Dark patterns on Indian marketplaces cost consumers up to $2.9B annually: Datum Intelligence

A new Datum Intelligence report estimates manipulative UX practices on Indian online marketplaces drain Rs. 25,000-28,000 crore (up to US $2.9 billion) from consumers each year, flagging mounting financial and reputational risk for the country's digital commerce ecosystem.

— Source publishedWed, 10 Jun, 2026, 11:35 IST·First seen Wed, 10 Jun, 2026, 11:40 IST·Source Apparel Resources India

What happened

Datum Intelligence report estimates dark patterns on Indian online marketplaces cost consumers Rs. 25,000-28,000 crore (up to US $2.9 billion) annually, posing

Key facts

  • Rs. 25,000 crore (US $2.62 billion)
  • Rs. 28,000 crore
  • US $2.9 billion

Why this matters

Compliance-tech and consent-UX vendors become attractive bolt-ons as Indian marketplaces race to remediate manipulative flows ahead of regulator action.