E-commerce strikes gold this Diwali as stores lose shine

It’s an unprecedented situation for Rahul Bahl, the owner of Bahl Enterprises, a utensil and appliances shop in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, who is sitting idle on a Friday evening barely a week before Diwali. “There are hardly any customers in the market, despite it being Diwali time. People prefer to buy online, where they get a lot of discounts and offers which we are not able to compete with. Big shopkeepers and brands might be doing well, but small shopkeepers like us are suffering. At my shop, sales are down by 50%-80%,” he lamented.