E-commerce Giants Spark Controversy with Festive Sales Amid Small Retailers' Outcry

Big e-commerce players Amazon and Flipkart face backlash from retail trade bodies over deep discounts during their largest annual sales events. Trade groups accuse these practices of harming small businesses and seek government intervention, while e-commerce giants defend their strategies.

By Nikhil Dedha Amid protests by retail trade bodies over deep discounts by e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart, major online platforms have announced their most significant sales of the year.

Trade bodies argue these discounts are unethical and have called on the government to take action. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) accuses the e-commerce companies of disrupting India's retail trade ecosystem. 'These discounts aim to attract consumers, but they blatantly violate fair trade and pricing rules. Such excessive discounting distorts market competition and creates an uneven playing field, particularly harming smaller retailers and businesses that can't compete,' said B.C. Bhartia, CAIT National President.

In response, e-commerce giants are ramping up marketing campaigns and offering substantial price cuts to draw in customers. Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President of Categories at Amazon India, shared the company's excitement in an exclusive conversation with ANI, saying, 'We are thrilled about the upcoming Amazon Great Indian Festival. Last year was our biggest ever, and this year's event will surpass it. We have 16 lakh sellers ready with unprecedented offers across electronics, mobile, fashion, health, beauty, and grocery.'

Despite customer anticipation, small trade bodies are concerned that aggressive pricing harms traditional small businesses. Small traders claim that the deep discounts make it difficult for them to compete, lacking the resources to match the large online retailers' offers.

They argue that while large e-commerce companies benefit from massive sales, small retailers struggle to maintain their market presence, especially during the festive season when their business would traditionally thrive. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)