Amazon and Flipkart have preponed their Republic Day sales due to an increase in Coronavirus cases. This year's sale will start 4-5 days earlier than usual schedule. The change in schedule is mostly due to constraints, which have impacted the supply chain and delivery timelines, according to company executives.
According to reports, the two e-commerce giants have loaded up on inventory and are preparing for the sale, which will now take place on January 16-17. The Republic Day sale, as you may recall, took place around January 20-22 and lasted three to four days. The sale will go longer than normal this time.
"The online Republic Day sales are getting advanced since the marketplaces fear a continued surge in infections and stricter restrictions by states, which could impact supply chain and deliveries," Avneet Singh Marwah, chief executive of Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd, was quoted as saying in the same report. He further said that sales of offline stores had already plummeted.
As a result, they have a huge opportunity to shift their existing business to the internet.
If there is a delay in the sale, the e-commerce giants are concerned that the last mile delivery executives may get affected. Hence, we will be selling an advance Republic day sale.
In the last 24 hours, India has recorded 1.68 lakh new Covid cases and 277 deaths. However, one of the executives was confident that no e-commerce restrictions would be imposed. He believes that most state governments have realized that online sales are more efficient and safer way for customers to shop during the pandemic. As a result, e-commerce restrictions are unlikely to be imposed.
With the quick surge of Covid cases and restrictions enforced, consumers will mostly refrain from stepping outside their houses. As a result, the upcoming sale for these e-commerce giants might be massive.
