It's traders vs Amazon, Flipkart over online prices & a level-playing field

As traders prepare to hold a nationwide agitation against Amazon and Flipkart this week, the government weighs its options

Online and offline retailers in India have been at loggerheads with each other for long. But the chasm appears to have widened in recent months, as the consumer slowdown gets worse and purchase baskets shrink.

Market research agency Nielsen has lowered its growth forecast for the consumer market in the October-December period to low-single digits from mid-single digits in July-September, saying sentiment remains weak.

Traditional traders, especially, small retailers, corroborate the view, saying deep discounting, online-only launches by manufacturers and a growing preference for e-commerce in the value chain has further vitiated the atmosphere, resulting in a sharp decline in