Introduction: Why E-Commerce Is at the Epicentre of Data
Protection Enforcement
India's e-commerce and digital retail ecosystem comprising
marketplaces, D2C brands, omnichannel retailers, quick-commerce
platforms, social commerce intermediaries and loyalty programs is
fundamentally built on data.
Browsing histories, purchase patterns, payment details, delivery
addresses, location data, device identifiers and behavioural
analytics form the backbone of modern retail strategy and also some
of the most prominent e-commerce privacy risks. Personalisation,
targeted advertising, dynamic pricing and recommendation engines
are now standard commercial tools.
However, this data-centric business model also places e-commerce
platforms squarely within the crosshairs of data protection
regulators.