Covid-19: E-commerce firms in a fix over definition of essential goods

Bigbasket sent out a message to customers that deliveries could not be processed because of restrictions imposed by local authorities on movement of goods

While delivery of essential items by e-commerce firms was exempted from the 21-day coronavirus (COVID-19)-induced lockdown called by the prime minister on Tuesday, online retailers are struggling with the distinction between essential and non-essential goods.

This caused them to face challenges on Wednesday, with many facing forced lockdown of warehouses and restrictions on deliveries, leading to a temporary shutdown of operations.

Paytm Mall told Business Standard that it was unclear whether clothing or home items qualified as essentials. Srinivas Mothey, senior vice-president of Paytm Mall, said that they had prioritised items like masks, sanitizers, ayurvedic supplements, immunity boosters, electronics and home items.