Some argue that e-commerce Amazon & Flipkart effect has ill-fated the retail store industry to a slow death. Others argue that still a lot of retailing opportunity will be there for road side retail shops. The question is, who is right? As the world is fast changing its activities, we don’t know what is going to be right or wrong and its necessary that we get ready with all the skills.
The recent step of the government, giving permission for e-commerce sellers to sell essential products was a shock to all the local dealers of the country. Anyways, with the efforts FAIITA as well as other associations in the country the decision was rolled back. Looking to this and more important the factor of strict “SOCIAL DISTANCING” norms by the government present and post lockdown, FAIITA is trying to take immediate bold step further to create individual e-commerce websites so that customers can get door delivery. Still there is lot of fear among the customers to visit the retail stores inspite of Governments decision to open in certain areas depending upon the zones. In future the owners of retail store has to get prepared with parallel expertise to sell on their own e-commerce platform, thereby competing with the sellers on Amazon and Flipkart.
“FAIITA is negotiating with various e-commerce builders and finding the best deal for the members to create B2C platforms. The first criteria is to find a reliable e-commerce builder where the data is safe and also the service is proper. Once we get the best quote, we will try to give the proposal to the members so that they understand things clearly and in case of doubts it can be cleared.
Interested members will have to connect with the FAIITA regional team by submitting the basic information. After completing the formalities, e-commerce store will be opened and training for the same can be given to the partner by the vendor directly. We also have a future plan to migrate these stores to FAIITA B2C platform once things go well, Said, Kaushik Pandya, President, FAIITA.
In our global, digital-first society, online selling has become a must for many small businesses as they look to keep pace with increased competition and changing consumer preferences. Thanks to the internet, small businesses can sell beyond their physical stores through e-commerce websites, marketplaces, social media, and more. While each channel has its advantages and disadvantages, the ease of use and massive customer reach of marketplaces has made them an ideal channel for small businesses looking to expand their customer base online, Said, Navin Gupta, Secretary, FAIITA.
In this COVID situation, the best solution is opening a web store for every partner. So, FAIITA wants to negotiate and provide a readymade product which will be placed before the members for their benefit. As FAIITA has set up a strong agenda to reach the last mile and thoughtfully working on those lines there is an opportunity for the district and state federations who are not registered with us to join as members and take benefit of it. commented, Deepak Bommisetty, Vice President (South), FAIITA.