Walmart E-Invoicing Portal: Fill & Download for Free

Your question has two parts to it; so, let me try to answer them one by one.[Btw, please note that I would be using examples from fashion and lifestyle category in my explanations - but the same logic would be applicable elsewhere as well. Just the words would change; the underlying concepts remain the same.]Do we require ecommerce players in India?Yes, we absolutely do.Now, onto the other part - what fundamental problems are they solving!One word answer - Convenience!Unlike popular belief, e-commerce is not about discounts (though e-commerce websites have been resorting to that particular measure left, right and center). It is about the convenience it brings to the life of a consumer.Let us look at a few examples here:You get into a fierce battle with the bad traffic on the road, finally make your way to the mall, struggle to find parking walk into a store, and then the real battle begins - the struggle to find a product that you love (let us take the example of a piece of clothing here), in your size, in a color that you simply adore, by a brand you would be comfortable with, and at the right price point. There are a number of parameters here - and any number of them can go in a direction you would not want them to. Shopping online and therefore the e-commerce sites remove that problem from the equation. You are looking for products that are a right fit on all (or most) of your parameters, and you are doing that from the convenience of your home. What could be better than that?Okay fine, you bought a product from a physical store. But now you realize you need to return it. So, the whole battle of commute, parking etc. begins once again. Just to return the product. With e-commerce sites, all you need to do is place a return request, and the product will be picked back up from your doorsteps, at a time that suits you (and you don't even need to retain the purchase invoice as you need to do in case of a physical store - because the e-commerce site already has the invoice details against your account. And even if you needed to provide the invoice, you can simply find it in the app or in your email).Take the example of Tier II and Tier III cities now. You look at the userbase of any e-commerce website and you would find that more than half of their revenue is coming from the Tier II and Tier III cities. The biggest problem in these small towns and cities is not 'absence of purchasing power', but 'absence of options for the consumers'. The shoppers don't mind shelling out extra to get the brands of their choice, but not every small brick and mortar store would be storing all the brands, and even in the brands that they do store, their catalogue spread/mix is relatively much thin as compared to what you would find in a mall in a metro. With online shopping, consumers in these towns and cities have access to the same brands that is accessible to the metros, so they don't need to compromise anymore because of unavailability of product they would have wanted to have.Actually, there was a third part in your question as well, focused more on the e-commerce websites' side of equation. So, let us try to address that now. You are absolutely right that it takes quite a lot of capital into marketing the e-commerce websites and acquiring customers. Actually the capital intensiveness is much more than that if you look at the operational expenses, personnel expenses and cost of business (discounts etc). But, if you do look at the bigger picture from the perspective of the e-commerce websites, the fact is - Yes, it is all worth it! Let us try to understand why:Right now, it is more about acquiring the consumers. Majority of Indian population still doesn't have access to the internet. So the game of customer acquisition is far from over. And a good percentage of this 'untapped potential consumer base' would be from Tier II and Tier III cities, so the e-commerce websites need to advertise on mainstream marketing mediums - even offlineE-commerce websites don't try to make money on every single product that they sell. (A) The intent is to create stickiness, so to speak, amongst the consumers; so that the consumers would want to come back again and again to shop from them when they want something else that they are selling. (B) Another intent is to have consumers come onto the website because of some lucrative offer (which is too good to resist at least checking out), and then have them shop for something else as well; and even the consumers who don't go for the advertised/promoted product shop from the other assortment. They try to make margins on those other purchases. This is the same model that stores like Walmart followed. They would lure consumers in by offering crazy discounts on products like television, and make money when consumers would shop from the other aisles. A great example of this would be the "get your photos printed for free" campaign - wherein the company let you pick up a number of free prints for your digitally uploaded pics from the nearest store. Now when consumers walked in to the store to pick his prints, a good percentage of them walked out after making a couple of more purchases. The money the company spent on printing the pics was negligible, but the traffic it drove for them was insane.These crazy discounts won't be there always. Eventually e-commerce websites will start reducing the spread of these discounts, but the consumers who have gotten hooked on to shopping from their portal - a decent percentage of them would be retained, and that is when the money is made. And even the consumers that slip through the cracks created by the unavailability of offers can now be targeted individually - thanks to the aggressive app promotion approach companies are following now.

