Protecting consumers: Rules for ecommerce must be comprehensive, clear

Estimated at around $137 billion, India's ecommerce market is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of over 20 per cent between 2025 and 2030

The recent ecommerce draft guidelines, brought out by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), are a move in the right direction at a time when online shopping in India is witnessing fast growth. The self-regulatory rulebook is aimed at addressing concerns of consumers as well as other stakeholders, and are, therefore, well meaning. However, the involvement of multiple ministries and departments in framing policies and rules, whether mandatory or self-regulatory, sends out a confusing signal. For instance, the ecommerce policy is still being made at the commerce and industry ministry. Without that umbrella policy, the guidelines framed by the BIS,