Country of origin priority for only 37% customers on e-commerce platforms

Amid growing clamour for the boycott of Chinese products in India, a recent survey found that 'country of origin' had a critical influence on only 37 per cent of respondents as they bought products and transacted on e-commerce platforms.

The survey, conducted by LocalCircles on 16,300 customers across 239 districts in India happened at a time when sentiment is averse towards Chinese products while the government is pushing for Aatmanirbhar Bharat and has directed all e-commerce platforms to display 'country of origin' of their merchandise along with the product description.

While only 37 per cent consumers said they looked for Country of Origin, 83 per cent of them preferred ratings and reviews information, something that most e-commerce platforms are trying to strengthen currently. Over 82 per cent consumers sought MRP and discount information, while 62 per cent of them 'best before date' on human consumption products. Prices and delivery dates were of prime importance for all e-commerce customers.

The respondents also said they would prefer e-commerce platforms presenting product information through actual image. Over 17 percent pointed out that they should provide information in text format under product description and specifications, while 46 percent said the actual image of the product packaging including the principal display panel and MRP tag should be clearly displayed.

The findings clearly pointed out that price, delivery date, ratings  and reviews held more importance for consumers on e-commerce platforms than 'country of origin'.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had recently called e-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and Paytm Mall, etc. to discuss displaying the 'country of origin' of the products on their platforms.

Among 16,300-plus respondents, 63 per cent were men. Half (51 per cent) of respondents were from tier-1 cities while 32 per cent belonged to tier-2 cities.

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