Strengthening E-Commerce Consumer Protection in Bangladesh: Legal Challenges, Regulatory Gaps, and Reform Strategies

The rapid expansion of e-commerce in Bangladesh has revolutionized the marketplace, offering consumers unparalleled convenience and accessibility. However, this growth has also exposed significant legal and regulatory challenges, particularly in consumer protection. Fraudulent transactions, misleading advertisements, delayed refunds, weak data privacy protections, and cyber security threats have raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of existing legal frameworks. This study critically examines the adequacy of current laws, including the Consumers’ Rights Protection Act, 2009, the Cyber Security Act, 2023, and the Digital Commerce Operational Guidelines, 2021, in safeguarding online consumers. It identifies key gaps such as overlapping regulatory jurisdictions, weak enforcement mechanisms, and the absence of a dedicated e-commerce consumer protection law, which collectively undermine consumer rights in digital transactions. Through comparative legal analysis, the study evaluates best practices from India and the European Union (EU), including India’s Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Digital Services Act (DSA). These international models highlight potential regulatory improvements that could be adapted to the Bangladeshi context. The study also incorporates case studies of major e-commerce frauds, such as Evaly, Eorange, and Daraz refund delays, to illustrate systemic regulatory failures. To address these issues, the research proposes a unified E-Commerce Consumer Protection Act, mandatory registration for online businesses, stricter data protection laws, and the establishment of e-commerce consumer courts for swift dispute resolution. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for greater inter-agency coordination, stronger enforcement agencies, and enhanced consumer awareness programs. The findings underscore the urgent necessity of legal and policy reforms to foster a transparent, secure, and consumer-friendly e-commerce ecosystem in Bangladesh, ensuring long-term digital economic growth.