E-commerce firms hit hard as govt scraps permission for non-essentials

BENGALURU/NEW DELHI : E-commerce companies faced a rude shock on Sunday when the Union home ministry revoked permission to sell non-essential goods from 20 April.

Most e-commerce firms which were gearing up to list non-essential products on their platforms have started re-focussing on essential goods and services, as in the first lockdown.

According to industry estimates, during the lockdown, sales of larger ecommerce platforms have been down by almost 90%. This is because a large part of their gross merchandise value (GMV) continues to be focused on smart phones, consumer electronics, apparel and large appliances.