The Government of India has amended the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 through the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, with the aim of strengthening consumer protection and promoting greater transparency in the digital marketplace.

Under the amended rules, e-commerce platforms will be required to become partners in the convergence process of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH). The move comes amid a significant number of e-commerce-related complaints. In 2025, the NCH received 17,71,622 grievances, of which 5,11,196, or around 29%, were related to e-commerce.

The key amendments include:

Consumer complaints: Platforms must provide complainants a copy of the complaint recorded by their grievance officer.

Search results: Platforms cannot manipulate search results in a way that misleads users or reduces their relevance.

Sponsored listings: Sponsored results must carry clear and prominent disclosures.

Price reductions: Both the reduced price and the prior price must be displayed. The prior price will mean the lowest price offered during the preceding 30 days.

Dark patterns: Platforms must comply with the 2023 guidelines on dark patterns, conduct an annual self-auditand prominently display a compliance certificate.

The rules also strengthen disclosure requirements for sellers and products, including best-before dates, return and refund policies, warranty, delivery and payment details. Marketplace platforms will also require express and affirmative consent before using consumer information for specified purposes.

For imported products, importer details and country of origin will have to be disclosed. The amended framework also restricts marketplace entities from collecting bundled fees for services unrelated to the e-commerce platform, subject to specified exceptions for loyalty or membership programmes.

According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, the amendments are intended to create a more transparent, accountable and consumer-centric e-commerce ecosystem, while maintaining a balance between consumer interests and ease of doing business.

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 will come into force on January 1, 2027.

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