E-commerce Rules

E-commerce firms to adopt Safety Pledge to protect consumers on Dec 24

Major e-commerce platforms such as Zomato, Ajio and Ola will adopt a Safety Pledge on National Consumer Day on December 24 as part of steps to enhance product safety for online shoppers. The voluntary commitment, announced by the Department of Consumer Affairs, aims to detect and prevent the sale of unsafe and spurious products on digital marketplaces, an official statement said. A committee chaired by consumer activist Pushpa Girimaji developed the pledge after extensive stakeholder consultations in November 2023. With India projected to have 500 million online shoppers by 2030 and currently hosting 880 million internet users, the initiative addresses critical challenges in the rapidly expanding e-commerce landscape. The pledge requires platforms to cooperate with statutory authorities and raise product safety awareness among sellers. "The unique nature of e-commerce, where physical product examination is impossible, makes this safety initiative crucial," the department said. The

New GDP and CPI series likely to kick in from February 2026: Mospi

Saurabh Garg further added that the ministry is also looking for ways to tap alternative data sources, like night lights data and e-commerce prices, for its surveys

Consumer commission pulls up Flipkart over complaint about product quality

The complainant, a resident of Goregaon, said she had bought 13 small plastic containers of an health drink mix for Rs 4,641 from Flipkart in October 2023

CAD is manageable as India is doing well in services exports: Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that India's current account deficit (CAD) is manageable as it is doing well in services exports. He said that the import numbers of the country are correlated with exports as much of the imported goods are shipped back after value addition. "Our services exports are significant. It is an increasingly growing surplus. So if I have a trade deficit of USD 250-300 billion, almost USD 175-200 billion get made up by services exports. So the net CAD is still in the one per cent of GDP category, which I do not think is a matter of serious enough to be concerned about," he said at an event here. The country's CAD widened marginally to USD 9.7 billion or 1.1 per cent of the GDP in April-June 2024 against USD 8.9 billion or 1 per cent in the year-ago period. A current account deficit occurs when the value of goods and services imported and other payments exceed the value of the export of goods and services and other receipts by a ..

Govt examining mandatory product disclosures by quick commerce firms

The government is verifying mandatory disclosures on packaged products sold through quick commerce companies, a senior government official said on Tuesday, signalling potential regulatory action against non-compliant firms. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told reporters the government is examining whether these companies are adhering to the Legal Metrology Act, which requires disclosure of key product information. "We are examining mandatory disclosures on packaged products sold via quick commerce companies," Khare said. The act mandates that packaged goods sold both online and offline must display information including maximum retail price, expiration date, weight, manufacturer details, and consumer grievance addresses. Khare indicated that the Consumer Affairs Ministry may take action against quick commerce companies found to be in violation of these disclosure requirements. The move comes as quick commerce gains popularity in India, with companies promising ultra-fast ..

CAIT demands immediate enforcement of e-comm laws on Amazon and Flipkart

CCI launched its investigation into Amazon and Flipkart in 2020 for allegedly pushing select sellers to the top of search results, while sidelining others

Festive feast: E-com, logistics players load up carts for peak demand

The company had, earlier this year, launched its own logistics service, Valmo, but also relies on 3PL providers such as Delhivery, Ecom Express, Shadowfax, and Xpressbees to fulfil deliveries

FMCG distributors raise concern over unregulated growth of 'quick commerce'

FMCG distributors have raised concerns over the "rapid and unregulated growth" of quick commerce platforms, saying it needs immediate scrutiny. In a letter written to Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, FMCG distributors' body AICPDF said this unchecked expansion of quick commerce platforms, which typically deliver goods within 10 to 30 minutes, is creating an "uneven playing field", threatening the livelihoods of millions of small retailers and distributors who have been the backbone of India's retail sector for decades. The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) also suspected potential violations of FDI regulations by these quick-commerce companies and sought an immediate investigation into the operational models of these platforms. The rapid growth of quick commerce platforms like Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart has posed significant challenges to the traditional retail sector and the established fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) distribution ...

Low income groups and small cities drive e-commerce, says report

Flipkart has emerged as the most popular e-commerce platform among most income groups, while Amazon is on par with it in some classes

Govt proposes to set up e-commerce hubs to promote exports in PPP mode

The government on Tuesday announced setting up of hubs to promote exports through e-commerce medium in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that these hubs, under a seamless regulatory and logistic framework, will facilitate trade and export-related services under one roof. "To enable MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and traditional artisans to sell their products in international markets, e-commerce export hubs will be set up in PPP mode," she said. Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal has recently said that a regulatory framework to push the country's exports through e-commerce medium is expected to be ready by September. At present, India's exports through this medium are only about USD 5 billion compared to China's USD 300 billion, annually. There is a potential to take it to USD 50-100 billion in the coming years. Through these hubs, small producers will be facilitated to sell to aggregators and then that aggregator will find

