E-commerce platforms face tighter checks on prices, listings from January

The NCH received 17,71,622 grievances in 2025, with e-commerce complaints accounting for 5,11,196 cases, or about 29% of the total.

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 announced the amendment of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules. (Getty images) (Getty images)

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.

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.

The move comes amid a large volume of complaints linked to online commerce. 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.

Under the amended rules, e-commerce entities will have to give a complainant a copy of the complaint as recorded by the platform’s grievance officer.

Platforms will also be barred from manipulating search results in a manner that misleads users or adversely affects the relevance of results to their queries. Sponsored listings will have to carry clear and prominent disclosures, making it easier for consumers to distinguish paid placements from organic search results.

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 government has also brought dark patterns under a stricter compliance framework. 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.

Marketplace platforms will further have to provide consumers with key product and transaction information, including best-before/use-before dates, return and refund terms, warranty, delivery and payment details.

The amended rules also place restrictions on the use of consumer information. Marketplace e-commerce entities cannot use such information for specified purposes without the consumer’s express and affirmative consent.

Another provision bars marketplace entities from collecting bundled fees for services unrelated to the e-commerce platform, with an exception specified for loyalty or membership programmes.