You see “90% OFF.” You see “Only 1 left.” You see a product sitting right at the top of your search results. But how much of that is your choice, and how much is the platform pushing you toward it?
From January 1, 2027, India is changing the rules of online shopping. The government has amended the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, through a new set of amendment rules notified in 2026. The goal is simple: stop platforms from misleading shoppers through fake discounts, hidden ads, manipulated search results, and misuse of personal data.
Here is what is actually changing.
1. No more fake discounts
Right now, a seller can quietly raise a price for a few days, then cut it back down and call it a “70% off” sale. From 2027, this trick will not work. Platforms must show the real “prior price,” defined as the lowest price the product was sold at in the last 30 days. So if a shirt sold for 1,000 rupees last month, a seller cannot pretend it was priced at 3,000 rupees just to show a bigger discount today.
2. Sponsored listings must be labelled clearly
When you search for a product, some results appear on top not because they are the best match, but because a seller paid to be placed there. From 2027, platforms must clearly mark these as “Sponsored” or “Advertisement.” You will finally know whether a product is on top because it suits your search, or because someone paid for that spot.
3. Search results cannot be manipulated to mislead you
Platforms will no longer be allowed to twist search results in ways that confuse buyers or hide better, cheaper, or more relevant options. If you search for a specific product, the results must genuinely reflect your search, not a hidden business deal between the platform and a seller.
4. Dark patterns will be checked every year
“Dark patterns” is the term for design tricks that pressure or trick you into buying something you did not plan to buy. Fake urgency messages like “Only 1 left” when there are actually hundreds in stock, hidden subscription renewals, or confusing cancel buttons all fall under this. Platforms must follow the government’s 2023 Dark Pattern Guidelines, run a self-audit every year, and display a compliance certificate.
5. Your data cannot be used against you without your permission
Platforms often use your browsing and purchase history to quietly push their own in-house brands or favoured sellers ahead of others. From 2027, this needs your clear, active consent. Platforms cannot assume that just because you shopped once, they can use your data however they like.
6. Faster and clearer complaint handling
If you file a complaint, you must get a written copy of it. Every e-commerce platform will also need to connect with the National Consumer Helpline, so your complaint does not disappear into a black hole. In 2025 alone, the helpline received over 17.7 lakh complaints, and nearly a third were about online shopping. That number is exactly why these rules are coming.
Why this matters more than it looks
For years, online shopping in India ran on a simple trick: inflate the price, then “discount” it back down, dress it up as a limited-time deal, and let algorithms quietly decide what you see first. This system was never built around the shopper. It was built around clearing stock and pushing margins.
This is where a different way of doing business already exists, and it did not need a new law to get there.
At handlooom.com, we never inflate a price to fake a discount, because we never keep stock sitting in a warehouse waiting to be sold. Every piece, whether a traditional Indian dhoti or saree, a contemporary outfit, or an Indo-western fusion piece, is custom made only after you place an order. You choose the material, the dye, the colour, and the size, and our artisans across India weave it for you. There is no dead stock to clear, so there is no fake discount to dress it up with.
Our pricing is transparent because it reflects real cost: the artisan’s time, the material, and the craft, not a marked-up number waiting to be slashed for a sale banner. We are not chasing volume through bulk production. We are connecting you directly with the weavers who make what you wear.
The new rules are pushing every e-commerce platform toward honesty. At handlooom.com, honesty was never a rule we had to be forced into. It was the starting point.