Given that as a marketplace Snapdeal engages sellers end-to-end – from product listings, to delivery, to return logistics – the onset of GST necessitates an overhaul of any and every system where a tax rate was being used or modified or applied. This includes enhancements across the Snapdeal Seller Panel, taxation system, cataloging system, order processing, invoicing and ERP systems.
A major chunk of the systems' overhaul has been on the self-serve Seller Panel, which the sellers use to interact with the Snapdeal marketplace for all operational activities across the seller lifecycle. The Snapdeal seller team has been working with seller partners to get them to enter their GSTIN number and signature in the Seller Panel, so that they're ready with all the regulatory requirements to do business, come July 1st 2017. All customer invoice formats, commission invoices to Sellers, taxation reports, etc. are being changed, so that sellers are able to file their taxes and get all required documents from the Panel itself. Implementation is also underway to provide the flexibility to view or edit applicable HSN codes and tax rate for all listed products.
While revamping the technology has been one part of it, perhaps the more important part has been working with sellers to ensure they understand and can operationalize these changes at their end. Earlier in the year, Snapdeal had launched the GST Guru program to offer GST compliance training and advice to its sellers. The program included a range of training modules; expert interactions, weekly newsletters, webinars to bring seller partners up-to-speed on how GST compliance would impact their daily operations and how they could prepare for the transition. Additionally, sellers can also log on to an online repository dedicated solely to GST issues, and have their queries addressed in real-time. (https://sellercom.snapdeal.com/seller/2017/GST/).
Speaking about the same, Vishal Chadha, Chief Business Officer, Snapdeal said, "Over the last one year, we have been working closely with seller partners and government stakeholders to build a system that is fully GST compliant. While GST's onset will introduce a massive shift in the way India does business, we are extremely confident that both our sellers and our platform are well prepared for a seamless transition."
About Snapdeal
Snapdeal's vision is to create India's most reliable and frictionless commerce ecosystem that creates life-changing experiences for buyers and sellers. In February 2010, Kunal Bahl along with Rohit Bansal, started Snapdeal. Today Snapdeal is India's largest online marketplace, with the widest assortment of 65 million plus products across 1000+ categories from over 125,000 regional, national, and international brands and retailers. With millions of users and more than 300,000 sellers, Snapdeal is the shopping destination for Internet users across the country, delivering to 6000+ cities and towns in India. In its journey till now, Snapdeal has partnered with several global marquee investors and individuals such as SoftBank, BlackRock, Temasek, Foxconn, Alibaba, eBay Inc., Premji Invest, Intel Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Mr. Ratan Tata, among others.
For further information visit: www.snapdeal.com
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