As unlocking gains momentum, large e-commerce firms are opening up inventory across categories on the back of a demand comeback. While demand for work from home products (WFH), consumer electronics and personal care may reflect the new normal in the current scenario, a spike in sales in some categories such as immunity boosters, musical instruments, hobby items and gourmet food products have taken some of these firms by surprise. Large Indian e-commerce firms such as Amazon and Flipkart have also been stepping up to provide increased support to their seller ecosystem, in order to ensure business continuity, after the lockdowns heavily impacted the operations of small and medium-sized businesses. Sale of non-essential products were opened up earlier in May, after nearly two months of lockdown when e-commerce firms were allowed to sell only essential items. Since the government allowed delivery of non-essential items in all zones barring the ones under containment, Paytm Mall has seen a surge in searches and the sale of mobiles, masks, trimmers, laptops and other consumer electronics and a 1.5X increase in sales as compared to March.

(Live Mint)