The great Indian game of e-commerce laundering

Bad laws, Flipkart, Amazon, expensive lawyers and the washing of B2B into B2C

A new set of govt. regulations seemingly disallows much of e-commerce from Flipkart and Amazon

Blame the 2019 elections, pressure from small traders, and lobbying by powerful interests

But sources reveal it’s “business as usual” at Flipkart and Amazon

Because lawyers have perfected e-commerce laundering into an art

In May 2018, Walmart made the most expensive acquisition in its history, spending $16 billion to acquire Indian e-commerce leader Flipkart. By then, its arch-rival, Amazon, had itself already invested over $4 billion into its Indian operations.

Some called it the end of the bruising discounts and investments-driven war that had left both sides billions of dollars poorer with no profits in sight. Others saw the setting of the stage for a new battle royale between the offline (Walmart) and online (Amazon) heavyweights in the largest available retail market in the world after China had called time on both of their aspirations earlier in the decade.

AUTHOR

Saif Iqbal

Saif has been in the e-commerce industry for four years in various leadership roles, working closely with all the major market players. He has earlier worked in management consulting and corporate strategy roles. When not delving into the intricacies of the online industry, Saif attempts to read his unread books/ write fiction, both unsuccessfully. Saif went to the Indian School of Business, he also has an MS degree from the US and an undergraduate degree from IIT Roorkee.

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