III: Three years into the pandemic: What changed in Delhi’s electronic bazaars

Abstract

The initial impressions from Delhi’s Lajpat Rai Market, Palika Bazaar and Nehru Place have been that they integrated into the digital economy as suppliers and service providers to e-commerce platforms during COVID times. The increasing use of digital payments to boost online sales, including social media marketing on Facebook and YouTube, has also brought many of them inside a banking system. As a result, physical bazaars are now less about informal face-to-face commerce and operate more as repair hubs and ancillaries to a platform economy.