Online Shopping New Rules: While shopping online, after seeing 70 or 80 percent discount on a product, it often seems that a better deal than this is unlikely to be found. But many times, after seeing the big figure of discount, we forget to check what the old price of the item actually was and how much was the saving. Now the government is preparing to crack down on such misleading discounts.
The government has made changes in the rules related to e-commerce. The new provisions aim to bring more transparency in online shopping regarding prices, discounts, search results and customer complaints. These changes will not only affect the customers but also the online platforms and the traders selling goods there.
When will the new rules come into effect?
amended rules 1 January 2027 To be implemented from. After this, it will not be enough for e-commerce companies to just tell attractive discounts while showing offers to customers. Important pricing information also needs to be made clear, so that the customer can better understand the actual savings of an offer.
Now decisions will not be taken like this after seeing the discount
Suppose a huge discount is being shown on a product. Under the new rules, along with the discounted price, information about the previous price of that item will also have to be given.
This past price will be linked to the price at which the concerned product was sold on the online platform during the last 30 days. Its purpose is to prevent a situation in which the price of an item is first increased and then the customer is attracted by showing a huge discount on the same increased price.
This means that in future it may be easier for the customer to understand how beneficial the discount shown on the screen actually is.
Not every product that appears at the top of the search will be the best (Online Shopping New Rules)
In online shopping, we often search and see the product shown above first. But is it the best product? Not necessary.
In the new rules, emphasis has also been laid on transparency regarding the search system of e-commerce platforms. Companies need to avoid changing search results in a way that unfairly influences customers toward a particular result.
Other than this Sponsored Listing The identity of the customer should also be clear to the customer. That is, the customer can know whether a product has appeared in the general search results or has been shown above after paying.
Also keep an eye on how you are being influenced while shopping
Many times such designs and methods are used on online platforms which motivate the customer to choose a particular option. these are generally dark pattern It is said.
The government has also made it important for e-commerce companies to follow the rules related to dark patterns. Companies will have to self-audit their platforms every year and will also have to provide certificates related to compliance with the rules.
Its simple purpose is to keep an eye on the ways in which customer preferences can be manipulated.