81% people support consumer e-commerce rules: LocalCircles Survey

A survey conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, has found that 81% people support consumer e-commerce rules. LocalCircles had conducted a survey to ask consumers across India about various e-commerce transactions that must be governed by the amended e-commerce Consumer Protection rules. The survey received more than 16,000 responses from consumers residing across 356 districts of India.

The survey established that 81% consumers want sales of products and services over electronic or digital network to be governed by a set of electronic commerce rules. LocalCircles asked consumers about what sectors of e-commerce should be regulated under these rules. 7% said e-commerce marketplace and e-commerce inventory models, while 3% said e-pharmacies, e-groceries and all such sectoral products sales over the internet, and 14% said electronically sold services like app-based food delivery, app taxis etc.

Breaking down the poll, 7% voted for the first and second options that should be governed by electronic commerce rules, 4% voted for 1 and 3, and 5% said 2 and 3. The majority, that is 41% of consumers voted for all 1, 2 and 3. Moreover, 10% of the consumers who said that “none of the above should be regulated”, while 9% did not have an opinion. On an aggregate basis, 81% of consumers want sales of products and services over electronic or digital network to be governed by a set of electronic commerce rules.

The survey also found that 64% of the consumers want e-commerce rules to be implemented for all electronically sold services like app-based food delivery, app taxis, home repair, salon, airline & railway ticketing, OTT subscription, payments etc. 59% want it to be implemented for e-commerce marketplaces and e-commerce inventory models, and 56% want it for vertical platforms like e-pharmacies.

Furthermore, consumers also discussed how effective and in advance display of information about e-commerce services like Uber, Ola app taxis, that is, taxi vendors, drivers, vehicle condition, license validity, PUC clearance of vehicle etc will enable them to make informed decisions. Similarly, consumers discussed app-based hotel e-commerce services like Oyo, AirBNB etc. and how advanced information about the property, owner, incidents and crime at location, fire and building safety clearances etc. will be useful information for them to make informed decisions.

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Various online platforms like Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon were also subject of discussions on how consumers are challenged at times in reaching out to the sellers in regard to counterfeit or fake products and the need of a mechanism where access to such sellers must be enabled by the marketplaces in a seamless manner. Consumers raised the issue of certain sellers selling counterfeit and poorly rated by consumers are able to again list the same product easily as new and sell again. They also brought to the fore marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace not complying with any legal metrology rules and permitting products and services sales over the internet.