India orders investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart

India ordered a large-scale investigation into Flipkart and Amazon India on Monday after a retail trade group alleged that the e-commerce giants were indulging in anti-competitive practices to gain foothold in the country.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI), the local antitrust body, noted four concerns including the arrangements between smartphone vendors and e-commerce platforms to sell certain handsets exclusively online, as well as e-commerce firms giving preferential treatment to certain sellers and said these allegations merit an investigation.

The CCI will also investigate whether Amazon India and Walmart offer deep discounting on their marketplaces and promote their own private labels.

More to follow…