Amazon India will fulfil existing orders of essentials before accepting new purchases, the online retailer’s country manager Amit Agarwal said on Twitter in a bid to placate consumers facing delays or cancellations of deliveries comprising essential items.
The e-commerce company is working with local authorities to get clearances and curfew passes for on-ground workers, Agarwal said. “We understand the importance of your orders being delivered on time. These are extraordinary times and we are single-mindedly focused on getting essentials to you.”
We understand the importance of your orders being delivered on time. These are extraordinary times and we are singl… https://t.co/exVPtq7Ntl
— Amit Agarwal (@AmitAgarwal) 1585801091000
ET on Wednesday reported that Amazon India has been unable to fulfil orders due to a combination of order backlog and lack of on-ground workers. Consumers had complained that the online retail giant was not making much progress even as its rivals have continually improved their services over the past week.
For e-grocers and e-commerce firms including BigBasket, Grofers, Amazon and Flipkart, hiring on-ground staff has been the biggest challenge after migrant workers fled to their native places from various big cities due to the ongoing lockdown, leading to a 80-90% labour shortage for e-commerce firms, ET had reported last month.
The company’s plan to ramp up delivery of essentials was further slowed down due to a call to follow strict guidelines to maintain safety for on-ground workers. Agarwal said on Twitter that they are enabling associates to be back at work while ensuring their safety, without disclosing any specific details.
Last week, Amazon had also stopped accepting cash payment for transactions to encourage contactless deliveries in an effort to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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