Ecommerce platforms cut Turkish brands' visibility amid Indo-Pak tensions
Following travel industry's lead, India's e-commerce giants reduce visibility of Turkish brands on their platforms. This move is seen as aligning with national interests amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
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India's ecommerce platforms have started reducing the visibility of Turkish brands, a decision driven by growing tensions between Indian and Turkey over Ankara's support for Pakistan amid recent Indo-Pakistan tensions, as per media reports.
Several ecommerce executives, speaking anonymously, confirmed the development. "Over the weekend, we decided to de-prioritize the visibility of Turkish brands on our platform," an executive of an online fashion retailer said in the report.
Turkish brands such as Trendyol, Mavi, Koton, LC Waikiki, Oxxo, Grimelange, Penti, Ipekyol, and Dogo are among those facing reduced prominence on Indian platforms.
This move is similar with the earlier ban on Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein, which had exited the Indian market after tensions escalated between Beijing in June 2020, though it re-entered nearly five years later via Reliance Retail.
The shift isn't limited to fashion alone. Prominent Indian travel companies like Flipkart Travel, Cleartrip, Ixigo, and EaseMyTrip have openly suspended bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan, explicitly aligning their business practices with national sentiments.
Flipkart Travel and Cleartrip publicly announced, “In solidarity with India’s national interest and sovereignty, we are suspending all flight, hotel and holiday package bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan. Our stand is clear. Our loyalty, unwavering. We stand with India. Always.”
Aloke Bajpai, CEO of Ixigo, took an even stronger stance, stating, “Enough is enough! Blood and bookings won’t flow together. We are suspending all flight and hotel bookings for Turkey, China, and Azerbaijan.”
EaseMyTrip also issued a travel advisory, cautioning against non-essential travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan amid these geopolitical developments.
Industrialist Harsh Goenka highlighted the economic dimension, noting that Indian tourists spent over ₹4,000 crore in Turkey and Azerbaijan last year alone. “Today, both stand with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack. Plenty of beautiful places in India and the world. Please skip these two places. Jai Hind,” he posted on X.
