IAMAI forms 'E-commerce Council' to shape India's $120 billion digital commerce market

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has launched the E-Commerce Council of India (ECCI), a new industry platform that seeks to bring together stakeholders across India's $120 billion digital commerce ecosystem under a common framework of standards, trust and policy engagement, as the sector enters its next phase of growth.

The council, described by IAMAI as the first national platform of its kind for digital commerce, will work with industry, government and other stakeholders to address issues ranging from consumer trust and digital payments to logistics, artificial intelligence, cross border trade and MSME enablement. It also plans to host an annual Indian E-Commerce Summit, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, academia and global experts to discuss the future of digital commerce and digital trade.

Speaking on the rationale behind the initiative, IAMAI president Dr Subho Ray told Fortune India that the objective is to bring together all constituents of the digital commerce ecosystem and help the industry evolve around common principles rather than fragmented approaches.

"Our idea was to get all the constituents under one roof because this industry is the future of retailing. If we don't get all the constituents to speak the same language, follow the same standards and the same principles of running their businesses, this is not going to work," Ray said. 

He said the broader ambition is to accelerate the digitisation of retail in India just like what happened to advertising. "We similarly want 80% of retailing to become digital. That's the primary objective," he added.

Beyond retail, focus turns to exports and employment

Apart from creating industrywide best practices, the council will also focus on expanding India's digital services exports and generating employment across the sector.

Ray said one of the first priorities would be to estimate the size of India's digital services exports, an area that currently lacks reliable data despite thousands of Indian businesses providing professional services to overseas clients digitally.

"If you don't know the size of the animal, you don't know how to grow it," he said, adding that growing digital exports could become an important lever for improving India's trade balance. 

Employment is another key focus. According to Ray, the council aims to develop a roadmap to create 5 million jobs across the digital commerce ecosystem, which spans sales, marketing, finance, logistics and specialised retail roles.

"I think in the next two years we should crack the pathway. I'm not saying we will crack the ultimate goal, but at least how to get there. We want to employ 5 million people in our industry and increase business services foreign trade by 2x. If we can crack these pathways, we'll be very happy," he said. 

Rather than pushing for new regulations, the council intends to encourage voluntary standards and responsible business practices that strengthen consumer confidence.

"Every commerce, every payment runs on trust and that cannot always be hard coded into rules," Ray said. He added that businesses should commit to transparency and fair practices, arguing that responsible players ultimately benefit while those failing to build trust risk being left behind. 

The ECCI will work across several strategic pillars, including service and product e commerce, cross border digital trade, logistics and fulfilment, mobility, MSME market access, travel technology, consumer trust, digital payments, responsible commerce, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

In a statement announcing the council, Ray said digital commerce has become one of the defining pillars of India's digital economy and that its next phase of growth will depend on sustained collaboration between industry and government.

"The E-Commerce Council of India has been established with this vision. It will serve as a collaborative platform for industry stakeholders to engage with policymakers, generate research, develop best practices and contribute to policy discussions that shape the future of digital commerce in India," he said.