Problems for Small Unorganised WholesalersWhile unorganised cash based small wholesalers were still recovering from the impacts of last year’s demonetization, GST has further added to their losses. Small shopkeepers and even dealers are now preferring to buy their daily grocery supplies from GST compliant wholesale chains like Walmart and Metro cash. It may slightly increase the prices of your daily needs, but the biggest impact will be in the unorganised sector that will have to start maintaining proper GST compliantbills and invoices if they wish to survive in the post-GST regime.Creating Invoices and Filing Returns Not EasySmall shopkeepers are mainly struggling in creating different invoices for goods with different GST rates. The confusion is about whether they should make different bills for such products or mention separate tax information in the same bill. Since they have so many types of items with different GST categories, it is almost impossible to maintain separate invoices.Filing GST Return Also Remains an IssueThe tax return filing procedure under GST is also becoming a major cause of a headache for small businesses. No one seems to be sure about the appropriate process for filing GST return. For now, people have to file only one return every month and an annual tax return. For this, you will have to fill GSTR-1 to GSTR-11 forms on GST online portal. If you are not sure about this, it would be wise to take the help of a CA.Variety of TaxesMany food retailers, especially Mithai shopkeepers are also confused about how to charge GST on different items in a single dish. For example, a ‘Mix vegetable’ contains different types of vegetables and even some fruits and dry-fruits, so whether they should charge different taxes or a single tax on the dish. Or should they stop making different varieties of dishes altogether just to keep a basic GST rate? The same problem is being faced by various other businesses.The question everyone asking is, how can GST be considered as a single-tax system when these are five different tax rates?Different Rates for Different LocationsSince GST is still not implemented completely by every business around the country, the prices of some products are changing the location. The price is also affected by the logistics cost and dealer margins for different places. You will see the obvious difference between the price of the same car in Mumbai and Jaipur, even after the implementation of GST.However, the GST council has made some changes in the slab rates of the automobiles by slashing the tax rates on bio fueled buses and hybrid vehicles.Read Also: Are Restaurants Charging Correct GST Bills? Know and Save MoneyGST on Local (GST Exempted) GoodsAccording to GST rules, clothing and footwear below Rs. 500 are exempted from GST. But many shopkeepers, especially retail chains are still mentioning GST rate of 5% in their bills for such items. People are confused whether this rule is applicable only to local products from local market purchases or also on same products purchased from big shops. The thing is that shopkeepers producing computerised bills and having an AC in the shop are allowed to charge GST on all their goods.Some Pertinent Issues for Small TradersSmall businesses are unable to afford the cost of computers and accountants required to implement GST (make bills and file tax returns). 28% GST rate on some products like marble, plywood, and automobile parts is too much for common people. Buyers are willing to purchase from unregistered dealers to avoid paying high GST, especially products with 28% GST rate.It is too difficult to assign MRP to handmade products like local shoes, Banarasi Sarees, etc. Most small artisans are illiterate and therefore unable to write MRP on their products and/or do any paperwork. Dealers are confused how to rates of such products.Small businesses with low annual turnover who are exempted from GST are still afraid to supply as they have no proof that they are exempted from GST. Buyers are demanding bills from even those shops which are GST exempted but have no proof of that. Many dealers are still buying from unregistered wholesalers on cash without bills and without paying any tax.Issues for E-commerce CompaniesMany of the e-commerce companies like Flipkart, Amazon have been dreading due to the provisions of TCS which is to be collected by the company itself from the sellers at the time of payment. The issues concerned is that the capital blockage will be hampering most of the requirement in daily usage. The labour and daily operational cost will be affected due to TCS provision. The GST council has announced the 1 percent TCS over the deduction made while payment to the sellers but still it remains one of the major issues for the e-commerce companies till date.Issues for Transport CompaniesWhile the GST eway bill is a major concern for most of the companies which are regularly into the business of transporting goods and sending material over the locations, the transport company is also under the scanner as to how it will deal the GST eway bill provision. As soon the bill expired the transport company or the trucker himself have to generate the GST eway bill on his own even in case the trucker doesn’t have the exact knowledge of the process. The council or the authorities must introduce some simple process for the transport companies in case the bill expires or the time remains the constant barriers to delivering the goods.Adapting IT Ecosystem is HardAs India is filled with majorly small business units who are in the queue of filing tax returns, making them shift under IT online platform is an uphill task, due to their little conscience towards technical knowledge. Also, the eway bill issues raise the question of centralized structural needs to bring all the transactions and accountability on one platform. The compliance cost is also a major concern as the business units will have to deploy ERP to maintain the overall operations and thus investment in such projects requires technically superficial.The process of shifting from manual to automatic filing of taxes is considered complex task in the Indian context is due to many reasons. Out of which various issues stuck with infrastructure, technical manpower and awareness for technical knowledge and its advancement.

