India’s e-commerce rules
are changing. Start here.

A notified amendment, not a proposal

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were notified as G.S.R. 789(E), dated 9 September 2026. Rule 1(2) sets commencement at 1 January 2027. As of this guide’s research date, the new requirements are upcoming, not already in force.

The original rules cover marketplace and inventory models, including single-brand retail. An own-inventory Shopify storefront generally falls within the inventory framework; the applicability analysis is technology-neutral, not a special Shopify designation.

1. Show the prior price with an announced reduction

New Rule 4(13) requires the prior price alongside the reduced price when an e-commerce entity or seller announces a reduction. The Gazette refers to the lowest price thirty days prior to the announcement; the official PIB explanation explicitly describes the lowest offered price during the preceding 30 days.

The 30 days describe the historical reference period, not a requirement to publish the label 30 days in advance. Display the prior price alongside the advertised reduced price.

A storefront may present a discount using a crossed-out MRP or a sale badge. ComplyCat’s below-MRP display approach compares current selling price with verified MRP and shows the relevant historical prior price beside it. That product condition is distinct from the rule’s stated trigger, an announced reduction; MRP and Shopify compare-at values do not automatically establish the statutory prior price.

Read the detailed prior-price guide →

2. Document a yearly dark-pattern self-audit

New Rule 4(15) requires compliance with the 2023 Dark Patterns Guidelines, a yearly self-audit, and a prominently displayed certificate to that effect. The underlying prohibitions on dark patterns already predate 2027.

The amendment does not prescribe a complete audit method, certificate template or accredited-auditor scheme. A merchant should have substantive review, evidence and sign-off behind its statement. An automated scan alone is not government certification.

Understand the annual audit workflow →

3. Provide complaint copies and join NCH convergence

Rule 4(5) retains acknowledgment within 48 hours and redress within one month, adding a copy of the complaint as recorded by the grievance officer. Do not rewrite “one month” as an automatic 30-day rule.

Rule 4(7) replaces best-effort NCH participation with mandatory convergence partnership. Public onboarding materials establish a registration process, but do not by themselves establish a public third-party API or authorize a software vendor to act on a merchant’s behalf.

Read the grievance and NCH guide →

There are other duties, too

The amendment also addresses sponsored-listing labels, misleading search manipulation, seller names on invoices, business/contact details, imported-goods information, and relevant product disclosures. Marketplace-only provisions cover ranking information, specified consumer-data uses and bundled fees, subject to their wording and exceptions.

ComplyCat’s three apps focus on three defined areas. They should not be treated as an exhaustive solution to every consumer, legal-metrology, food or privacy obligation.

Prepare the record before you need it

For a reduction announced on 1 January, the reference window precedes that announcement. Starting a tracker on the announcement date cannot reconstruct an unrecorded month. Reliable older records may help, but their provenance and completeness matter.

Getting reliable collection in place by 1 December 2026 is a practical buffer for a 1 January campaign—not a statutory app-installation deadline. New products, coupons, loyalty offers, bundles, markets and progressive reductions still need reviewed policies.