Picture credits to Mr. Adil Zainulbhai
Indian ecommerce is getting bigger everyday. Making $30 billion in revenue is no joke! Rapid growth of the internet and the numbers using it for ecommerce have enabled the country to pull ahead of its Asian counterparts. The ecommerce industry is basically booming and everyone wants to be involved.
However, with great power comes responsibility. A responsibility the big players of ecommerce and the many low scale misbehavers refuse to recognise. Indian ecommerce is fairly new, that’s granted, but for how long can we keep saying that?
It’s time someone took action against the wrong doers and protected the best interests of the entire ecommerce community.
Initiative by AIOVA
The All India Online Vendor Association (AIOVA), has been working tirelessly towards the creation of a non-bias regulatory body for ecommerce. One that does not only looks into assisting online sellers but every individual that interacts with the ecommerce playing field.
In April, the association had a strength of 500 sellers, since then their numbers have multiplied. They now have 1000 online sellers on board and the need for a regulatory body has never been greater.
When IOS last spoke to AIOVA about their efforts to establish a regulatory body, the lobby group told us they were knocking on every door including the Central Government’s. Yesterday after multiple Twitter interactions with Jayant Sinha, the Minister of State for Finance, AIOVA was scheduled to meet with the minister.
AIOVA said they spoke with minister Jayant Sinha about the need for an online regulatory body in ecommerce and were requested to come forward with their demands after the Parliament session was over. After many more attempts the association finally secured a spot on Jayant Sinha’s agenda for 1 p.m. on Friday.
What was Discussed During the Meeting?
During their half hour meeting with the Minister of State for Finance, they discussed the challenges faced in online retail and ecommerce in general and the pressing need for a body to control and protect those participating in ecommerce. AIOVA informed the minister about the importance of including sellers in policy making and not just the policies from the marketplace, but from the government too! Holding marketplaces accountable for their actions and securing the interests of ecommerce stakeholders were also spoken of. The association also requested the marketplace executives be pulled up for unethical behavior through their platforms.
The agenda for the meeting
How did the Government Respond?
The Minister, Jayant Sinha, explained to the association the challenges of setting up a regulatory body that suits the ecommerce requirement. The fact that the ministry has more pressing matters to cater to at the moment has pushed the subject of ecommerce onto the back burner. However, the association was connected to the right committee and informed of the necessary measures required to move forward.
What’s the Next Step?
AIOVA said, “We are not here for publicity, this was just the first of many meetings with the government. Setting up a regulatory body is a long process with many requirements and now we know what the next step is to continue forward. The minister has requested us to put together numbers and figures that the concerned committee can look into.”
The association also said this is progress in their endeavors and a sort of hope for better things to come.
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