By Elton Gomes
Ahead of their mega sale events, Flipkart and Amazon have announced that customers will be able to avail credit through the use of Aadhaar. However, some lawyers say that the move could be in violation of the Supreme Court’s recent verdict that disallowed private entities from using the national identity platform, the Times of India reported.
In a bid to push sales, both e-commerce companies are offering instant credit without credit/debit card, but with the use of the Aadhaar ID number.
Users can avail an interest-free credit access worth Rs 60,000 through Flipkart and Amazon’s mobile apps. Customers can also view how much credit has been approved after entering their PAN and Aadhaar numbers. The approved amount will depend on the consumer’s shopping pattern and payment history on these platforms.
Although the move comes as a delight to passengers, it could infringe upon the Supreme Courts verdict. The Times of India quoted former additional attorney general of India, P. Wilson, as saying that the apex court verdict has been explicitly clear, and private companies demanding such information cannot be justified in any way.
Flipkart partners with Google Zoo to help customers bargain
Flipkart today announced that it had partnered with Google Zoo, the creative think tank for brands and agencies, to launch The Big Billion Days ka Boss.
Starting today, Flipkart will release two new products for customers to bargain over. Customers looking for the latest products at the best price will be able to bargain over them through voice-based conversations with the Flipkart Hagglebot on Google Assistant, which is available on Android and iOS devices.
At the end of the day, based on customers negotiation skills and how good a bargain is derived, Flipkart will crown one customer as a Boss. The deal secured on each item will become the price of that product for all other customers as well, and the winner will walk away with a free product.
Additionally, Flipkart will give away limited-edition deals exclusively through Hagglebots AI-based platform in a pioneering initiative.
Amazon sale begins early for Prime members
Amazon’s biggest sale of the year, the Great Indian Festival, began at noon today, with Prime members getting an exclusive early access. The Amazon sale began at 12 pm and offered several deals and offers on hundreds of products across all major product categories. Unlike Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale, Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale will offer deals on all categories right from the start of the sale.
A look at the best deals
Customers with SBI and HDFC cards could see additional benefits their way. Amazon has partnered with SBI, and will be offering a 10 percent discount to all customers with an SBI debit card. On the other hand, Flipkart has reached an agreement with HDFC Bank to offer the same 10 percent instant discount for customers using credit and debit cards for their purchases.
Amazons sale will see Samsungs Galaxy S9 at a price of Rs 42,990 the original price of which starts at Rs 57,990. The recently launched Galaxy Note 9 will also be on sale, with an extra Rs 5,000 off on exchange. The Galaxy A8+ will be available for Rs 23,990, while the Note 8 will be sold for Rs 43,990.
Amazon will be offering the OnePlus 6 at a price of Rs 29,999 for its base Midnight Black variant with 64GB storage and 6GB RAM.
Additionally, Amazon devices including the Echo range of smart speakers, Fire TV Stick, and Amazon Kindle will also be part of the sale. Bundled offers with You Broadband, Sony LIV, Hungama, and Yupp TV will be offered for Fire TV Stick buyers. Echo devices are most likely to be discounted as well during Amazons sale. Kindle accessories are likely to come with a 50 percent discount.
In terms of other electronic devices, laptops could come with a discount of up to Rs 55,000 during the Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale, while cameras could be sold with no cost EMIs. Printers could be sold with a discount of up to 50 percent. Amazons sale will have the Mi TV Pro series on sale for the first time.
Elton Gomes is a staff writer at Qrius