Lockdown relaxation: E-commerce firms see demand for non-essentials rise manifold

Consumer demand for non-essential products with e-commerce firms has increased manifold after the government last Friday lifted the ban on sale of such products by e-tailers. Anil Goteti, senior vice-president at Flipkart, told FE that the firm is seeing an increase in searches for products such as laptops, consumer electronics, mobiles, air-conditioners, coolers and T-shirts. “We are working with lakhs of sellers and MSMEs across India and helping them prepare their businesses to make products available for consumers,” Goteti said.

Online services marketplace Urban Company (formerly UrbanClap) said home services (cleaning, maintenance and repair facilities) accounted for nearly 60% of the orders while beauty services (for both men and women) made up the remainder. To cater to the surge in demand, Urban Company is hiring professionals for men’s haircut and grooming. Problems related to getting passes and requisite permissions for movement, nonetheless, persist, the firm said.