Open Access
American Research Journal of Business and Management
ISSN (Online): 2379-1047
DOI: 10.46568/arjbm
Regulatory Challenges Arising from Emerging Hybrid Business Models in Retail Sector: Insights from India(i)
1Sri Shyam Sundar Institute of Public Cooperation and Community Development, SHYAM Institute, Bhopal, India.
2Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai, India.
Chandan Kumar, D. Suganthi, “Regulatory Challenges Arising from Emerging Hybrid Business Models in Retail
Sector: Insights from India”, American Research Journal of Business and Management, Vol 9, no. 1, 2023, pp. 58-66.
Abstract
This paper focuses on the emerging relationship between the new-age organised players and traditional retailers
through the hybrid business models in India. The former connects the latter to consumers through both e-commerce
and offline channels. The concern is the hegemonic tendency of the organised players to control the relationship. Based
on the Competition Commission of India’s cases against the Indian e-commerce players, this paper highlights the unfair
trading practices of new-age organised players in dictating contractual terms, exclusive promotion of their products and
preferred vendors, creating entry barriers, and control over consumer preference data. Furthermore, this paper discusses
the lacunae in the current competition legal framework, which fails to take cognizance of the anti-competitive behaviour
of the existing organised players. Finally, it suggests that competition laws should ex-ante discourage potential anti
competitive behaviour rather than ex-post action.
