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The Central Consumer Protection Authority has issued a sweeping advisory to all e-commerce platforms, urging them to eliminate so-called “dark patterns” - deceptive design practices that manipulate consumer behavior online.

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The advisory, part of a broader government push to regulate the digital marketplace, directs platforms to conduct self-audits within three months to identify and remove interface designs that could mislead or confuse users. These include tactics such as false urgency cues, hidden costs or pre-selected options that pressure shoppers into purchases or subscriptions.

The Authority has also encouraged companies to submit voluntary self-declarations affirming that their platforms are free from such manipulative practices. The move is aimed at fostering a “fair digital ecosystem” and rebuilding trust between consumers and online retailers.

The crackdown follows the issuance of formal notices to several e-commerce companies found in violation of the country’s 2023 Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns. The guidelines outline 13 specific design tactics considered unfair under Indian consumer law, including “basket sneaking,” “subscription traps,” “drip pricing,” and “confirm shaming.”

“The deployment of deceptive design interfaces undermines consumer autonomy and confidence,” the CCPA said in a statement, adding that it would continue monitoring platforms for compliance.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/ccpa-needs-more-teeth-to-tame-dark-patterns-industry-demands-tougher-regulation-and-penalties-66938.htm">Read more: CCPA needs more teeth to tame dark patterns; industry demands tougher regulation and penalties</a>

A Joint Working Group, formed by the Department of Consumer Affairs and comprising representatives from government ministries, regulators, law schools, and consumer organizations, has been tasked with flagging violations and recommending public awareness initiatives. The group meets regularly to review industry practices and advise the ministry on enforcement strategies.

The move reflects growing global scrutiny of dark patterns, as regulators weigh new rules to rein in aggressive digital marketing tactics. In India, officials see the regulation of such practices as critical to protecting users in one of the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce markets.

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CCPA warns e-comm firms over “dark patterns”; self-audit within 3 months

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is gearing up to sue e-commerce majors Amazon and Flipkart for allegedly retailing products that failed to meet India’s mandatory certification standards, a move that signals heightened regulatory scrutiny over online marketplaces, Moneycontrol reported. As per the media report, the consumer standards watchdog will not only seek legal action but also demand monetary compensation from both platforms under the BIS Act, 2016, which empowers the agency to claim up to ten times the value of non-compliant goods sold.

The legal action stems from enforcement raids carried out by BIS in March 2025, where teams conducted search-and-seizure operations at the warehouses of both e-commerce giants. The agency claims to have found and confiscated a variety of products lacking the mandatory BIS certification, items that fall under India’s Quality Control Orders (QCOs), making their uncertified sale illegal.

During a raid at Amazon’s warehouse in Chennai, officials seized over 3,000 uncertified products including insulated flasks, food containers, metallic water bottles, ceiling fans and toys, collectively valued at around Rs 36 lakh, according to BIS. In Flipkart’s case, seized products included baby diapers, stainless steel bottles, insulated hotpots and casseroles, all covered under mandatory QCOs. Although BIS has not disclosed the monetary value of the goods seized from Flipkart, officials confirm these items were being stored or sold without proper certification.

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The looming lawsuit could set a major precedent in India’s regulatory approach to platform liability, shifting focus from sellers to the platforms that enable such sales. While BIS primarily targets manufacturers and importers for compliance, this move signals its intent to hold e-commerce intermediaries accountable as well particularly when uncertified goods are repeatedly found on their platforms.

As the nodal agency under the Consumer Affairs Ministry, BIS has been intensifying enforcement around product safety, especially after the expansion of QCOs covering everyday items like toys, household appliances and baby products.

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BIS set to take Amazon, Flipkart to court over sale of non-certified goods

India's grocery industry is undergoing a significant shift as quick commerce players have fuelled incremental demands and influenced purchasing behaviour. The increased access to discounts has hit the general trade severely, including the Kirana store.

According to a report by Kearney, modern trade, e-commerce players and quick commerce consistently provide the highest discounts to consumers. E-commerce and modern trade optimize costs with larger delivery sizes and higher-value baskets, enabling them to offer significant discounts. On the other hand, discounts in quick commerce drop by about 200 to 250 basis points. 

According to the analysis, modern trade's 'discount versus MRP' stood at 17.8%, followed by e-commerce at 16.7%, quick commerce at 6-9%, and Kirana at 2-5%, respectively.

	
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However, in terms of employment generation, quick commerce, and general trade were in the same line. 

"General trade is the most labour-intensive channel, employing 63 to 66 people per Rs 1 crore of monthly Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). Whereas quick commerce generated 62 to 64 jobs per Rs 1 crore of monthly GMV".

