Flipkart, Snapdeal bring back cash-on-delivery
E-commerce majors Flipkart and Snapdeal have resumed the cash-on-delivery option for orders on their websites and apps. The e-tailers had disabled the feature temporarily for transaction above Rs 2000 after the government ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes.

- Nov 17, 2016,
- Updated Nov 17, 2016 4:58 PM IST
E-commerce majors Flipkart and Snapdeal have resumed the cash-on-delivery option for orders on their websites and apps. The e-tailers had disabled the feature temporarily for transaction above Rs 2000 after the government ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes. Amazon India, though, had brought back the feature quite a while before its competitors -- on November 11 -- just two days after disabling it.
However, all the players are encouraging their customers to make online transactions and have also introduced features like Wallet on Delivery and Card on Delivery, so that customers can pay using cards on their doorstep.
"We worked closely with our users throughout the last week to ensure there was no lapse in their experience, and they have responded by swiftly adopting alternative payment modes, especially the Wallet on Delivery option. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and do as required to ensure it is business as usual on our platform," Snapdeal said in a press release.
Flipkart, too, said that it proactively reached out to its customers whose orders were being processed to educate them and offer additional time to procure cash. "Flipkart took the initiative to provide every possible facility for a smooth and seamless order processing. We significantly ramped up our card on delivery facility and covered majority of pin-codes, also reaching remote towns," an official response from the company said.
The e-tailers, however, are notifying their users during the transactions that they won't accept old Rs. 500 and Rs 1000 notes for cash on delivery.
Flipkart's website also mentions that the deliveries for cash-on-delivery orders would take time. "Cash on Delivery orders will only reach on Saturday, 19th Nov'16 due to the ongoing cash availability issue. Please change your payment method to get it by Friday, 18th Nov'16."
The government's demonetisation move has affected sales of e-commerce companies too. At a recent event, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal said that after the announcement they saw a drop in sales and cancellations of cash-on-delivery orders. Snapdeal co-founder Kunal Bahl said such orders on its platform have come down to 30 per cent of overall sales.
The move, however, has given a push to online transactions and digital wallets. Online payment company Paytm for instance has seen 2.5 crore transactions in just 6 days. Flipkart and Amazon too have seen a jump in online transactions.
"The government's decision has given a big push to adoption of digital instruments like wallets and UPI. In the last few days, we witnessed a lot of movement towards electronic transactions and we expect the economy to further support this change, " a Flipkart spokesperson said.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine
E-commerce majors Flipkart and Snapdeal have resumed the cash-on-delivery option for orders on their websites and apps. The e-tailers had disabled the feature temporarily for transaction above Rs 2000 after the government ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes. Amazon India, though, had brought back the feature quite a while before its competitors -- on November 11 -- just two days after disabling it.
However, all the players are encouraging their customers to make online transactions and have also introduced features like Wallet on Delivery and Card on Delivery, so that customers can pay using cards on their doorstep.
"We worked closely with our users throughout the last week to ensure there was no lapse in their experience, and they have responded by swiftly adopting alternative payment modes, especially the Wallet on Delivery option. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and do as required to ensure it is business as usual on our platform," Snapdeal said in a press release.
Flipkart, too, said that it proactively reached out to its customers whose orders were being processed to educate them and offer additional time to procure cash. "Flipkart took the initiative to provide every possible facility for a smooth and seamless order processing. We significantly ramped up our card on delivery facility and covered majority of pin-codes, also reaching remote towns," an official response from the company said.
The e-tailers, however, are notifying their users during the transactions that they won't accept old Rs. 500 and Rs 1000 notes for cash on delivery.
Flipkart's website also mentions that the deliveries for cash-on-delivery orders would take time. "Cash on Delivery orders will only reach on Saturday, 19th Nov'16 due to the ongoing cash availability issue. Please change your payment method to get it by Friday, 18th Nov'16."
The government's demonetisation move has affected sales of e-commerce companies too. At a recent event, Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal said that after the announcement they saw a drop in sales and cancellations of cash-on-delivery orders. Snapdeal co-founder Kunal Bahl said such orders on its platform have come down to 30 per cent of overall sales.
The move, however, has given a push to online transactions and digital wallets. Online payment company Paytm for instance has seen 2.5 crore transactions in just 6 days. Flipkart and Amazon too have seen a jump in online transactions.
"The government's decision has given a big push to adoption of digital instruments like wallets and UPI. In the last few days, we witnessed a lot of movement towards electronic transactions and we expect the economy to further support this change, " a Flipkart spokesperson said.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine
