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New e-commerce rules may force brands to rethink short-term discounts
New e-commerce regulations in India, starting January 2027, mandate transparency in pricing by displaying past prices alongside current discounts. Brands may need to adjust promotional tactics, potentially influencing sales patterns significantly during peak shopping periods.
Bengaluru: India’s new e-commerce rules could force brands and sellers to rethink how they use discounts, particularly short-term price cuts that help drive sales during specific periods of the month, according to company executives and analysts.
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Amendment Rules, 2026, notified on 10 September, require platforms to display both the reduced price and the lowest price at which a product was offered in the preceding 30 days whenever a price reduction is announced. The rules will come into effect on 1 January 2027.
While the rules are aimed at curbing dark patterns and improving price transparency, they could force brands to rethink how they time and structure discounts. Strategies built around frequent, short-term price cuts may become harder to sustain, potentially reshaping sales patterns during key shopping periods.
