Ahead of the easing of restrictions on ecommerce platforms and shopping websites on April 20, Amazon India is now accepting preorders for certain mobile phones, books, other gadgets and accessories or products, that you may be longing to buy. However, this is still available on a limited number of products listed on Amazon, though we expect this preorder net to widen as the day goes by. At this time, for example, we can preorder a OnePlus 7 smartphone or some Xiaomi phones at certain pincodes in the country but cannot still order a split AC or an Apple iPhone 11, for instance. It is expected that tomorrow, April 20, is when ecommerce companies will be able to put up most products on sale after a gap of a few weeks as India remains under lockdown.
The new guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India come into effect on April 20, which allows additional activities subject to operationalization by the states and union territories. This is an attempt to soften the blow on the economy and allow consumers the freedom to be able to shop without having to step out of their homes. The new guidelines state that all goods traffic will be allowed by ply across the country, except the demarcated containment zones, hotspots or red zones where the spread of infection or the risk, is high. This includes operations of railways for transportation of goods and parcels, operations at airports and land ports for cargo movement as well as movement of trucks and commercial vehicles for pick-up and delivery of goods. The new guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs say that “vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions” and courier services will also be allowed to operate.
Essential goods remains in focus, and the government clarifies that “all facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure.”
The new guidelines come as a relief for multiple links in the chain, even as the lockdown in India has been extended to May 3, in an effort to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. It is expected that with the new relaxed guidelines in place, shopping websites and ecommerce platforms will be able to deliver and fulfill customer orders now. In the early days of the first phase of the lockdown, there were reports that ecommerce companies and their delivery personnel were often restricted from moving around, which hampered services and delivery of essentials to customers.
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