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Informist, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026

NEW DELHI – The Department of Consumer Affairs has amended e-commerce rules to strengthen provisions related to consumer grievances, search results, sponsored listings, price reductions, dark patterns and seller disclosures, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said in a release Thursday. The new rules will come into force from Jan. 1, as per the ministry. 

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 said. "A key provision of the amended Rules requires every e-commerce entity to become a partner in the convergence process of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), strengthening the integration of e-commerce platforms with the national consumer grievance redressal mechanism." In 2025, National Consumer Helpline received 1,771,622 grievances, of which 511,196, or around 29%, were related to the e-commerce sector, the ministry said. 

Under the amended rules, every e-commerce company will provide a complainant with a copy of the complaint as recorded by its grievance officer, the ministry said, adding that these companies will not manipulate search results in a manner that "misleads users or adversely affects the relevance of results to the user's search query."

The ministry has mandated e-commerce companies to identify sponsored listings through clear and prominent disclosures, as per the release. "Where a price reduction is announced, the reduced price and prior price shall both be displayed. The "prior price" means the lowest price at which the goods or services were offered during the 30 days preceding the announcement," it said. 

Under the amendments, e-commerce companies are required to comply with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, undertake a yearly self-audit, and prominently display a certificate of compliance, the ministry said. Marketplace e-commerce companies are also required to provide key information, including best before/use before dates, return/refund, warranty, delivery and payment details, to enable informed consumer decisions, as per the ministry. "Marketplace e-commerce entities shall not use consumer information for specified purposes without express and affirmative consent," it said. 

The new rules also prohibit marketplace e-commerce companies from collecting bundled fees for services unrelated to the e-commerce platform, "subject to the specified exception for loyalty or membership programmes," as per the release. Importer details and country of origin will also have to be disclosed for imported goods, it said.  End

Reported by Astha Oriel 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

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