Stung by the hefty discounts offered by the e-commerce firms and the gradual erosion of their business turnover, retailers in Mysuru — under the aegis of Dealers Association of Information Technology (DEALiT) — staged a protest in the city on Monday.
While condemning what they dubbed as “predatory pricing” of e-commerce firms such as Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal, the retailers said it has resulted in a loss to their business and may lead to closure of many stores and affect hundreds of families who work in the retail sector.
A meeting was held with members of the DEALiT last week to discuss discounted price by online firms to increase their market share and it was noted that even the Original Equipment Manufacturers were not extending any support to help the retail fraternity members.
DEALiT president Arun Nagaraj said several local and global brands have taken corrective and preventive action to ensure that online market places do not undercut the prices directly and wanted this to be the norm.
DEALiT, which has more than 70 registered members in Mysuru and Mandya, said it was not against competition but was worried by what it termed as “unethical business practices” of various online and e-commerce firms. The DEALiT in Mysuru said it would stop purchases from distributors till the issue of predatory pricing was resolved.