Quick commerce has shifted sales from e-grocery, modern trade, and Kirana stores, but it remains inconsistent across all categories.

According to Kearney, consumers are still purchasing fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) from Kirana, indicating a preference for handpicked non-packaged items. However, snacking, and confectionery, such as munchies, chocolates, and cold beverages are more frequently purchased on quick commerce platforms for instant consumption.

Overall, for all sales happening via quick commerce, a 6 to 8% share is purely incremental, while the rest is coming at the expense of sales from other channels--predominantly modern trade and e-commerce followed by general trade outlets.

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The report suggested that kirana stores and modern trade outlets will need to enhance efficiency and streamline operations to remain competitive alongside the growing influence of quick commerce.

According to a report by Kearney, India's grocery sector, including food fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), non-food FMCG, and fruits and vegetables, is expected to grow by 8% to reach Rs 78 lakh crore by 2029.

"Going forward, quick commerce is expected to play a larger role in the retail sector, coexisting with other channels while continuously adapting to market dynamics and consumer preferences," the report added.

Quick commerce disrupts India's grocery industry, kirana stores hit hard: Kearney

While the quick commerce sector has continued its blitz through India’s urban landscapes, it is facing a severe challenge of high attrition among the gig workforce. The massive volatility in the delivery workforce has remained a structural challenge in quick commerce and ecommerce platforms, such as Flipkart, Amazon, Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart, According to a report by TeamLease Services, as many as 31% of the employers have lamented over the voluntary exits of gig workers. 

While there can be multiple reasons for high attrition, the report underscored that "platform-switching behavior, lack of long-term incentives, and the transitory nature of gig work," are the key factors the behind this trend.

Notably, the increased cost pressure has impacted the wages of the workers. Factors such as customer acquisition offers, free returns, and tight delivery deadlines have compressed the margins of e-commerce and quick commerce platforms. 

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The report mentioned, "Platforms are finding it harder to balance wage inflation in metros and tier-1 cities with sustainable unit economics. The competition is fierce—and every rupee saved or lost at the labor level adds up at scale".

The other major human resource challenge for quick commerce companies is 'time-bound hiring'. 25% of employers said that delays in onboarding can elevate churn risk. 

<strong>'Expansion in gig roles'</strong>

Further, the report observed a the rise in job roles of gig workers, which is no more confined to delivery riders or freelancers, but is evolving into a strategic muscle across high-skill domains. 

According to the report, 64% of employers report rising gig adoption in sales and customer service. Companies are leaning on contractual CX agents, outsourced telesales teams, and platform-based service models. Gig-based support also rising for inventory turnover, just-in-time logistics, and micro-fulfillment is gaining ground, especially in  FMCG, Q-commerce, and D2C ecosystems.

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Besides, finance and accounting are also relying on gig professionals for short-cycle needs such as internal audits, reconciliations, and regulatory filings—particularly around tax season support or compliance projects. Around 33% of the employers are now using gig talent in strategic domains—from product design and UX research to market entry consulting and GTM strategy. 

According to Kartik Narayan, CEO-Staffing, TeamLease Services, "The future lies not in simply expanding headcount, but in shaping highly specialized, flexible teams that can scale, evolve, and thrive amid continuous market shifts. By fostering such talent ecosystems, companies will not only adapt but will lead India’s workforce into a new era of growth and opportunity".

Quick commerce faces high attrition challenge of gig workforce: TeamLease

The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, convened a high-level stakeholder meeting on Wednesday to tackle the growing menace of dark patterns—deceptive design tactics used on websites and apps to manipulate user behavior.

The meeting brought together representatives from major e-commerce companies including Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy, Google, Meta and Paytm along with industry bodies like FICCI, NASSCOM and CAIT, voluntary consumer organizations and academic institutions. The aim is to eliminate manipulative digital practices and reinforce ethical conduct in India’s booming e-commerce ecosystem.

Dark patterns misleading interfaces that trick users into making unintended purchases, sharing personal data, or subscribing to unwanted services, have become a major consumer grievance. The Department of Consumer Affairs has seen a marked increase in complaints related to such practices via the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).

“Consumers today are vigilant and will not tolerate deceit. Companies must not wait for regulatory action. They must identify and eliminate dark patterns proactively,” said Minister Joshi, urging full compliance with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, a directive that makes India the first country to formally define and regulate 13 specific dark patterns under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Minister Joshi directed all major platforms to conduct regular internal audits and integrate the guidelines into their internal governance frameworks. He emphasized that addressing dark patterns isn’t merely about legal compliance, it’s about rebuilding consumer trust.

The Ministry is also deploying tech-based solutions to empower users. Tools like the Jagriti App, Jago Grahak Jago App and Jagriti Dashboard, which is developed in collaboration with IIT-BHU to enable consumers to report dark patterns, flag suspicious websites and access safety scores of e-commerce platforms in real time. These innovations were birthed from the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023.

Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, underscored the gravity of the issue, saying, “Dark patterns erode consumer autonomy and trust. Tackling them is central to fair digital trade.” She noted that many companies who took a "Safety Pledge" on National Consumer Day 2024 now risk breaching it by allowing deceptive interfaces to persist.

She added that consumers themselves have become frontline watchdogs. “We are getting direct reports from users flagging these patterns. It’s clear that the public is paying attention.”

Additional Secretary Bharat Harbanslal Khera highlighted that while the government supports ease of doing business, it will not come at the cost of consumer protection. The 2023 Guidelines, developed through multi-stakeholder consultations, now clearly spell out what constitutes dark patterns and how companies must address them.

“It’s now up to the platforms to act decisively,” said Anupam Mishra, Joint Secretary, who presented detailed data on the types of dark patterns and the government’s enforcement roadmap.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/union-minister-pralhad-joshi-to-chair-stakeholder-meeting-on-dark-patterns-in-ecommerce-67251.htm">Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to chair stakeholder meeting on dark patterns in ecommerce</a>

Govt directs all e-comm firms to self-audit and remove dark patterns

Indian consumers' spending on 'footwear and clothing' has witnessed a significant drop in the past three years. According to the data by the National Accounts Data,  the expenditure on clothing and footwear declined by 7% between FY2022 and FY2024. The consumption stood at Rs 4.94 trillion in FY22 compared to Rs 4.52 trillion in FY24.

The footwear consumption reduced from Rs 100,000 crore in FY21 to Rs 99,000 crore in FY24. However, the clothing consumption shrank from Rs 3.93 trillion in FY22 to Rs 3.53 trillion in the fiscal 2024.

The cut in spending is due to inflation and stagnation in wages, a report by Business Standard mentioned.

The impact of Covid-19 pandemic impacted clothing and footwear spending by 15% in 2020-21.

Last year, the ministry revealed that the Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) in rural and urban India was estimated to be Rs 4,122 and Rs 6,996 in 2023-24, respectively. 

Notably the monthly sending gap between urban and rural declined to 71% in 2022-23 from 84% in 2011-12.

The household consumption spending was more on non-food items in 2023-24 across the country. However, beverages and processed food remained key contributors in total consumption expenditure of food items in FY2024.

Footwear, clothing spendings plunge by 7% in FY24

Walmart-owned Flipkart is stepping up preparations for its long-anticipated India IPO, unveiling a renewed strategy centered on aggressive growth, tighter financial discipline and a pivotal shift in legal domicile from Singapore to India.

At an internal townhall event held on Monday, CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy told employees that the company is clocking 20–25% growth in customers and orders and is aiming to push that figure to 30% by June. Fashion, across both Flipkart and Myntra, is leading the charge, now contributing close to 40% of all new customer additions, Krishnamurthy said.

One of the most significant updates shared at the townhall was Flipkart’s decision to relocate its legal base from Singapore to India, a move Krishnamurthy called “a statement of intent” and a key step toward aligning with India’s regulatory environment. “As we’ve initiated the flip back of the company, I am very confident that all of us will continue to focus on profitability with a renewed emphasis on customer centricity,” he said. “This move brings Flipkart even closer to where our heart has always been.”

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<strong>Hyperlocal, Travel and AI in Focus</strong>

Krishnamurthy highlighted the rapid expansion of Flipkart Minutes, the company’s hyperlocal arm, which now aims to operate 800 dark stores by the end of the year, adding nearly two new facilities each day. He also noted that Flipkart’s grocery business has undergone a strategic shift to better compete with quick commerce players. 

Meanwhile, the travel segment led by Cleartrip is gaining traction, particularly among India’s Gen Z consumers, with growing demand for hotels, international trips and holiday packages. On the technology front, Flipkart has increased its investment in artificial intelligence six-fold this year, as it integrates AI into areas such as supply chain, customer experience, and personalization.

“We remain focused on being future-ready,” Krishnamurthy said, citing recent product innovations and the arrival of senior talent across technology, adtech, and category roles.

As Flipkart enters a crucial period of transition, it faces the challenge of scaling profitably while navigating internal changes and external scrutiny. With its IPO plans inching closer, the company is betting on a combination of category expansion, tech investment and operational efficiency to cement its position in India’s fast-evolving digital economy. “The road ahead is about balancing growth with discipline,” Krishnamurthy said.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/union-minister-pralhad-joshi-to-chair-stakeholder-meeting-on-dark-patterns-in-ecommerce-67251.htm">Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to chair stakeholder meeting on dark patterns in ecommerce</a>

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Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, will chair a high-level stakeholder meeting on May 28 in New Delhi to address growing consumer concerns over the use of dark patterns in digital commerce.

