E-Tailing is fast emerging as an alternative to traditional retailing. However, if the e-tailing industry is to grow faster, one needs to iron out a few issues.What are the roadblocks that are hindering the growth of e-tailing? Absence of efficient logistics, lack of effective supply chain management and bandwidth and non-existence of payment gateways. While problems such as logistics should get resolved when the industry reaches a certain critical mass, the government should act now. It should provide a clear direction through its policy pronouncements.
Alongside, steps need to be taken to formulate a dispute settlement system. Usage of credit cards should be made fool-proof. An unambiguous set of cyber laws should be put in place.
Researchers have estimated that e-tailing in South Asia and South East Asia should reach $180 million in a year. Just five per cent of this would be from India. So, we should act faster, or else we would be left out of the global e-market.