SANGLI, India ¨C For eight straight days, household goods salesman Vipresh Shah has failed to sell a single pack of Dettol soap to the storekeepers who have been buying from him ever since he took over his family business as a teenager, 14 years ago.
Shah is an official distributor for Britain¡¯s Reckitt Benckiser in Vita, near Sangli city, around 320 kilometers south of Mumbai. But he said once-loyal customers now point to an app ¡ª JioMart Partner ¡ª on their smartphones showing prices up to 15% lower, instead of placing orders.
¡°As Reckitt¡¯s distributor, I used to be like a prince in the market,¡± said Shah. ¡°Now the buyer tells me, ¡®See how much you¡¯ve been ripping us off!¡¯¡±
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