Department of Consumer Affairs warned consumers against 'Dark Pattern Drip Pricing' on E-commerce platforms on Thursday via a post on social media platform 'X'. 'Drip pricing' refers to hidden costs that accumulate in the end to cause a spike in the check out amount.
Authorities highlighted that customers can also check for the hidden price and the National Consumer Helpline offers a service to raise a complaint against platforms for these practices. The drip pricing inflates the final bill even after a discount.
The deal looks great at first, but hidden charges at the end hike up the price — that's Drip Pricing, a Dark Pattern! #DarkPatterns #SmartConsumer #ShopSmart #ConsumerRights #StayAware #DripPricing #JagoGrahakJago #NCH1915 #NationalConsumerHelpline pic.twitter.com/4Iz2R1877E
October 22, 2025"The deal looks great at first, but hidden charges at the end hike up the price — that's Drip Pricing, a Dark Pattern!", the caption of the post read.
The government's warning comes in the backdrop of robust e-commerce festive sales during the Diwali stretch. Along with the warning Consumer Affairs department also shared a helpline number for those who notice these hidden costs and drip pricing, the helpline number is — 1915.
The e-commerce sector noted a sparkling 24% year-on-year growth in order volumes and a 23% surge in gross merchandise value (GMV), at the end of Diwali Season 2025, as per Unicommerce, the e-commerce enablement SaaS platform.
As per the release, "The 2025 Diwali festive season ended on a strong note for India's e-commerce sector, which recorded a 24% year-on-year (YoY) growth in order volumes and a 23% rise in gross merchandise value (GMV)," as per Unicommerce release.
Quick commerce apps emerged as the biggest growth driver, clinching a 120% year-on-year jump in order volumes, followed by brand websites with a 33% rise.
Unicommerce said the insights are based on over 150 million transactions processed through its flagship platform, Uniware, during the 25-day festive period in 2024 and 2025.
As for the demographic of the consumers, Gen Z customers emerged as the key drivers for shaping demand across core categories, according to the ecommerce company. Some other examples of 'dark patterns' include surcharges such as 'late night fee', 'rain fee' when it is not raining and so on.
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