Note- Please don’t read this answer if you are a die-hard fan of Indian biggest e-commerce platform Walmart a.k.a. Flipkart.From 2019, I am a single fan of Amazon. No more comparison between these two platforms. It is my new year resolution. Today I received the last order from Flipkart and this way Flipkart lost a loyal customer of being a 5-year long relationship.Now, here my story begins….I am sure you all heard about Flipkart Loyalty Program “Flipkart Plus” commenced on 15th August 2018. Since I was used to be Flipkart Fan from 4 years. I got an invitation to join Flipkart Plus as an early member. After reading all the benefits given by this program was fabulous. You will get coins for every 250₹ spending. And You can exchange these coins for different gift cards like MMT, Zomato, Flipkart EGV etc.There are some free vouchers too like Bookmyshow 100₹, Zoomin, Chai Point etc. I was ordering more items than previously for getting coins. My purpose was to get at least 50 coins so that I would get Flipkart EGV of valued 1000₹ since redeeming option shows if you have not enough coins.Now please tell me how you feel after getting 50 coins, the redeeming option will show you it is locked. I thought maybe a technical glitch. I enquired further, CC registered a complaint and asked for 3–4 days for a resolution.My nightmare began from that day. I was getting called on a daily basis. They asked for problem description and believe me they didn’t understand actually what I am facing even after telling in detail. At last, their opinion is it is the technical glitch. We need more time for this issue. This continued till one-month same answer and question again and again.Now in this situation what we all do, tag Flipkart every Social platform facebook and twitter namely. Next day I received a call from their upper department and finally they understand my problem but still, the solution is not provided but promised me don’t worry He will call me thrice a week until I get a final solution.In between, I was also trying to figuring out what the technical glitch is. More than the voucher now I want the right reason for this whole nuisance.As earlier, I got the call in the night but ta-d-a they found the answer from their IT engineer in one sentence “it seems you are holding an affiliate account with us that’s why showing unlocked”. I told ya, its true but how it is related to this please clarify me I am too curious. His answer was that’s all I know. I am closing your case. I also said Good Bye since it is senseless to discuss further.I read 5–10 times their terms and conditions of this plus program to justify their line but I was unable to connect the dots.So, now it’s time for an Email war between Flipkart and me which continued for more than 55 days.If you are interested in conversation then I am attaching below.31st OctFlipkart: Hi Mohit,We're sorry to hear that you are not able to access {the website/your account}. Let us help you fix this.Here are a few tips that should work:- Clear the cache memory- Delete the cookies and browsing history- Use another browser, if availableIf you've already tried this, you could reply to this email with the error message and we'll sort it out for you.You could also try logging into your Flipkart account from an incognito window after clearing the cache, cookies and the browsing history.To go to an incognito window, press control key + shift key + N.If you’re still facing problems with this, do send us a screenshot and we will definitely look into it.{for app}We're sorry to hear that you are not able to access {the app/your account}. Let us help you fix this.Here are a few tips that should work:- Log out and close the app and log in back- If this doesn't work, you may want to uninstall and reinstall the app and it should work just fine after thatIf you've already done this, please reply to this email with the error message and we'll have this sorted for you.Hope this helps.Regards,Impu G KFlipkart Customer SupportMe: My problem is not login into Flipkart account. It is related with Flipkart plus. I have 68 coins stored but unable to redeem any offer showing locked for me but asking 50 coins to unlock.I have attached all three screenshots from my Flipkart account.Look into this and solve the issue. I have already complained 2 times earlier but no resolution.Thanks9th Nov 2018Flipkart: Hi Mohit,We understand your concern about your Flipkart Plus coins.We are sorry for the trouble you had to go through.However, we would like to let you know that we're working closely to get an update on this.Please be assured that we will get back to you with an update within 72 hours.Thanks for your patience and understanding while we are working on resolving this issue. Please let us know how we did by completing a short survey that has been sent to your registered email address.We'll be happy to hear from you.Regards,Aaliya tabassumFlipkart Customer Support14th Nov 2018Flipkart: Hi Mohit,We understand your concern about your Flipkart Plus coins.We are sorry for the trouble you had to go through.However, we would like to let you know that we're working closely to get an update on this.Please be assured that we will