Nagpur: Shopkeepers’ loss has led to e-tailers’ gain during the lockdown. As shops selling non-essential goods remain shut, business continues through e-portals for the same goods. This has left traders owning brick and mortar shops complaining that the lockdown orders are not only affecting their businesses, but also leading to an unfair advantage to e-commerce giants.
The matter has been taken up at different levels. Nag Vidarbha Chamber of Commerce (NVCC), an umbrella body of various trade bodies in the region, has written a letter to district collector highlighting the issue. “We have highlighted that brick and mortar shop owners are facing discrimination due to the one-sided order,” said Ashwin Mehadia, president of NVCC.
The NVCC has demanded that authorities should also ban delivery of non-essentials through e-commerce during the lockdown period lasting till April 30. The NVCC letter says even as all shops except those dealing in essential items have been shut down, e-commerce is open for all types of goods. This has led to a major disadvantage for small and mid-sized traders, who are among the major contributors of tax. In order to maintain parity, the NVCC has demanded that even e-commerce of non-essential items should be stopped.
BC Bhartia, president of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), said the organization has been raising the issue questioning why should e-commerce giants be allowed to profit if the traders have to shut down.
“Risk of infection may be higher in a conventional shop as compared to an e-commerce company, where the goods are delivered at the doorstep. However, this is leading to a clear disadvantage in term of business reach. Eventually, the consumers are likely to get used to the system of buying goods through e-commerce portals as against the traditional brick and mortar shops. This may end up in a loss of clientele for the shops as they reopen,” said Bhartia.