E-Commerce and Consumer Protection in India: The Emerging Trend
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- Volume 180, pages 581–604 (2022)
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Abstract
Given the rapid growth and emerging trend of e-commerce have changed consumer preferences to buy online, this study analyzes the current Indian legal framework that protects online consumers’ interests. A thorough analysis of the two newly enacted laws, i.e., the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020 and literature review support analysis of 290 online consumers answering the research questions and achieving research objectives. The significant findings are that a secure and reliable system is essential for e-business firms to work successfully; cash on delivery is the priority option for online shopping; website information and effective customer care services build a customer's trust. The new regulations are arguably strong enough to protect and safeguard online consumers' rights and boost India’s e-commerce growth. Besides factors such as security, privacy, warranty, customer service, and website information, laws governing consumer rights protection in e-commerce influence customers’ trust. Growing e-commerce looks promising with a robust legal framework and consumer protection measures. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge on e-commerce and consumer rights protection by elucidating the key factors that affect customer trust and loyalty and offering an informative perspective on e-consumer protection in the Indian context with broader implications.
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Source: Data compiled from https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/eConsumer/Infographic, Accessed 7 October 2020
Source: Data compiled from https://datareportal.com/global-dig ital-overview#: ~ :text = There%20are%205.15%20billion%20unique,of%202.4%20percent%20per%20 year and , Accessed 12 October 2020
Source: Authors’ compilation from https://www.invespcro.com/blog/cross-border-shopping/, Accessed on 15 October 2020
Source: Data compiled from https://www.ibef.org/news/vision-of-a-new-india-US$-5-trillion-economy, http://www.ficci.in/ficci-in-news-page.asp?nid=19630, https://www.pwc.in/research-insights/2018/propelling-india-towards-global-leadership-in-e-commerce.html, https://www.forrester.com/data/forecastview/reports#, Accessed 12 October 2020
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See The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) guidelines on e-commerce https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/groups/wggna/GuideByChapters/Chapter_13.pdf, pp 249–263, Accessed 7 October 2020.
Consumer International is a champion in the sustainable consumer movement for the last 60 years. Its vision for the future of 2030 is to address three issues-sustainability, digitalization and inclusion. See for more details https://www.consumersinternational.org/who-we-are/.
econsumer.gov came into being in April 2001, addresses international scams and guides its members to combat fraud worldwide; see for details https://econsumer.gov/#crnt.
For more details, refer to https://icpen.org/consumer-protection-around-world.
For a detailed report, see https://www.worldretailcongress.com/__media/Global_ecommerce_Market_Ranking_2019_001.pdf, Accessed 10 October 2020.
Complete report available at https://business.adobe.com/resources/digital-economy-index.html, Accessed 10 October 2020.
https://www.ibef.org/news/vision-of-a-new-india-US$-5-trillion-economy, Accessed 7 October 2020.
Government of India’s press release, see https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1603982, Accessed 7 October 2020.
See CUTS International survey at https://cuts-citee.org/pdf/Discussion_Paper_E-Commerce_in_the_Context_of_Trade_Consumer_Protection_and_Competition_in_India.pdf, CSA Research at https://insights.csa-research.com/reportaction/305013126/Marketing, https://insights.csa-research.com/reportaction/305013125/Marketing, and UNTAD study at https://unctad.org/page/data-protection-and-privacy-legislation-worldwide, Accessed 12 December 2020.
https://innovationtactics.com/business-model-canvas-airbnb/, Accessed 12 December 2020.
Detailed findings at https://insights.csa-research.com/reportaction/305013125/Marketing, Accessed 19 October 2020.
Amazon India began testing a Hindi for its mobile website, marking its first foray into vernacular languages in August 2018.
Flipkart started voice assist in multiple languages-Hindi and English to make shopping easier in June 2020.
See cross-border shopping statistics and trends at https://www.invespcro.com/blog/cross-border-shopping/, Accessed 15 October 2020.
For global trend-access, explore, and personalized insights, see details at https://www.forrester.com/data/forecastview/reports#, Accessed 15 October 2020.
For defined common issues, see Government’s e-gazette at http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2020/220661.pdf, Accessed 15 October 2020.
https://consumeraffairs.nic.in/sites/default/files/Act%20into%20force.pdf, Accessed 30 October 2020.
See Government’s e-gazette notification http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2019/210422.pdf, Accessed 30 October 2020.
Government of India’s press release see https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1656161 and for detailed Rules see https://consumeraffairs.nic.in/theconsumerprotection/consumer-protection-e-commerce-rules-2020.
Full reported case details are available at https://indiankanoon.org/doc/49459460/, Accessed November 22, 2020.
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Chawla, N., Kumar, B. E-Commerce and Consumer Protection in India: The Emerging Trend. J Bus Ethics 180, 581–604 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04884-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04884-3
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