India Tightens Ecommerce Rules to Curb Dark Patterns

The Indian government has tightened rules for ecommerce and quick-commerce platforms, introducing stronger requirements around discounts, sponsored listings, consumer consent and dark patterns. The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 will replace the 2020 framework and come into effect from January 2027.

Under the new regime, marketplaces will have to clearly identify sponsored listings and will be barred from manipulating search results in ways that could mislead users. Discounted products will also need to display the previous price, defined as the lowest price at which the product was sold during the preceding 30 days. The move is aimed at making supposedly steep discounts easier for consumers to verify.

Platforms will also be required to conduct annual self-audits for compliance with India’s dark-pattern guidelines. Consumer information cannot be used without express and affirmative consent, while marketplaces will need to provide clearer information around sellers, refunds, warranties, delivery, payments, best-before dates and, for imported goods, country of origin and importer details.

The rules also strengthen grievance redressal. Ecommerce companies will have to join the National Consumer Helpline’s convergence programme and provide complainants with a copy of the grievance recorded by their grievance officer. Platforms will also be restricted from bundling unrelated service fees, except in areas such as loyalty or membership programmes.

The amendments arrive as ecommerce and quick-commerce companies prepare for the festive shopping period, when complaints around misleading discounts, forced choices and other dark patterns typically rise. More than 5.1 lakh complaints against ecommerce and quick-commerce platforms were registered with the National Consumer Helpline in 2025. The new framework signals that regulators now expect online marketplaces to make transparency part of the shopping experience rather than leaving consumers to decode pricing and promotional tactics themselves.