Retail & Consumer
Retail, FMCG and consumer durables.
Where integrity risk sits in retail.
Every successful consumer brand is copied. As shopping moves online and quick commerce reaches every metro, counterfeits, grey-market stock and fake sellers move with it. Meanwhile distributor schemes, trade promotions and returns create quieter leakage inside the business.
India and the UAE & Dubai, in numbers.
Statistics and regulatory developments from government, regulator and industry sources. Each figure links to its source.
One of the world's largest retail markets, moving online fast, and heavily counterfeited.
Regulatory and market updates
- Counterfeits move online
The 2025 ASPA–CRISIL survey found online platforms accounted for 53% of counterfeit purchases, and 74% of consumers believe the problem worsened.Source: The Week, on the ASPA–CRISIL State of Counterfeiting in India 2025 report
- Quick commerce dominates e-grocery
Quick commerce now accounts for 70–75% of e-grocery orders, up from 35% in 2022.Source: IBEF
- DPDP obligations for retailers
Consent, notice and breach notification obligations under the DPDP Rules apply from May 2027.Source: Hogan Lovells
A luxury and re-export hub where e-commerce is approaching a fifth of retail.
Regulatory and market updates
- Trade-based money laundering in focus
The 2025 AML law's tougher penalties and wider scope reach high-value goods traders and re-exporters.Source: Hadef & Partners
The integrity risks we see most often.
Exposure ratings reflect BDI's casework and the current market and regulatory environment.
Counterfeits and look-alikes
Fakes on marketplaces, social commerce and in neighbourhood stores.
Grey-market and parallel imports
Stock leaking across territories, channels and price bands.
Distributor and trade-scheme leakage
Claims for schemes never passed to retailers; phantom secondary sales.
Returns and refund fraud
Organised return abuse and refund manipulation in e-commerce.
Fake sellers and impersonation
Fake brand stores, dealerships and customer-care numbers.
Other challenges
Channel complexity
General trade, modern trade, e-commerce and quick commerce each leak differently.
Speed of infringement
A fake listing can go live and sell within hours.
Margin pressure
Price competition encourages scheme abuse and diversion.
Each risk, matched to a response.
The practice that leads and the platform that keeps the record.
| Risk | How BDI responds | Practice | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counterfeits and look-alikes | Market surveys, test purchases, source investigations, raids and civil-suit support. | ||
| Fake sellers and impersonation | Marketplace and digital monitoring, takedowns, INDRP proceedings and content removal. | ||
| Grey-market and parallel imports | Grey-market and diversion checks with batch tracing from plant to retailer. | ||
| Distributor and trade-scheme leakage | Distributor audits against secondary sales and business partner due diligence. |
Go deeper.
Retail
Stores, online storefronts and loyalty programmes protected from the inside and the outside.
Explore 05.2FMCG
The most counterfeited category, sold through the most complex channels.
Explore 05.3Consumer Durables
Electronics and appliances where spurious parts and fake service centres erode trust.
Explore
Sources
- IBEF, Retail Industry in India, Updated Sep 2026.
- IBEF, FMCG Industry in India, Updated Sep 2026.
- The Week, on the ASPA–CRISIL State of Counterfeiting in India 2025 report, 35% of Indians encountered fake products in one year; online platforms account for 53% of purchases, Mar 2026.
- Hogan Lovells, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 brought into force, Nov 2025.
- WAM, on the EZDubai–Euromonitor report, UAE e-commerce market size reaches AED42.2 billion in 2025, Sep 2026.
- Gulf News, citing Dubai DET, Dubai tourism hits record as 19.59m international visitors arrive in 2025, Feb 2026.
- Hadef & Partners, A new era for AML/CTF/PF in the UAE: Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025, Oct 2025.