Start of Non-Essential Services
Snapdeal, Amazon and other online shopping firms will resume selling non-essential items to customers in India starting April 20, weeks after New Delhi imposed a lockdown in the country that has cost e-commerce companies more than a billion dollars in sales. New Delhi said that the e-commerce companies can resume accepting customer’s orders for non-essential items including smartphones and laptops starting next Tuesday. These companies stopped taking orders of non-essential items in India last month and only processed orders of grocery items, hygiene products, and perishables.
The companies also scrambled to work with various state governments and shortage of delivery personnel, leading to week-long delay in shipments. “We are now focusing on the immediate needs of the customers and also participating in the resumption of economic activity post the Ministry of Home Affairs notification. We are working closely with all our partners – brands, manufacturers, sellers, small businesses and local shops,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Finding Balance between Safety and Convenience
Governments across the world are trying to find the right balance between safety and convenience for their citizens. Amazon has limited the variety of items it can fulfill for the customers in many markets. The company said it will appeal a similar order from the Government of France this week. Lockdown in India, which began last month has been extended this week to May 3. But the country has relaxed some restrictions on several industries including e-commerce.
“Digital economy is critical to service sector and is important for national growth. Accordingly, e-commerce operations, operations of IT and IT enabled services, data and call centres for government activities, and online teaching and distance learning are all permitted now,” said the Ministry. The lockdown has hampered the e-commerce companies as it has cost them more than a billion dollar in lost sales in the last three weeks.
