Home · Health · Sep 13 archive
New E-Commerce Rules to Strengthen Consumer Protection
Confirmed
In Short: New rules are set to take effect in 2027, aiming to address consumer concerns and improve transparency in digital marketplaces.
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, are set to replace the existing 2020 framework and come into force on January 1, 2027, according to the government and the Central Consumer Protection Authority. These amendments are a response to the rapid evolution of the e-commerce sector since the original law was enacted in 2019.
More than 5.1 lakh complaints were registered against e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms on the National Consumer Helpline in 2025, highlighting the need for stronger consumer protection measures. The new rules introduce tighter requirements around consumer grievances, sponsored listings, search results, price disclosures, and the use of consumer data.
E-commerce platforms will be required to display both the reduced price and the prior price whenever a price reduction is announced, and sponsored listings will have to be identified through clear and prominent disclosures. This will enable consumers to distinguish paid placements from organic search results. Additionally, all e-commerce platforms will have to become convergence partners of the National Consumer Helpline, making it mandatory to handle complaints more quickly and amicably.
The new rules also bar online marketplaces from manipulating search results in a way that could mislead consumers or reduce the relevance of results to their search queries. This is expected to improve transparency in the handling of consumer disputes. The amendments are triggered by consumer complaints, which have doubled since the original law was enacted in 2019, with 37,864 grievances related to deficient service or customer care in 2025.
The new rules require platforms to acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours, hand the complainant a copy of the complaint as recorded, and redress it within a month. This is intended to strengthen the grievance redressal process in the pre-litigation stage, ensuring that petty complaints are handled promptly and effectively. The changes are designed to hold e-commerce entities accountable for their treatment of consumers, from misleading discount labels and opaque search rankings to hidden charges and complaints that vanish into automated customer-care systems.
What's confirmed
- The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, will replace the existing 2020 framework and come into force on 1 January 2027.
What's still developing
- 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 consumer affairs department said.
- Consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare told HT the amendments were needed because the sector has changed dramatically since the parent law was enacted.
- Khare said the provision was triggered after consumers flagged that they had tried to pursue grievances with platforms but were never given a receipt or any formal record of what they had reported.
- E-commerce grievances rose from 224,592 in 2021 to 511,198 in 2025 — a 127.6% jump in four years.
- “We started looking at dark patterns, how to provide a hassle-free grievance redressal,” she said, adding: “Therefore it was important to bring a few more changes so they do not take the excuse that these platforms are just intermediaries and not responsible.” One of the consequential changes concerns what happens after a consumer complains.
- The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.