Page 2 - E-commerce Rules

CCI to soon come out with changes to competition rules: Chairperson

Fair trade regulator CCI will shortly come out with changes to certain competition rules, including those related to green channel approvals for mergers and acquisitions. Speaking at a conference in the national capital, Competition Commission of India (CCI) Chairperson Ravneet Kaur on Friday said the regulator is focusing on advocacy efforts and capacity building. While mentioning about various activities being done by the CCI, she said, "We are going to shortly notify changes in competition rules". These include changes to rules pertaining to green channel approvals for mergers and acquisitions, and de minimas. De minimas relates to exemption thresholds for mergers and acquisitions that need clearance from the CCI. As part of boosting efforts to curb unfair business practices in the marketplace, amendments have also been made to the competition law. Kaur flagged dark patterns in the e-commerce space and algorithmic collusion. There are dark patterns and how they can influence

Allcargo Logistics arm partners with ShipBob for freight services

ECU Worldwide, a wholly-owned global subsidiary of Allcargo Logistics, on Thursday said it has partnered with ShipBob to offer its ocean and air freight services to the latter's receiving hubs and fulfilment centres in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. Under the collaboration, ECU Worldwide will become an integral part of FreightBob, an end-to-end managed freight and inventory distribution programme of ShipBob, through its network across over 180 countries, more than 2,400 direct trade lanes and door-to-door deliveries, Allcargo Logistics said. This would help ShipBob manage its e-commerce inventory for their merchants in over 50 markets, as a part of ECU Worldwide LCL (less-than-container load) offering, it stated. "Our new-age tech-driven booking platform ECU360 has redefined the global supply chain efficiency with convenient features, continued product innovation and a worldwide network. The association with ShipBob will help us further deepen our delivery capabilities acros

Struggling with fake reviews on e-com websites? Govt planning regulations

In a meeting held on May 15, the Consumer Affairs Department noted that the presence of fake reviews on e-commerce platforms jeopardises the trustworthiness and credibility of shopping platforms

E-commerce cos back govt proposal to make anti-fake review rules mandatory

Major e-commerce companies in India on Wednesday backed the government's proposal to make mandatory compliance with quality norms for consumer reviews, the consumer affairs department said on Wednesday. At a meeting held here, representatives from Amazon, Flipkart, Google and Meta, among others, endorsed the proposed quality control order to implement the IS 19000:2022 standard on 'online consumer reviews', according to the department. There was a consensus that the order is important to protect consumer interests from misleading reviews on shopping websites and apps, it said, adding that the draft order will be put up for public consultation. "The discussion on moving towards a Quality Control Order for IS 19000:2022 was welcomed by stakeholders and there was a general consensus among all stakeholders that the issue of fake reviews is important to protect consumer interest while shopping online, and requires to be closely monitored," the department said in a statement. Chairing th

Govt plans to make anti-fake review rules mandatory for e-commerce firms

The government is considering to make it mandatory for e-commerce companies to comply with quality norms for consumer reviews after a voluntary push failed to effectively curb fake reviews, a top official said on Monday. The government issued the new quality norms for e-tailers a year ago, prohibiting them from publishing paid reviews and demanding disclosure of such promotional content. But fake reviews of products and services on e-commerce platforms are still slipping through, said Nidhi Khare, Secretary at the Consumer Affairs Ministry. "It's been more than one year that the voluntary standard on 'online reviews' was notified. Some entities claim that they are complying with it. However, fake reviews are still getting published," Khare told PTI. "To safeguard the consumer interest, now we want to make these standards mandatory," she said, adding that the ministry has scheduled a meeting with e-commerce firms and consumer organisations on May 15 to discuss the proposed move. Th

Beware of parcel fraud: Suspect a scam call? Disengage immediately

Verify the call's authenticity; resist pressure to pay up or share sensitive information

Flipkart bets big on generative AI to improve customer, seller experience

Datar believes that, as the company builds scale, it will be able to improve on the returns on investment (ROI) it is witnessing from its AI bets

Govt, RBI in talks to ease Fema guidelines for boosting e-commerce exports

Efforts on to ease FEMA norms, says DGFT Sarangi

WTO agrees to extend moratorium on e-commerce tariffs for two years

The WTO talks failed to secure deals on other contentious trade issues including a crackdown on agriculture and fisheries subsidies

Alibaba approves additional $25 bn share buyback as revenue disappoints

Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding on Wednesday approved an additional USD 25 billion authorisation to its share buyback programme, after reporting lower-than-expected sales revenue for the last quarter of 2023. The company's Hong Kong-traded shares plunged 6.8 per cent on Thursday. Alibaba's New York-listed stock price sank 5.9 per cent on Wednesday and has fallen nearly 26 per cent over the past year. Alibaba posted a 5 per cent increase in sales to 260.3 billion yuan (USD 36.67 billion) in the quarter that ended in December, slightly missing analysts' estimates. Net income sank to 14.4 billion yuan (USD 2 billion), down 77 per cent compared to a year earlier. The Hangzhou, China-based firm attributed the drastic decrease to declining values of its equity investments and falling revenues. Alibaba has struggled to sustain its growth and faces increasing competition in the e-commerce sector from rivals such as Pinduoduo and ByteDance, which operates TikTok and Douyin. On

EESL launches Beta version of e-commerce platform for affordable solutions

State-owned EESL on Monday announced the launch of the Beta version of its e-commerce platform that will offer affordable energy-efficient appliances and solutions to customers. The platform, eeslmart.in, lists energy-efficient appliances such as LED bulbs, inverter LED lamps and fans, at present. "EESL plans to expand its offerings to include 5-star bulbs and other luminaires, super-efficient ACs, energy-efficient motors, e-bicycles, and induction cookstoves etc," Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) said in a statement. EESL Chief Executive Officer Vishal Kapoor said the objective is to enable the people to make sustainable choices and bridging the information gap on energy-efficient products and services. EESL is a joint venture of public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Power.

