On 9 September 2026, the Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, as G.S.R. 789(E). The rules amend the 2020 e-commerce rules and come into force on 1 January 2027, according to the notification text and SCC Online’s September roundup.
What changes
The amendment applies to every e-commerce entity, with extra duties for marketplaces. It sets no turnover or user threshold.
- Any discount must be shown against a “prior price”, defined as the lowest price of the product in the 30 days before the price cut was announced.
- Platforms must follow the 2023 dark pattern guidelines, carry out a yearly self-audit and display a certificate of the result prominently.
- Platforms must show country of origin and importer details for imported goods, and display identification numbers such as the GSTIN.
- Marketplaces must name the sellers offering goods, give seller details to a buyer on written request, and must not collect bundled fees for services unrelated to the platform. Loyalty and membership programmes are exempt.
- Marketplaces need express and affirmative consent before using consumer information for certain purposes, such as promoting associated sellers.
India Briefing also reports requirements on search ranking disclosure, labelling of sponsored listings and integration with the National Consumer Helpline.
What it means for founders
This covers Indian D2C brands running their own Shopify or custom store as well as marketplaces. Countdown timers, pre-ticked add-ons and “was ₹X” prices that were never charged are the obvious risks. The 30-day prior price rule means your store needs a price history it can show on request, which many small stores do not keep. The yearly self-audit certificate also needs an owner, a method and a date in the calendar.
What to do now
- Check that your store platform or plugins log every price change, so you can prove the lowest price in any 30-day window.
- Run a first dark pattern review of checkout, subscriptions and cancellation flows against the 2023 guidelines before the January deadline.
- Add country of origin and importer details to product pages for imported goods, and your GSTIN where required.
- If your storefront is custom built, scope the changes with your website team now; the rule text is final, but read the gazette copy rather than summaries.
Sources: TaxGuru, Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 789(E)); SCC Online, Legislation roundup September 2026; India Briefing, India’s E-Commerce Rules 2026
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.