Standards Body BIS To Engage Stakeholders To Self-Regulate Ecommerce

Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) will work with ecommerce stakeholders to establish standards for self-regulation of the space, said the standards body’s deputy director Parul Gupta. 

Addressing the sixth edition of the Internet Commerce Summit in Bengaluru, Gupta said, “Standardisation would allow parties to transact any qualified commodities and services at any location and time.”

Touting the recently instituted framework for ecommerce reviews, Gupta said that the norms were part of the government’s efforts to curb fake reviews. 

He further reiterated that the objective of the new framework is to monitor solicited and unsolicited views of manufacturers about their own products. 

The new standard which came into effect on November 25 mandates a host of responsibilities for authors and administrators of reviews on online platforms. In addition, the ecommerce platforms are also required under the new norms to develop a code of practice to curb fake reviews and address privacy concerns. 

The BIS’ bid to engage with stakeholders comes at a time when the ecommerce sector has been under considerable scrutiny owing to deceptive reviews on these platforms. Despite the steady adoption of ecommerce and a rise in review-led purchase decisions, many of these platforms have failed to crack the whip on such unsolicited and solicited reviews. 

This has led to many users buying spurious items which do not conform to set standards and norms. Many times, it has also emerged that some sellers resort to publishing paid and negative reviews against their competitors to offset their sales.

Despite this, the Indian ecommerce space continues to grow manifold and has seen massive adoption across the country. Led largely by pandemic-induced growth and a rise in disposable income, ecommerce platforms have gained massive ground among Indian consumers.

Speaking at the event, partner at Bain & Company’s consumer goods and retail segment, Anurag Mathur, said this ecommerce growth would be fueled by fashion, grocery and general merchandise. 

Echoing the sentiment, Vice-President of Amazon India’s consumer business, Manish Tiwary, said that India has emerged as the ‘second major digital adapter among digital economies globally.’

“Though ecommerce is at nascent 3-4% of India’s total retail sector, it is playing a vital role in the D2C revolution with digital first brands doing well and the shopping experience becoming highly personalised,” added Tiwary.

The Indian ecommerce arena is led by homegrown Walmart-backed Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho, among others. 

Even as inflationary pressures and rising costs weigh down the platforms, the ecommerce space in India is expected to grow to $400 Bn by 2030.