Govt Tightens Ecommerce Rules Ahead Of The Festive Season

The Centre has amended the ecommerce rules to curb dark patterns on online marketplaces and quick commerce platforms. 

Called Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, the norms will replace the existing Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. The new regime will come into effect starting January 2027.

In a statement, the consumer affairs department said that the new rules promote transparency and strengthen provisions related to consumer grievances, sponsored listings and seller disclosures.

“The amended rules seek to address emerging consumer concerns in the digital marketplace while taking into account the need for ease of doing business and a balanced approach that protects consumer interests without imposing unnecessary regulatory burdens on ecommerce entities,” read an official statement.

Under the new regime, all ecommerce platforms will be mandated to become convergence partners of the national consumer helpline (NCH). For context, a convergence initiative is a process to resolve customer grievances quickly and amicably.

In an official statement, the government noted that the new amendments will introduce the following changes:

• All ecommerce platforms will be required to provide the complainant with a copy of their complaint as recorded by the grievance officer.
• Online marketplaces will be barred from manipulating search results, which may mislead users or adversely affect the relevance of results to the user’s search query.
• Sponsored listings shall be identified through clear and prominent disclosures.
• In case of price reductions, ecommerce platforms will be required to display both the reduced price and prior price. The “prior price” will be the lowest price at which the specified good was sold 30 days before the announcement.
• All ecommerce platforms will be required to undertake an annual self-audit to comply with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
• Online marketplace will also be mandated to provide key information, including best before dates, refunds, warranty, delivery and payment details, to enable informed consumer decisions.
• Ecommerce platforms will be barred from using consumer information without express and affirmative consent.
• Online marketplaces have been prohibited from collecting bundled fees for services unrelated to the ecommerce platform, except for loyalty or membership programmes.
• Importer details and country of origin will now have to be disclosed for imported goods.

The new norms come as ecommerce and quick commerce platforms are gearing up for the upcoming festive season. While dark patterns continue throughout the year, the issue grabs headlines during the peak festive season.

Earlier this year, the government informed the Parliament that more than 5.1 Lakh complaints were registered against ecommerce and quick commerce platforms on the National Consumer Helpline in 2025. A majority of these complaints were registered against Flipkart, Amazon and Meesho.

Not just this, Inc42 last year reported that dark patterns ruled the roost during the 2025 festive season sale. From Flipkart’s Big Billion Days to Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sales, several buyers reported orders being cancelled after payment, refunds delayed, delivery dates pushed back, and “sale” prices that sometimes were worse than the regular listed price on the manufacturer’s site. 

Cognisant of this, the consumer affairs ministry has been clamping down on online marketplaces over the past few years. In 2023, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) identified and prohibited 13 dark patterns, including confirm shaming, subscription trap, bait and switch, false urgency, basket sneaking, disguised ads, among others.

Doubling down on this, the CCPA issued yet another advisory in June last year, directing all digital platforms to conduct a mandatory self-audit to detect and eliminate dark patterns. 

Despite this, violations continue. In June, the CCPA imposed a penalty of ₹1 Lakh on beverages brand Storia for allegedly misleading consumers through the use of “100%” claims on their products. In the same month, it also slapped a fine of ₹5 Lakh on edtech major PhysicsWallah for employing dark patterns on its platform. 

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