Consumer Protection in E-Commerce Platforms: Legal and Managerial Analysis in the Age of Digital Markets

Abstract

The fast growing e-commerce platforms have revolutionized consumer markets, providing convenience, greater options, and economical prices. Nonetheless, the digital transformation has also brought about complicated issues related to consumer protection, such as the problem of product authenticity, misleading advertisements, data privacy, and accountability of the platform. The changing legal and managerial aspects of consumer protection in e-commerce are critically discussed in this paper with special reference to regulatory measures including Consumer Protection Act and Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The study takes the form of a doctrinal and analytical approach to assess the sufficiency of the current legal frameworks to tackle new threats in digital markets, such as dark patterns, algorithmic manipulation, and cross-border dealings. It also discusses the fact that e-commerce platforms are acting as mediators and how much liability they bear in protecting the interests of the consumers. Regarding the management side, the paper examines how companies incorporate compliance, transparency and grievance redressal systems in their business strategies to establish consumer confidence and to reduce the risks of legal liability. The results unveil a trend where there is an increasing change of buyer beware attitude to platform responsibility, where e-commerce entities are finding themselves responsible to the fair trade practice. Nevertheless, there are loopholes in regulations, especially in enforcement, jurisdictional issues and harmonization of consumer rights internationally. The paper ends by recommending a better harmonized and technology sensitive regulatory framework and proactive corporate governance to enhance consumer protection in the changing digital economy.