The meeting, convened by the Department of Consumer Affairs, will bring together representatives from major e-commerce platforms across sectors such as food, travel, cosmetics, pharmacy, retail, clothing and electronics. Among the key participants are Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg.com, Apple, BigBasket, Meesho, Meta, MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Ola, Reliance Retail, Swiggy, Zomato, Yatra, Uber, Tata, EaseMyTrip, Cleartrip, IndiaMart, IndiGo Airlines, ixigo, Justdial, Medika Bazaar, Netmeds, ONDC, Thomas Cook and WhatsApp.

Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCOs) and leading National Law Universities (NLUs) will also participate, who will offer insights, research inputs and regulatory perspectives to inform the discussion and shape actionable solutions.

The meeting underscores the government’s firm stance against dark patterns, deceptive design practices that manipulate consumers into unintended actions, such as making purchases or sharing data. The Department of Consumer Affairs recognizes these tactics as a serious threat to consumer trust and the integrity of digital marketplaces.

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In a significant regulatory move, the Department had released detailed guidelines on November 30, 2023, identifying 13 dark patterns prevalent in e-commerce, including False Urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm Shaming, Subscription Trap, Drip Pricing, Trick Questions, and Interface Interference, among others.

Alongside regulatory action, the Department has ramped up consumer awareness campaigns and maintains active engagement with digital platforms, policy think tanks, and advocacy groups to ensure an inclusive, consumer-first approach.

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Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to chair stakeholder meeting on dark patterns in ecommerce

Imagine Marketing India, the parent company of hearable and wearables brand boAt, will continue to capitalize on India's e-commerce industry to accelerate sales and revenue. The company has intended to invest in existing strategic relationships with online marketplaces, such as Amazon and Flipkart, that sell boAt products.

"For our online sales channel, we intend to invest in our existing strong strategic relationships with online marketplaces that retail our products, such as Amazon and Flipkart, and continue to jointly promote our brands and products on their platforms, while introducing more SKUs that we retail on these online marketplaces through exclusive product launches," the IPO-bound company said.

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According to the Sebi registered document, boAt has consistently increased its advertising and promotional expenses year-on-year. The company's Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) revealed that boAt spent Rs 46 crore on ad and promotions in the six-month period ended on 30 September 2021. However, this data is according to the previous DRHP. The company has filed another IPO this year through pre-filing route that allows company to withhold public disclosure of details until later stages.

The company increased its advertisement and promotional expenses to Rs 47.8 crore in fiscal year 2021 from Rs 20.2 crore in 2020, driven by an increase in new consumer acquisition and advertisement initiatives during the year.

The consumer electronic brand has aggressively splurged on digital marketing to target users since its inception.

"Over the years, we have developed initiatives that target a consumer’s retention life cycle. We believe our marketing initiatives have been consistent across several forms of media, aided by organized and rigorous calendar planning across various channels and content formats, with the brand identity at its core and this has allowed us to build an engagement driven marketing approach that is efficient and productive," the company mentioned in the DRHP. 

The company said that its marketing strategies will continue engaging with prominent personalities, including cricketers, musicians, social media influencers, television personalities, and celebrities.

Mumbai-based boAt has floated a Rs 2000 crore IPO, comprising a fresh issue of equity shares worth Rs 900 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of up to Rs 1,100 crore. Of the total net proceeds, Rs 700 crore will be allocated for repayment/prepayment and general corporate purposes.

boAt to leverage e-commerce partnerships, digital marketing to boost sales

E-commerce platform Myntra has forayed into Singapore as part of its growth strategy. The Flipkart-backed company has launched Myntra Global in Singapore to cater to almost 650,000 Indians living in the Lion City, the company said.

Myntra CEO Nandita Sinha explained the strategy behind why the company chose Singapore as a foreign business destination. She said, "We have a huge Indian diaspora in a country like Singapore -- almost 650,000 Indians live in Singapore. As we were going through our data...we realised that almost 30,000 of these users are actually visiting us every month. We then decided to launch Myntra Global in Singapore".

Additionally, the company has aimed to build a stronger international brand affinity over the coming years.

The Myntra Global website will showcase around 35,000 styles from over 100 Indian brands, including brands like Aurelia, Global Desi, The Label Life, House of Pataudi, Anouk, Bombay Dyeing, Rare Rabbit, etc.

According to the company, the delivery of the orders will be done within an average of 4-7 days from India, supported by third-party cross-border logistics services.

Singapore's key e-commerce platforms operating include Shopee, Lazada, Aliexpress, Amazon, and Zalora.

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