8.2 requires significant conditions to be stated clearly. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA) adds statutory powers against fake reviews and drip pricing.
Make relationships visible at the decision point
Make relationships visible
- Place affiliate disclosure with the content.ASA affiliate marketing guidance explains when affiliate-linked content is likely to be advertising. Review wording, prominence and whether the user sees it before acting. A general footer should not be treated as automatic clearance.
- Use clear disclosure wording.A compliant label might read "Ad: we earn commission from links on this page" above the links. A non-compliant approach hides "affiliate links" in a footer or uses a vague "some links may earn us money" without prominence.
- Control reviews and endorsements.Record origin, permission, incentive, moderation and removal. Never create sentiment, suppress genuine negative material selectively or imply an unverified experience. CMA consumer guidance includes fake-review practices within the current unfair-practices regime.
- Keep platform tools in their place.A platform's paid-partnership label may be an additional control. It does not replace the merchant's assessment of the message or likely impression.
Run the independent gates
The advertising decision does not approve tracking, accessibility or safety. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) storage and access guidance applies separately to relevant tags and device operations. Product warnings and withdrawal decisions remain with the safety owner under the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) guidance.
The release file needs the final creative, destination, evidence bundle, approvals, expiry, monitoring owner and correction route. Stop if the commercial relationship is unclear, evidence does not fit the claim, price presentation changes materially or a specialist gate is unresolved. This is a review aid, not a universal compliance checklist.
Before you act
- Name the item and placement with a dated rendering.
- Identify the commercial relationship and any payment or control.
- Match evidence to the claim wording and conditions.
- Verify promotions separately for eligibility and fulfilment.
- Place affiliate disclosure with the content, not a footer.
- Run independent gates for tracking, accessibility and safety.
References
- 2.1CAP Code rule : Recognition of marketing communications.
- 2.3CAP Code rule : Commercial intent must be clear.
- 3.1CAP Code rule : Misleading advertising prohibited.
- 3.7CAP Code rule : Substantiation of objective claims.
- 8.1CAP Code rule : Promotional marketing responsibility.
- 8.2CAP Code rule : Significant conditions must be stated.
- 2008Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations .
- 2013,Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations regs 40–41.
- 2024,Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act Part 4 (fake reviews, drip pricing).
- 2008Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations (B2B advertising).
Common questions
What should be recorded for each item a customer sees?
Record the exact creative: headline, image, badge, review, countdown, price, call to action and destination. Keep a dated rendering per device or route. Note editorial assessment, paid material and unresolved uncertainty.
How should price presentation be checked?
Check mandatory fees, taxes and charges against the CMA's price transparency guidance. For optional extras, verify active choice under additional-charge guidance. Do not treat a default addition as preference.
What does the release file need before acting?
Before release, assemble final creative, destination, evidence, approvals, expiry, monitoring owner and correction route. Stop if the relationship is unclear, evidence does not fit the claim, price changes materially or a specialist gate is unresolved. This is a review aid, not legal advice.
