From Gangtok to Gir, Flipkart and Amazon festive sales traverse India

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift to e-commerce, with an increasing number of consumers shopping online at a higher frequency

Ongmula Bhuttia is a resident of Ranipool, a small suburban town located near Gangtok, in the mountainous state of Sikkim. She recently made her first purchase using an e-commerce platform by shopping a set of bedsheets during Flipkart’s festive Big Billion Days (BBD) sale. Bhuttia now plans to buy mobile phones and clothes during another upcoming sale. The products were brought to her by Doma Tamang, who is one of the growing numbers of women kirana delivery partners in the region. Tamang delivers e-commerce orders in the hills of Gangtok apart from handling her own store. She delivers the products