New Delhi : E-commerce companies will face tighter consumer protection requirements from January 1, 2027, with the government mandating greater transparency in search results, sponsored listings, price cuts and country of origin labelling, besides requiring platforms to integrate with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).
The Department of Consumer Affairs Thursday announced the amendment of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, saying the changes are aimed at strengthening consumer protection while balancing the need for ease of doing business. The rules also tighten requirements around advertised price reductions. Where a price cut is announced, platforms will have to display both the reduced price and the prior price, defined as the lowest price at which the product or service was offered during the preceding 30 days.
The move comes amid a large volume of complaints linked to online commerce. The government has also brought dark patterns under a stricter compliance framework. The NCH received 17,71,622 grievances in 2025, of which 5,11,196, or about 29%, related to the e-commerce sector, according to the department. E-commerce entities will have to comply with the 2023 guidelines on prevention and regulation of dark patterns, conduct an annual self-audit and prominently display a certificate of compliance.
A key change requires “every e-commerce entity to become a partner in the convergence process of the NCH, integrating platforms more closely with the government’s consumer grievance redressal mechanism,” the government said in a release.
