Competition Committee proposes verifying discounts via QR code after inspections of 116 promotions

Inspections showed: the rules exist, but oversight is lacking

The Committee for Competition and Consumer Protection examined 116 promotions and discount offers at 58 retail and service outlets and identified 65 problems: advertised discounts were applied differently, promotion terms were not fully explained, and winners were not given the promised prizes. This was reported by the committee's press service; the data is cited by Gazeta.uz, UzNews.uz and Daryo.uz. According to the agency's own assessment, the main problem is not the absence of rules, but the insufficient effectiveness of mechanisms for timely monitoring of their compliance. This is what the committee cites as the reason for developing proposals for digital oversight of promotions and discounts.

What exactly did sellers violate

Specific cases spanned several regions. In Andijan region, Water Life Mineral LLC, during the 'Orzu ushalsin' promotion, failed to give prizes worth a total of 60 million soums to three participants — a case was opened against the entrepreneur and an order was issued. In Namangan, a citizen won a Chevrolet Cobalt in a promotion by Namangan avtotexxizmat LLC, but due to an error in entering the phone number he could not be reached; the win was annulled and the car was given to another person; after the committee's intervention, the car was returned to the rightful winner. At the Baldini store in Namangan, price tags were missing on goods despite an advertised 50% discount. At the IDEA store in Bukhara, discounts of 20%, 50% and 60% were applied not to the full price of the goods, but to monthly installment payments. In Samarkand region, a promotion by Samarqand Avtotexxizmat LLC offering household appliances as gifts to car buyers applied only to those who bought a Chevrolet with 100% prepayment — installment buyers and legal entities did not participate; the company was issued a mandatory order. In Kashkadarya region, advertising of IDEA brand promotions for buying smartphones in installments did not indicate the number of promotional items, their minimum price over the last 30 days, or what additional item was given under the '1+1' promotion.

Results and proposed digital mechanisms

Of the 65 identified shortcomings, 59 (90.7%) were resolved through legal explanations and warning letters; cases with decisions and orders were opened against four business entities, and about 250 million soumswas recalculated in favor of consumers. Based on the inspection results, the committee proposed three digital mechanisms: scanning a QR code next to the product so that buyers can see previous prices and the real size of the discount; entering promotion terms into a special electronic system in advance, before they start; and digitizing the price change history to verify the accuracy of discounts. The stated goal is transparency of promotions, preventing misleading of buyers, and protecting consumer rights. For now these are only proposals: sources do not report any decision made on their implementation.

Context: the rules have already been tightened

This is not the agency's first initiative: in June 2025, the committee already submitted proposals to improve the procedure for running promotions and discounts, some of which were approved by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution of October 21, 2025. At that time it was established that the pre-discount price (except for agricultural products) must be the lowest of the last 30 days, and sellers are required to indicate the size and duration of the discount and, upon a buyer's request, to state the previous price. The new proposals are aimed not at the rules, but at tools for verifying their compliance.