E-commerce

Flipkart Takes Action Against Supplier, Employee Over Fraud

Published

1 year ago

October 5, 2023

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Flipkart Has Filed A Criminal Complaint Against One Of Its Biggest Suppliers Over Delivery Of Substandard Product

Indian ecommerce company, Flipkart has filed a criminal complaint against one its employee and one of its major suppliers, MRPL, over allegations of cheating, fraud, forgery, and breach of trust, ET tech reported.

According to the complaint, Flipkart had entered into a contract with Ahmedabad-based supplier MacroWagon Retail (MRPL) and its director to import and supply certain genuine products including Skechers shoes, which were to be sold by Flipkart India to sellers on its platform.

Flipkart, through a third-party forensic audit, found out that MRPL along with the Flipkart employee, designated to liaise with MRPL, indulged in the act of importing sub-standard products at a lower price while continuing to charge it at the rate agreed upon for genuine goods, the report said, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

As per the report, the fraud also extended to other expenses incurred like excise, customs, and taxes, which were paid by Flipkart. Further, the Flipkart employee had also allegedly falsified bills, invoices and other accounting documents to conceal the fraud.

Flipkart, MRPL and Skechers were not available for comment while the employee against whom the complaint has been filed could not be reached out for comment.

This development traces its beginning to last year when reports of counterfeit products being sold on ecommerce platforms first surfaced when Skechers, with the help of court-appointed local commissioners, raided seven warehouses of the sellers in Delhi and Ahmedabad and discovered more than 15,000 pairs of fake Skechers shoes. Following this, the company filed cases against Flipkart and four of its sellers in the Delhi High Court.

Incidentally, the list of sellers against whom the complaint was filed included MacroWagon and thus it’ll be interesting to observe if this move has anything to do with the earlier allegations or will have any impact on the ongoing case.

The menace does not only include Flipkart; News18 which accompanied local police, which raided the Brahmpuri area of Meerut where a large number of fake products were recovered last year, reported that the products, which were mostly sports goods, were also being sold on Shopclues and Snapdeal. In July last year, Paytm Mall delisted over 85K online sellers and suppliers, in an effort to block fraudulent merchants from signing up on the ecommerce platform.

Over the past years, several petitions have been filed by consumers and companies against sellers/supplier selling fake products. Previously, companies like Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Calvin Klein have also helped confiscate thousands of fake apparels through court-aided raids on warehouses, owned by either sellers or smaller niche fashion portals.

LocalCircles, a community social media platform, conducted a large survey this year on counterfeit product wherein 30,000 votes and over 12,000 unique consumers from across India participated. The result was that 38% consumers in the first poll said that they have received a counterfeit product from an ecommerce site in the last one year and 17% were unsure.

Indian ecommerce market is poised to hit $200 Bn by 2026, as per a report by Morgan Stanley and with more and more shoppers preferring the online medium, it will be imperative for ecommerce players to not let anything harm the trust of shoppers, especially with the competition heating up.

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E-commerce

Blinkit delivers Lenskart products in 10 mins.

Published

9 months ago

April 13, 2024

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In an announcement on Friday, Albinder Dhindsa, the founder of Blinkit, revealed that the quick commerce firm, owned by Zomato, will now offer delivery of eyewear products from Lenskart in under 10 minutes. This partnership allows Blinkit customers to access Lenskart.com products swiftly, initially focusing on sunglasses and Lenskart’s Hustlr range, which includes computer glasses. Dhindsa expressed curiosity about the evolution of the Hustlr brand over time.

The expansion of quick commerce services beyond groceries is evident as various categories such as beauty, toys, health, and electronics witness significant sales growth on such platforms. For instance, Arindam Paul, a founding member and CBO at Atomberg, recently shared on LinkedIn that the company has started selling its products on a quick commerce platform, maintaining the same prices as offered on other e-commerce platforms.

Additionally, Blinkit recently announced its availability of PlayStation 5 on its platform. Dhindsa noted that Blinkit customers in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru can now have the all-new PlayStation 5 Slim editions and controllers delivered within 10 minutes. However, due to high demand, the product quickly went out of stock within a week of its launch. Dhindsa reassured customers on LinkedIn that the company is actively working on restocking PlayStation 5 units at its stores to meet demand.

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E-commerce

Amazon collaborates with neighborhood stores to offer community New Year items.

Published

9 months ago

April 11, 2024

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In Kolkata, approximately 15,000 local shops spanning across Bengal have partnered with Amazon India to provide a diverse range of items essential for various community New Year celebrations. These items include fresh flowers, rangoli, and puja essentials necessary for rituals during festivities such as Poila Baisakh, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Bohag Bihu, and others.

Furthermore, not only shops specializing in traditional festival items, but also those selling home furnishings, kitchen appliances, personal care products, computers, and peripherals have joined Amazon for this occasion. The collaboration aims to cater to the diverse needs of customers during the New Year celebrations of different communities.

These local partner shops of the e-commerce giant are situated in prominent locations across Kolkata, Howrah, Durgapur, Nadia, Hooghly, and Kharagpur. Abhishek Jain, the head of local shops at Amazon India, assured that orders placed would be promptly delivered to customers.

The festivals such as Poila Baisakh, Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Bohag Bihu, Maha Vishubha, and Sankranti are celebrated with great fervor in various regions. In Bengal, these New Year festivals are embraced by the respective communities residing in the state.

Jain further elaborated that this year, nearly 4,700 sellers are offering approximately 60,000 festival-themed products across India through Amazon’s platform. The company anticipates an increase in the number of sellers partnering with them, thereby enhancing the variety and accessibility of festival-related products for customers nationwide.

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E-commerce

Indiamart shakes up management, names new CFO, CIO.

Published

9 months ago

April 10, 2024

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Indiamart, a prominent B2B e-commerce platform, has announced the appointment of Jitin Diwan as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective May 15, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. Diwan brings over 17 years of experience to his new role, having previously served as the Head of Finance (Vice President) at Upstox Securities and holding positions at companies like Amazon India, Bharti Airtel Limited, and Vodafone.

Diwan will succeed Prateek Chandra, the current CFO, who will transition into a new role within the company as Chief Strategy Officer starting June 15.

The filing also revealed Indiamart’s recent investments totaling Rs 1100 Cr in pursuing inorganic growth opportunities across B2B, Fintech, Logistics, and business SAAS sectors. It mentioned acquisitions of Busy Infotech and Livekeeping Technologies, along with multiple minority investments. To further nurture and grow these investee companies while exploring organic and inorganic growth opportunities, Indiamart has created the new role of Chief Strategy Officer.

Furthermore, Indiamart has appointed Nikhil S. Prabhakar as its Chief Information Officer. Prabhakar, with over 13 years of experience, brings expertise in business management, sales management, product management, and leadership. Before joining Indiamart, he was associated with companies like Pristyn Care, Ola Financial Services, and Bharti Airtel.

In addition to these appointments, Dinesh Chandra Agarwal has been re-appointed as the Managing Director and CEO for a term of 5 years, effective from January 8, 2025.

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