Commerce ministry-promoted ONDC operational in over 500 cities, towns

The government-promoted Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is at present operational in over 500 cities and towns across India, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. ONDC is an initiative of the Commerce and Industry Ministry to create a facilitative model to help small retailers take advantage of digital commerce. It is not an application, platform, intermediary or software but a set of specifications designed to foster open, unbundled, and interoperable open networks. "ONDC is currently operational in more than 500 cities and towns across India," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. All existing laws and regulations of India, related to e-commerce, are applicable to ONDC and the network participants on the ONDC network. Replying to a separate question, he said to safeguard consumers from unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the Department of Consumer Affairs has also notified the Consumer Protection (E-commerce)

BFSI, telecom, e-commerce most coveted sectors by women in 2023: Report

BFSI, Telecom and e-commerce were the most sought after sectors by women jobseekers this year, with most looking for work from home opportunities, according to a report released on Wednesday. The report by revealed that the women seeking jobs showed a balanced approach between flexibility and career dedication, as 50 per cent (1.2 crore) of total job applications from women job seekers sought wfh opportunities, the report by apna.co said. The report is based on an analysis of job searches by women on apna.co platform in 2023. As per the report, this year, sectors like Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), telecom, and e-commerce witnessed a remarkable surge in demand among women jobseekers. The report revealed that 18 lakh women embraced night shift roles, showcasing their willingness to tackle challenges with utmost dedication. Of the 1.38 crore women on apna's platform, 6.7 million hail from tier-II cities, seeing a 33 per cent growth compared to the previous year.

Wide stakeholder consultations needed to frame national e-comm policy: Govt

E-commerce is an emerging and dynamic sector and wide stakeholder consultations are required for formulation of a national policy on the sector, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that a draft e-commerce policy was placed in public domain on February 23, 2019 for public consultations. "Suggestions have been received from various stakeholders. Since e-commerce is an emerging and dynamic sector, wide stakeholder consultations are required for formulation of National e-Commerce Policy," he said. The minister added that the government has implemented several legislative and policy measures for streamlining and regulating e-commerce industry in the country. Some of these measures are FDI policy; Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999; Consumer Protection Act, 2019; Competition Act, 2002; and Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. "Provisions of the Competition Act are applicable in res

Start warranty period from date of installation: Govt to white goods firms

In a letter to industry and retail associations and manufacturers of white goods, Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary to the government, has advised them to revise the policy of warranty

Regret Indonesia's decision to ban e-commerce sales on social media: TikTok

Chinese-owned app TikTok on Thursday said it regretted the Indonesian government's decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms, particularly the impact it would have on the millions of sellers who use TikTok Shop. But TikTok Indonesia said in a statement they will respect the regulations and laws that apply in Indonesia and will take a constructive path forward. We deeply regret the government's announcement, especially how it will impact the livelihoods of the six million sellers and nearly seven million affiliate creators who use TikTok Shop, said the statement sent to The Associated Press on Thursday. Indonesia banned goods transactions on social media platforms such as TikTok in a bid to protect small businesses from e-commerce competition, accusing them of predatory pricing. Indonesia's Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan on Monday announced the decision after a meeting with President Joko Widodo. The ban is to prevent the domination of the algorithm and preven

Final draft of e-commerce policy skips consumer data protection regulations

The earlier draft of the policy which was released in 2019 talked extensively about the ways in which e-commerce companies could collect user data

'No proposition for independent regulator in proposed e-commerce policy'

In that meeting, a broad level of consensus emerged among the concerned stakeholders on the proposed policy

Empowering MSMEs for export success

Through reforms and e-commerce innovation, India must supercharge its MSMEs

Former CEO of China's Alibaba quits cloud business in leadership reshuffle

The former CEO of Alibaba, Daniel Zhang, resigned as head of its cloud computing unit Monday in a surprise move as the Chinese e-commerce empire wraps up a leadership reshuffle. Alibaba said it will invest USD 1 billion in a technology fund Zhang will establish to support the firm's strategies for future growth. Zhang stepped down on the same day he gave up his roles as Alibaba's CEO and chairman. In a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange, Alibaba said that Eddie Wu, its new CEO, will also head its cloud unit. Wu and Alibaba's new chairman Joseph Tsai assumed their new roles by Monday, with Alibaba saying it has completed its leadership transition. Alibaba expressed its deepest appreciation to Zhang for his contributions to the company over the past 16 years. Alibaba's Hong Kong stock price was down 3.6 per cent Monday following the announcement. In an internal letter dated Sunday and viewed by the AP, Tsai wrote that Zhang had expressed his wish to transition away from his rol