- From 28 March 2026, Australian Consumer Law doubled the maximum penalty for false or misleading representations to $100 million, with the ACCC already fining retailers including James Lane, Vuly, and digiDirect over misleading discount claims.
- The ACCC has named fake discounting a compliance and enforcement priority for 2026–27, with a further unfair trading practices regime due to take effect on 1 July 2027.
- Ergonomic chair brand Sihoo Australia has committed to publishing a rolling 90-day price history on every product page of its website, updating automatically as prices change.
- The initiative allows shoppers to verify whether a sale price represents a genuine reduction, rather than relying solely on the retailer's own discount claims.
- Sihoo Australia spokesperson Joseph Lacson stated the company believes publishing price history should become an industry-wide standard, noting it offers particular value to workplace buyers purchasing seating in volume.
SOUTH GRANVILLE, NSW, Australia —1 October 2026 — Retailers who publish a fake discount already risk fines of up to $100 million, and most have no record that could prove their sale prices are genuine.
That penalty is not a future proposal anymore as it already commenced on 28 March 2026, when a change to Australian Consumer Law doubled the maximum penalty for false or misleading representations from $50 million to $100 million. The same law also allows a fine of three times the benefit gained, or 30 percent of a company's turnover, whichever is greater. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has already used its powers this year, fining retailers including James Lane, Vuly and digiDirect over misleading Black Friday and strikethrough discount claims.
One Australian retailer isn't waiting to be investigated. It has already committed to publishing 90 days of price history on every product it sells, so shoppers can check a discount for themselves instead of taking the retailer's word for it.
Why now
Most Australians shopping a sale have no way to check whether a discount is genuine. A product advertised as "40% off" could have sat at that same reduced price for a week, a month, or never actually sold at the higher price at all.
The ACCC named fake discounting a compliance and enforcement priority for 2026-27. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb flagged it on 19 February 2026. She pointed to claims such as "up to a percentage amount off," which in practice often applies to only a small share of products in a sale. This year's fines against James Lane, Vuly and digiDirect show that priority already being enforced under current law.
A further layer of scrutiny is coming. A separate unfair trading practices regime takes effect on 1 July 2027, banning conduct that manipulates shoppers and adding specific drip pricing rules for extra charges. That regime targets manipulative tactics and hidden fees rather than discount claims directly. But for an industry built around seasonal sales, from Click Frenzy through EOFY to Black Friday and Boxing Day, it adds to a clear direction of travel. Retailers will need to show their working, or pay for it, now and later.
One retailer's answer: publish the receipt
Ergonomic chair brand Sihoo Australia has committed to publishing a rolling 90-day price history for every chair on its website. The history will update automatically as prices change. A shopper will be able to see exactly what a chair has cost over the past three months before deciding whether a sale price is a genuine reduction.
The price history will sit on the product page itself, not in a separate report. That way, the information is there at the exact point a customer is deciding whether to buy.
"We'd rather show our customers the real number than ask them to trust a percentage sign," said Joseph Lacson, Sihoo Australia spokesperson. "Publishing our own price history means anyone can check if a sale is a sale before they buy. That's a standard we think more of the industry should be held to, not just us," he added.
What this means for shoppers, and for workplaces buying at scale
For an individual replacing a chair after months of back pain from working at a kitchen table, a transparent price history removes the guesswork from timing a purchase. They can see whether a sale price is genuinely lower than what the chair has cost for most of the past three months, rather than relying on the retailer's own claim.
The same transparency matters more, not less, once purchasing moves from one chair to many. A workplace manager sourcing seating for a floor of returning staff is comparing quotes across weeks, not minutes. A public price history gives them a fixed reference point to hold every quote against, whether they're buying five chairs or fifty.
About us:
About Sihoo Australia
Sihoo Australia launched in 2021 and sells ergonomic office chairs in Australia direct to homes and workplaces. Every chair carries a three year warranty covering the seat and backrest, armrests, base and castors, hydraulic gas lift mechanism, lumbar support, headrest and reclining mechanism. Replacement parts ship direct to the customer. Sihoo Australia is based at 11 Ferndell St, South Granville NSW 2142.
About AHA Digital Marketing
AHA Digital Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency that helps brands grow through SEO, content, PR and integrated campaigns. AHA is seeding this release on behalf of Sihoo Australia.
Contact details:
Ernest Yap
AHA Digital Marketing
On behalf of Sihoo Australia
Email: [email protected]
