Snapdeal, ShopClues, UrbanClap, Shop101, Flyrobe, Fynd, Mamaearth, Superbottoms and Azah have founded a trade association called The E-Commerce Council of India (TECI), reports the Economic Times. TECI will look at policy advocacy, best practices when it comes to data privacy, logistics and payments, dispute resolution, consumer protection, MSME development and work with other stakeholders in the industry. The association will also work with trade bodies in India and abroad towards its objectives. TECI companies have 7.5 lakh online sellers and service providers, according to the report. It claims that over 100 million users use services on its member companies. Nikhil adds: What's missing? It looks like the two largest ecommerce players in India, Amazon and (Walmart owned) Flipkart aren't a part of this. Timing is everything TECI’s formation comes at a time when regulation in the ecommerce industry is rife. The Indian government’s newly released draft ecommerce policy treats “ecommerce” and the “digital economy” the same way with vague definitions and confusing outlook towards multiple points like data privacy, data collection, spam, advertising rates etc. It also states that global regulation has prompted the Indian government to release a policy of its own. While many may view the policy as protectionist, its terms do not spell out the advantages for Indian companies explicitly. Also read: India’s ecommerce policy is inconsistent and vague, stifles innovation - Nikhil Sud In addition to this, local trade bodies have been lobbying for further protectionist and regulatory measures to curb non-Indian ecommerce companies’ deep pockets,…
