The government will impose regulatory changes on e-commerce companies beginning January 1, 2027, requiring online marketplaces to integrate with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), a government grievance portal, and crack down on misleading search results and deceptive price discounts.
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 changes, incorporated in an amendment to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, were announced by the consumer affairs department on Thursday, which said they would strengthen consumer protection while balancing the need for ease of doing business.
Under the amended rules, e-commerce entities would have to give a complainant a copy of the complaint as recorded by the platform’s grievance officer. Under these provisions, platforms would be barred from manipulating search results in a manner that misleads users or adversely affects the relevance of results to their queries. The government has also brought dark patterns under a stricter compliance framework.
Of the 17,71,622 grievances received under NCH in 2025, 5,11,196, or about 29%, were related to the e-commerce sector, the department said. 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. Earlier reporting noted: The government has amended the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, to tighten norms on price transparency, sponsored listings, search result manipulation and dark patterns, the Department of Consumer Affairs said on Thursday.
The government said every e-commerce entity would have to become a partner in the convergence process of the NCH, integrating platforms more closely with the government’s consumer grievance redressal mechanism. Sponsored listings will have to carry clear and prominent disclosures, making it easier for consumers to distinguish paid placements from organic search results, a government statement said. Earlier reporting noted: “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 e-commerce entities,” the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a statement. Earlier reporting noted: Under the amended rules, e-commerce entities will have to disclose the reduced price and “prior price” whenever a price cut is announced.