get back to you with an update within 72 hours.Thanks for your patience and understanding while we are working on resolving this issue. Please let us know how we did by completing a short survey that has been sent to your registered email address.We'll be happy to hear from you.Regards,Mukesh singheFlipkart Customer SupportFlipkart Customer Support ( 2018-11-11 11:22:50 )Hi Mohit,We understand your concern about your Flipkart Plus coins.We are sorry for the trouble you had to go through.However, we would like to let you know that we're working closely to get an update on this.Please be assured that we will get back to you with an update within 72 hours.Thanks for your patience and understanding while we are working on resolving this issue. Please let us know how we did by completing a short survey that has been sent to your registered email address.We'll be happy to hear from you.Regards,Aaliya tabassumFlipkart Customer Support20th Nov 2018Hi MOHIT,We understand your concern about Flipkart Plus coins.We are sorry for the trouble you had to go through.We would like to inform you that Plus Zone is a section where third party coupons can be purchased through Plus Coins but not applicable for the Flipkart account under affiliate program and won't be able to use the coins in reward store.Plus Coupons can be redeemed as per the guidelines mentioned in the Plus Zone.You can refer to the terms of use mentioned in the Plus Zone to know about the redemption process and the terms and conditions of the coupon.To know more about the program click here: https://www.flipkart.com/pages/plus-tnc.For more information on Plus Coins click here: https://www.flipkart.com/pages/pluscoins-tnc.We'll always do our best to make sure that you have a great shopping experience. We always strive to provide excellent service and hope that we were able to help you with your issue today. Please spare a few minutes to respond to the feedback survey which will be sent to you in some time and let us know how we did.Hope this helps.Regards,Mukesh singheFlipkart Customer SupportA glimpse of the Email warNow my story was going towards an end. My case was forwarded to seniormost customer relation team Mrs. Ashwini Banglore office. She realized that somehow I need an excerpt from T&C where it is violated in a highlighted sentence.Their reply was reseller activity = affiliate partner.My argument on this ….Dear Sir/MamActually, in that fifth point of the paragraph, You are written that Flipkart reserves the right to disqualify you earning coinsBut in my case I am earning . Recently I have been awarded with 10 more coins for purchasing wd passport HDD. See attachment.It will be alright if You do this in the beginning since In that case I will earn 0 coins instead of 79 coins (current) and I will not be in a situation to claim any offersAs per your coin algorithm, You are deducting earned coins if some person returns something from order.And coming to highlighted part,Reseller ActivityIt is for there who sells the items from order means not bought for own purpose.Even in every invoice of my order, in last it is declared that it is solely for the purpose of mine not for resale.It directly means You are selling the items to me for reselling purpose which is a direct contradiction of your e-commerce platform T&C.Finally, My problem is not to redeem vouchers in exchange for earned coins which I have.The T&C of that voucher is written in the same way as per your website like below which I think, follow each and every point.TERMS & CONDITIONS - Flipkart Gift Voucher OFFERPRELIMINARYThis is a promotional offer ("Offer") from Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd ("Flipkart") being run on flipkart.com ("Website"), Flipkart Mobile App, Flipkart Lite Platform (all three collectively "Platform"), which Platform is owned and operated by Flipkart Internet Private Limited ("Flipkart")By participating in this Offer, you ("You" or "Your") agree to be bound by: a. the Offer terms and conditions below ("T&C"); b. the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and other relevant documentation including any modifications, alterations or updates thereof, that are published on the Platform. c. All applicable terms and conditions of Flipkart EGV are available on flipkart.com.OFFER DETAILSThe Offer will commence at 00:00 hrs on 1st August 2018 and end at 23:59 hrs 31st December 2018 ("Offer Period").To participate in the Offer You must to do/ fulfill the following: a. Age must be 18 years or above; b. Must have a valid account on the Platform and should be a member of Flipkart Plus Program by collecting more than 50 coins by virtue of their purchase on the Website. c. In terms of this Offer, if you are eligible Flipkart Plus Member and in exchange of 50 PlusCoins you will get INR 1000 off on purchase from Flipkart subject to terms here under.The eligible customers will be able to redeem the offer from the Plus Zone on the WebsiteYou acknowledge and confirm that You are aware of the nature of telecommunications/ internet services and that an email transmission may not be received properly and may be read or be known to any unauthorized persons. You agree to assume and