E-Business Suffering Amidst Protests and Internet Ban
Various app-based services were hugely disrupted across Uttar-Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi after Government ordered a suspension of internet services.
There were multiple complaints from food-delivery apps, cab-service providers, grocery-delivery and other mobile-based apps. The internet ban disrupted services, this majorly impacted office-goers, who use app-based cab service to reach their destination.
When a brand relies on the Internet for providing their services, in a situation like the one the country is facing currently, a brand suffers so much loss in terms of revenues. Marketing also suffers the brunt of the situation when internet connectivity across various areas has no certainty at all.
The globalized world we live in now, every brand is heavily dependent on the internet for at least some part of its revenue on a daily basis. This includes even the traditional businesses like insurance, airline, hotel-booking, food aggregators and e-commerce players.
However, one should note that India has one of the cheapest data-tariffs in the world, which in turn has fuelled the growth of revenue from the internet. There have only been a handful of incidents when we have witnessed internet restrictions for national interest to enforce law and order, and all of them were temporary.
In such cases, there is a notable shift from online transactions to offline ones or the public just wait it out. Generally. Brands wouldn’t do anything differently for such momentary business disruptions, as in all certainty, the ban usually is lifted within a day or two.