India a country of 1.3 billion people, out of which 3/4th
of the population is still residing in rural areas, across the area of the
country there are millions of markets having small shop owners and businesses
which are far from technology, there businesses consist of a very simple
process of trade i.e buy and sell only, no fancy statistics, no advertising or
no such online campaigns, they are happy that they are the part of that small
social entity where they are belong, but as the mobile becomes handy to these
areas and internet are reaching to these areas, e-commerce is also reaching to
these areas, although there is lot to be done for e-commerce to get there hold in
these areas but the thing is, it is hurting their small trade eco-system, same
like when a foreign species enters a pond and hurts the biological ecosystem of
that pond.
People in these places are farmers and for free time they
are associated to any kind of business, we can say that these small markets
consist of peoples who are doing some kind of business and also are the
customer for the market, and this is how these small ecosystem works.
When the giants stepped in to these areas with these
influential campaigns and schemes people started consuming products which are purchased
online, which in turns took the business of some other local vendor situated in
that market . Gradually they are trapping themselves. For examples before 2004
when Diwali the greatest season for all sorts of businesses came the markets
are booming with customers and sellers used to get their major part of annual
income from this season, and look at the situation now all sorts of product
even refrigerator, Ac’s and two wheel automobile are being sold online. Small
things like Mitti Deepak and phool batti, namkeen and sweets, apparels etc are
available with a discounted price. How can a retailers and small shop keepers
will survive, people are ordering online from home, consumers are not entering
market eventually leads to miss judging the demand for the season, which will
take the retailer to further debt.
It was all good until the online companies are selling goods
manufactured in India, but now they are sourcing their products from China
which is again damaging the entire traditional market ecosystem across the
country.
Finally my thought is “who will buy if no one earns”. If
these small shop owners will not earn which constitutes the major population in
the small markets than eventually no one will be available to buy the product
even online. The policy makers should do
something to kept these markets unaffected from these giants .
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