bear all the risks involved in respect of such errors and misunderstanding and Flipkart shall not be responsible in any manner.This offer can be claimed only three times in a year from Flipkart portal Flipkart Gift Cards ("GCs" or "Gift Cards") are issued by Qwikcilver Solutions Pvt. Ltd. ("Qwikcilver") which is a private limited company incorporated under the laws of India, and is authorized by the Reserve Bank of India ("RBI") to issue such Gift Cards.Gift Cards can be redeemed by selecting the payment mode as Gift Card. The Gift Card payment option is available for single orders with multiple sellers.Gift Cards cannot be used to purchase other Flipkart Gift Cards.Gift Cards cannot be used to make bulk purchases on the Platform.If the order value exceeds the Gift Card amount, the balance must be paid by Credit Card/Debit Card/Internet Banking. The Cash on Delivery payment option cannot be used to pay the balance amount.If the order value is less than the amount of the Gift Card, the outstanding balance (after deduction of order value) will reflect under the same Gift Card and can be used for subsequent transactions.Gift Cards are valid for a period of 11 months from the date of issuance.OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONSIn case of any dispute or difference arising concerning the Offer or any alleged defect or deficiency of service availed, the same shall be resolved through arbitration as per the arbitration and the conciliation act 1996 and said will be at Mumbai.Issuance of this offer does not amount to an endorsement of the services provided by the various third party service providers ("Service Providers"). Flipkart shall not be liable for any missed services, quality, defect or deficiency in the services provided by such Service Providers.All statutory taxes (direct or indirect, including local levies, TDS, registration fees, Insurance) on the Offer shall be payable by you. Flipkart will not be responsible/liable for the same.This Offer is subject to the prevailing laws of India. In the case of Offer and/or any products, for which Foreign Exchange is required to be purchased, You will have to bear the same.This Offer is funded from a special promotional budget created by Flipkart and is subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of the management of Flipkart.The offer shall not be settled with cash in lieu by Flipkart or Qwikcilver and are not transferable.The Offer is guaranteed subject to the above and shall not be withdrawn by Flipkart voluntarily unless there is a force majeure situation rendering Flipkart unable to perform the services, for reasons beyond it's control, such as, but not limited to force majeure such as Acts of God, acts of civil or military authorities, acts of public enemy, terrorist attacks, war, threat of war, destruction of network, strikes, lock-out, riots, civil disturbances, political disturbances, insurrections, accidents, explosions, fire, earthquake, flood, epidemics, acts of government, agencies or officers, volcano, volcanic ash, natural calamities, or any other legitimate cause restraining performance of services.This Offer is valid for limited inventory and subject to availability at the time of claiming.Qwikcilver and Flipkart reserve the right at any time to change, modify, withdraw, extend or terminate this Offer at their discretion, without any prior notice and without any liability or obligation in this regard.You are not bound in any way to participate in this Offer. Any participation is voluntary and the Offer is being made purely on a best effort basis.Qwikcilver and Flipkart reserve the right to disqualify You from the benefits of this Offer, if any fraudulent activity is identified as being carried out for the purpose of availing the benefits under the said Offer.Flipkart shall not be liable for any failure by Qwikcilver to provide Offer. You shall indemnify and hold Flipkart harmless against any claims by the Customer in this regard.You hereby agree to indemnify and keep Flipkart and Qwikcilver harmless against all damages, liabilities, costs, expenses, claims, suits and proceedings (including reasonable attorney's fee) that may be suffered by Flipkart as a consequence of (i) violation of terms of this T&C by You; (ii) violation of applicable laws; (iii) any action or inaction resulting in willful misconduct or negligence on Your part.This document is an electronic record in terms of Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Rules thereunder as applicable and the amended provisions pertaining to electronic records in various statutes as amended by the Information Technology Act, 2000. This electronic record is generated by a computer system and does not require any physical or digital signatures.Flipkart reserves the right to cancel your offer benefits from this Program if any fraudulent/abuse/reseller activity is identified as being carried out for the purpose of availing the Benefits. In all such cases, Flipkart reserves the right to withdraw any claimed rewards along with any Partner subscriptions earned as a benefit of this program.That's all from my side.Think and judge it's all your problem.Thanks and RegardsMohit Raj