Lockdown 4.0: Flipkart, Amazon Resume Sale of Non-Essential Goods

E-commerce platforms have resumed businesses and sale of non-essential items.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Lockdown 4.0 has come as a respite for e-commerce platforms and other businesses in India as the Indian government has allowed the sale and delivery of non-essential goods in the country including in Red Zones.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued fresh guidelines on services resuming in all three zones in the fourth phase of lockdown.

This means that electronic items, sporting goods, household furniture, etc can now be ordered on e-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal.

Until now, e-commerce platforms were only allowed to deliver essential goods in Red Zones, but now they will be able to deliver other items as well.

This move by the MHA has been welcomed by multiple aggregators as they will now be able to resume business which has been shut for a long time.

“Amazon welcomes the latest notification from Government of India as it enables e-commerce to deliver a wider selection of products while upholding the tenets of safety and social distancing. This will give a fillip to the 6 lakh retailers and MSMEs on our marketplace and help revive economic activity more broadly. We are humbled by the opportunity to be an extended partner to the Government as it balances saving lives alongside creating livelihood. We remain committed as always to ensuring the safety of our customers and our employees while creating business and employment opportunity.”

Amazon Spokerperson

“We welcome the guidelines announced by the MHA, which pave the way for a broader resumption of economic activities across most parts of India. E-Commerce has played a crucial role in the last two months by delivering a range of much-needed goods to consumers – within the safety of their homes. Our sellers and delivery partners have worked extensively to meet these requirements while exercising strict safety measures and we applaud their commitment in rising to the occasion.”

Snapdeal spokesperson

Amazon and Flipkart are not accepting orders for non-essential goods in Delhi-NCR as the guidelines suggest that the states will take the final call on whether to let deliveries start in their respective cities.

This move is sure to be a major boost for non-essential items manufacturers who have not been able to sell any goods in the market post the lockdown that started on 24 March.