New Rules Announced by Centre for Online Shopping

The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has announced the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce Amendment) Rules, 2026, aimed at protecting online shoppers and improving transparency. The rules will come into effect from January 1, 2027. Under the new framework, platforms offering discounts must display the prior price, which will be the lowest price at which the product was sold during the previous 30 days. Platforms are also prohibited from deliberately manipulating search results or rankings. Paid or sponsored products appearing in search results must be clearly labelled as sponsored.

The rules also introduce stricter safeguards against deceptive digital practices known as dark patterns. Every e-commerce company will have to conduct an annual self-audit and display a compliance certificate on its platform. For imported products, platforms must clearly disclose the country of origin as well as the importer’s details. These measures are intended to help consumers understand where products come from and who is responsible for importing them before making a purchase.

E-commerce platforms must also provide comprehensive product information before consumers complete a purchase. This includes best-before or use-before dates, return and refund policies, warranty details, delivery information and payment terms. Platforms are prohibited from adding unrelated or optional fees without the consumer’s explicit consent. Practices such as pre-ticked checkboxes that automatically add optional services or charges will also be restricted.

The rules further state that consumer data cannot be used for other purposes without consent. To speed up grievance resolution, every e-commerce company will also be required to partner with the National Consumer Helpline network. Overall, the seven key areas covered by the new rules include discount pricing, search results, sponsored products, dark patterns, country-of-origin details, pre-purchase product information and bundled fees, offering stronger safeguards for online shoppers.