The Competition Committee proposes digital control of promotions and discounts

The Competition Committee proposes digital monitoring of promotions and discounts

The Committee for Competition Development and Consumer Protection is preparing proposals to introduce new digital mechanisms in order to strengthen control over promotions and discounts.

According to the Committee, by scanning the QR code next to a product, buyers will be able to obtain information about its previous prices and the actual amount of the discount. It is also proposed to register the terms of promotions in a special electronic system before they start and to digitize the price change history of products. This is expected to allow verifying the authenticity of discounts and tracking price fluctuations.

The Committee emphasizes that the goal of these proposals is to increase the transparency of promotions and discounts, prevent misleading situations for buyers, and protect consumer rights.

The Committee studied 116 promotions and discounts across 58 retail and service outlets, identifying 65 issues and shortcomings. In some cases, the announced discounts were applied differently in practice, the terms of the promotion were not fully explained, or the promised prizes were not awarded to the winners.

In the "Orzu ushalsin" ("May the wish come true") promotion by Water Life Mineral LLC, prizes totaling 60 million sum were not awarded to three participants. Regarding this situation, a case was initiated against the entrepreneur, a corresponding decision was adopted, and instructions were issued.

In Namangan, a citizen won a Chevrolet Cobalt car in a promotion by "Namangan avtotexxizmat" LLC. However, due to a wrongly dialed telephone number, it was impossible to contact him, and the prize was awarded to another person. Following the Committee's intervention, the car was returned to the rightful winner.

Additionally, at the Baldini store in Namangan, although a 50 percent discount was announced, the products lacked price tags.

At the IDEA store, 20, 50, and 60 percent discounts were applied not to the total price of the product, but to the monthly installment payments.

The promotion by "Samarqand Avtotexxizmat" LLC, which offered free home appliances to car buyers, applied only to customers who made a 100 percent advance payment for a Chevrolet car. Those who purchased a car on an installment basis and legal entities were unable to participate in the promotion. Once the violations were identified, a binding instruction was issued to the enterprise.

In the Kashkadarya region, advertising for the IDEA brand's promotions on purchasing smartphones through installment payments also omitted certain information. Specifically, the quantity of products included in the promotion, their lowest prices over the preceding 30 days, and which additional product would be provided in the "1+1" promotion were not specified.

According to Committee data, 59 of the 65 identified shortcomings — 90.7 percent — were eliminated through legal explanations and warning letters. Cases were initiated against four business entities, with relevant decisions and instructions issued. Approximately 250 million sum was recalculated in favor of consumers.

The Committee noted that the study showed the main problem lies not in the absence of rules, but in the lack of sufficient mechanisms for timely and effective monitoring of their compliance.

The proposed digital mechanisms are expected to facilitate the verification of information regarding promotions and discounts, enable the tracking of price changes, and serve to prevent misleading situations for consumers.

As a reminder, in June 2025, the Competition Committee submitted proposals to improve the procedure for conducting promotions and discounts.

Some of these were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers' decision dated October 21, 2025.

In particular, it was established that the price prior to the discount must be the lowest price in effect over the previous 30 days, with the exception of agricultural products. Sellers are required to clearly indicate the amount and validity period of the discount, and provide information about the previous price upon consumer request.