Department of Consumers Affairs cannot intervene in cases of arbitrary pricing by e-commerce players. However, the amendments on anvil in the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, will make it a stronger instrument of consumer advocacy, said G Gurucharan, Additional Secretary, Union Department of Consumer Affairs.
Gurucharan, speaking after releasing the second edition of ‘The Aware Consumer Quarterly Report’ in Bangalore, said, “In e-commerce channel, the government does not have the means by which it can determine the price or dictate the price. This will not be a market function, but an applied function.”
“What consumers can do to safeguard their interests is to know their rights under the current laws that are applicable to e-commerce too. All e-commerce players must follow the law of the land and comply with regulations set down,” he added.
Later, chairing a panel discussion on ‘Why the Aware Consumer,’ he hailed e-commerce as ‘the next big transformative force in the marketplace’.
Emphasising the disruptive nature of e-commerce, he said, “Increasingly, we will find that more and more trade and business consumption is done through the electronic medium. It will not only be for goods, but also for services. It should be welcomed and we must try and help it grow.”
The Aware Consumer Quarterly Report focuses on consumer awareness in the changing market dynamics with the proliferation of disruptive emerging channels of distribution like e-commerce and direct selling.
The first issue of ‘The Aware Consumer’ focused on the direct selling sector, the theme of the second edition is the booming e-commerce industry in India.
The nascent e-commerce space in the country has emerged among the hottest investment destinations for global players, even as domestic start-ups are racing to keep up their lead.
P Ravi Kumar, Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary Consumer Affairs and Energy Department, said, “This is a timely intervention on behalf of the consumers, industry and the government. Such unbiased reports can be trusted to show us the requirements of each sector and respond to it.”