JD.com among possible bidders for British parcel company Evri: Report

JD.com is through to the second stage of bidding after submitting a non-binding offer last month, the people said

India, US extend 2% digital tax on e-commerce supplies till June 30: FinMin

India and the US have decided to extend a 2 per cent equalisation levy or digital tax on e-commerce supplies until June 30, the finance ministry said on Friday. In a major reform of the international tax system, India and the US have joined 134 other members of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework (including Austria, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK) in reaching an agreement on October 8, 2021, on the statement on a two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy. On October 21, 2021, the US and Austria, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK reached a political compromise on the transitional approach to the unilateral measures in force while Pillar 1 is implemented. On November 24, 2021, India and the US agreed that the same terms that apply under the October 2021 Joint Statement shall apply between India and the US with respect to India's charge of 2 per cent equalisation levy on e-commerce supply of services and the US' trade action regardin

CCI to soon come out with changes to competition rules: Chairperson

Fair trade regulator CCI will shortly come out with changes to certain competition rules, including those related to green channel approvals for mergers and acquisitions. Speaking at a conference in the national capital, Competition Commission of India (CCI) Chairperson Ravneet Kaur on Friday said the regulator is focusing on advocacy efforts and capacity building. While mentioning about various activities being done by the CCI, she said, "We are going to shortly notify changes in competition rules". These include changes to rules pertaining to green channel approvals for mergers and acquisitions, and de minimas. De minimas relates to exemption thresholds for mergers and acquisitions that need clearance from the CCI. As part of boosting efforts to curb unfair business practices in the marketplace, amendments have also been made to the competition law. Kaur flagged dark patterns in the e-commerce space and algorithmic collusion. There are dark patterns and how they can influence

Allcargo Logistics arm partners with ShipBob for freight services

ECU Worldwide, a wholly-owned global subsidiary of Allcargo Logistics, on Thursday said it has partnered with ShipBob to offer its ocean and air freight services to the latter's receiving hubs and fulfilment centres in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. Under the collaboration, ECU Worldwide will become an integral part of FreightBob, an end-to-end managed freight and inventory distribution programme of ShipBob, through its network across over 180 countries, more than 2,400 direct trade lanes and door-to-door deliveries, Allcargo Logistics said. This would help ShipBob manage its e-commerce inventory for their merchants in over 50 markets, as a part of ECU Worldwide LCL (less-than-container load) offering, it stated. "Our new-age tech-driven booking platform ECU360 has redefined the global supply chain efficiency with convenient features, continued product innovation and a worldwide network. The association with ShipBob will help us further deepen our delivery capabilities acros

Struggling with fake reviews on e-com websites? Govt planning regulations

In a meeting held on May 15, the Consumer Affairs Department noted that the presence of fake reviews on e-commerce platforms jeopardises the trustworthiness and credibility of shopping platforms

E-commerce cos back govt proposal to make anti-fake review rules mandatory

Major e-commerce companies in India on Wednesday backed the government's proposal to make mandatory compliance with quality norms for consumer reviews, the consumer affairs department said on Wednesday. At a meeting held here, representatives from Amazon, Flipkart, Google and Meta, among others, endorsed the proposed quality control order to implement the IS 19000:2022 standard on 'online consumer reviews', according to the department. There was a consensus that the order is important to protect consumer interests from misleading reviews on shopping websites and apps, it said, adding that the draft order will be put up for public consultation. "The discussion on moving towards a Quality Control Order for IS 19000:2022 was welcomed by stakeholders and there was a general consensus among all stakeholders that the issue of fake reviews is important to protect consumer interest while shopping online, and requires to be closely monitored," the department said in a statement. Chairing th

Govt plans to make anti-fake review rules mandatory for e-commerce firms

The government is considering to make it mandatory for e-commerce companies to comply with quality norms for consumer reviews after a voluntary push failed to effectively curb fake reviews, a top official said on Monday. The government issued the new quality norms for e-tailers a year ago, prohibiting them from publishing paid reviews and demanding disclosure of such promotional content. But fake reviews of products and services on e-commerce platforms are still slipping through, said Nidhi Khare, Secretary at the Consumer Affairs Ministry. "It's been more than one year that the voluntary standard on 'online reviews' was notified. Some entities claim that they are complying with it. However, fake reviews are still getting published," Khare told PTI. "To safeguard the consumer interest, now we want to make these standards mandatory," she said, adding that the ministry has scheduled a meeting with e-commerce firms and consumer organisations on May 15 to discuss the proposed move. Th

Beware of parcel fraud: Suspect a scam call? Disengage immediately

Verify the call's authenticity; resist pressure to pay up or share sensitive information

Flipkart bets big on generative AI to improve customer, seller experience

Datar believes that, as the company builds scale, it will be able to improve on the returns on investment (ROI) it is witnessing from its AI bets

Govt, RBI in talks to ease Fema guidelines for boosting e-commerce exports

Efforts on to ease FEMA norms, says DGFT Sarangi