26th September 2022, Kathmandu
The business of e-commerce sites has also slowed down during this year’s Dashain. Markets and shops have not seen a large number of customers yet. While the shopkeepers are disappointed, the online shopping sites have also said that the business is not like in the past.
Sagardev Bhatt, the coordinator of the common form of e-commerce sites, says that although there is some increase in business after Dashain, the business is not as enthusiastic as in the past. “The prices have increased, there is a shortage of some goods”, he said. He has experienced that this year, consumers also cannot spend a lot.
According to Bhatt, online shopping is very easy during Dashain. He claims that online has made the lifestyle of many customers easier by saying that it is not easy to go to crowded shops and choose the goods.
Online shopping saves time and frees you from visiting shops in the market. However, the lack of investable capital seen in the banking sector, the rising inflation rate, and the declining purchasing power of consumers have reduced the attractiveness of consumers in the online market as well.
However, not everyone’s online shopping experience is pleasant. Many shopping sites in the market have their style and characteristics. Some shopping sites have average service and some are very irresponsible. Some sites are also very sensitive about customer satisfaction.
Sometimes customers are disappointed because the goods do not arrive as expected and sometimes they became a victim due to late delivery.
Buying goods from most established shopping sites in Nepal does not have many problems, but people who buy goods relying on advertisements and posts on social media including Facebook are more likely to be cheated.
Traders say that it is easy to choose and order goods online, but those who do not know how to find the right product face problems.
There are hundreds of products from hundreds of brands online, but it is not easy for customers to decide which product is best according to their budget and needs. Nepali consumers are not used to choosing a reliable website when buying goods, looking at the feedback and ratings given by those who have already bought the goods and sellers. Due to this reason many consumers have to face harassment in online shopping.
As technology is making people’s lives easier, online shopping sites are helping to save the time of going to the market for shopping. The hassle of running from shop to shop is also gone.
It has become a situation that most of the goods available in the market arrive at the door when ordering from a palm-sized mobile phone. Many customers are also attracted to it because they do not have to go to crowded places to buy what they need. From milk to yogurt, vegetables, and groceries to prepared foods, you can buy them online. From medicines, and utensils to clothes, online orders arrive at the doorsteps.
Shopping sites running through social networks to websites are not all providing the same service. After seeing a good future, world-class companies like Alibaba, Snapdeal, etc. are investing in Nepal’s online market and providing services in Nepal.
There is no difficulty in paying cash in such transactions. It is also possible to pay money online. It is changing the practice of bargaining by going to the market. Among the materials displayed online, the experience of those who order is also different.
Some people do not consider online shopping as reliable, while others consider it easier and more reliable than the physical market. In recent years, customers have started flocking to online because shopping is easy.
According to Bhatt, the coordinator of the common form of e-commerce sites, during the festival, some shopping sites are also giving various types of attractive offers to sell their products. Customers complain that they have to buy poor quality and expired materials after being tempted by the offer.
According to him, there have been some distortions in the online market recently due to people selling goods by advertising on social media and starting online businesses without a plan. There is also a risk that some online sellers will make the customer’s first online shopping experience rough, and the trust in e-commerce will be questioned. Its impact is on the established shopping sites that are increasing the number of customers.
The materials put up for sale online are put up attractively. The actual color of some materials and the color shown in the photo are different. When ordering goods based on the color and texture seen in the photo, the actual color and quality are different. Buyers complain that in online shopping there is a possibility of a material change, and some materials are broken.
Some shopping sites are also giving various types of attractive offers to sell their items. There are complaints that when you buy material after being lured by the offer, you get poor quality and expired material. When trying to return such materials, online shopping sites refuse to return or base their conditions on them. They say that even if it is done according to the conditions, it will be returned or exchanged later.
Some online shopping sites have become a means of cheating as they are run without registration. It has been a long time since the government did its homework to make a separate law to regulate the online market as the problem became more visible. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supply has prepared a draft bill to legally legitimize such businesses that are outside the scope of regulation.
In the proposed draft, there is a provision in the online business where the customer can return the item if it is not delivered as desired. In addition, if the product is broken or not repaired as seen by the customer on the electronic platform, the product will be returned or exchanged and the payment will have to be refunded.
In the draft of the bill, it is said that the businesses that were operating before the implementation of the law should be registered within one year and in the department specified by the new business law, and the website and business should be done through a secure electronic system.
It is mentioned in the draft that doing electronic business online without registration will be considered a crime and the case will be tried through the district court.
However, as the government has not made a law to regulate online shopping, the distortions in this sector are increasing. “Online business through social media has brought more problems,” says Bhatt, “Government should make policies and rules keeping this in mind.”
