Bhopal: Indian Sellers Collective, the non-government trade association in state, staged protest near Govindpura Industrial area here on Tuesday and burnt the effigies of multinational companies (MNCs) spreading in the country.
They have launched a nationwide campaign, Bharat Chhodo Morcha, against unethical business practices of MNC e-commerce brands.
The retailers’ body urged government and consumers to shun MNC online sellers’ products and embrace Indian sellers’ products to benefit small traders this festive season.
MNC e-commerce players track bestselling products on their platforms. These online marketplaces then copy their design to launch private brands with similar features and at a competitive price. Additionally, they run a systematic campaign to manipulate search results to divert sales of bestselling products on its platform to its own product lines. As a result, no seller grows by doing business with MNC e-commerce platforms.
Delivering the keynote speech at national webinar, national co-convener of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch Ashwani Mahajansaid, “MNC foreign e-commerce companies indulge in illegal business practices in India. These firms are blatantly flouting rules through front companies like Appario Retail that indulge in predatory pricing and discounting thereby destroying the business of offline retailers and small sellers.”
“We, at Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, hope that Boycott Amazon along with the Bharat Chodo campaign will prompt consumers and government to reject products of FDI e-commerce companies and bring smiles back on faces of Indian sellers,” he added.
Devender Aggarwal, the president of FMCG Distributors and Traders Association, said, “Foreign e-commerce retailers have taken sheen off the Dhanteras for small retailers. Small traders faced challenging business environments and depleted sales amidst Covid pandemic. We appeal to consumers and government to reject products of MNC e-commerce companies this festive season and buy only from local sellers.”
