Traders bear brunt of rising online sales

VISAKHAPATNAM: As online shopping gains currency in Vizag city, local traders are feeling the pinch of falling sales this festive season. With Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali having concluded, shopkeepers rue that their businesses have seen a steady drop as an increasing number of Vizagites prefer to make purchases online.
“Online shopping is not an old phenomenon in Visakhapatnam.In the last few years, a host of online shopping sites have extended their services to the city. It took some time to win the trust of people and this year we have started feeling the pinch,” said S Sarath, a city-based businessman.
As the number of products available on these websites and mobile applications increase, Vizagites have started to show a preference for online aggregators over brick-and-mortar stores. Further, products available online offer discounts of 10 per cent or more as well as the convenience of cash on delivery and free exchange services.
Fifty-one-year-old N Narayani, a resident of Sagarnagar, said, “ I was so impressed with the services of an online retailer that I bought most Diwali gifts through the app. Who would brave the traffic snarl to reach the commercial locality?”
Near Jagadamma market, SJ Rao, a shopkeeper, pointed out, “We can reduce the selling price of products. But how can we deal with civic and traffic-related issues?”
Meanwhile, consumer bodies in the state are promoting awareness of the pros and cons of shopping online. “First, if the sale of online market products is on the rise, then prices would become more competitive. Second, the Consumer Act of 2019 is more consumer-friendly compared to the Consumer Act of 1986. Aggregators can’t take the risk of selling forged or low quality products,” said Vikas Pandey, state president of the Andhra Pradesh Consumer Rights Organisation.