GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2020) The Italian Association of E-commerce (AICEL, Associazione Italiana Commercio Elettronico) is calling on online vendors to cancel delivery costs amid the nation-wide quarantine aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-10) and the closure of traditional shops, and is seeing an increase in demand on online platforms while other businesses in the country are suffering, Fabrizio Pagani, External Relations Manager of AICEL, told Sputnik.
Since Tuesday, Italy has been on lockdown following the prime minister's decree. All movements between the country's regions, as well as inside the regions, are banned unless necessary for work, health or other serious motives proved by a document. Schools and universities and other public places are closed, assemblies prohibited, and since Wednesday, all shops except for those selling goods of Primary necessity and pharmacies have been closed.
"We have reports [from online vendors] that show positive and negative dynamics depending on the product sector. Some sectors report significant increases, while others report worrying drops. However, on average there is a slight increase," Pagani said.
The AICEL is a nation-wide association of merchants who offer their services and goods online. Over 1,200 companies are AICEL members, and since its establishment in 2004, the association has reached more than 5,000 online vendors, having created the main e-commerce network in Italy, according to its website.
"The AICEL is seeking to facilitate citizens' online purchases after the latest decrees that have forced everyone to minimize travels from their homes. Considering that the AICEL members do not fall only in the category of grocery stores, each of them can offer, at this moment, a useful service if not necessary. The initiative that the AICEL extends to its associated e-commerce network is to offer consumers a series of advantages on online purchases, such as elimination of shipping costs and discounts and offers," Pagani said.
In the cases in which an online shop cannot cancel delivery costs, it is asked to offer a discount, the AICEL statement announcing the "Compro da casa" ("Buying from home") initiative, obtained by Sputnik, reads.
"We believe that our associated companies have all the skills and resources to deal with this period of strong uncertainty," Pagani added.
Since the closure of the shops in Italy and tough restrictions on movements, online selling platforms are overwhelmed. An order for food delivery that a Sputnik correspondent placed on a common supermarket's website in Genoa on March 12 will be not be delivered until March 21. The delivery cost was charged as usual.
Italy is the second country worst affected by coronavirus after China. There are over 15,000 confirmed cases at the moment and over 1,000 deaths.
