Harnessing Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) for Effective Conflict Resolution in E-Commerce Platforms: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Post covid, apart from other developments on internet, e-commerce has mushroomed on large scale. Every business entity, either large, small, entrepreneur or service industry, all are availing and using online platform to upscale their business. This has not only helped in business entities but also the consumers are finding it shopping friendly. The platform has many advantages as compared to offline mode. With this development, there is a need for resolving the disputes related to online consumers on the same platform rather than a traditional dispute resolution mechanism which is formally called Alternative Dispute Resolution (hereinafter ADR) mechanism. When contrasting traditional litigation with Online Dispute Resolution (hereinafter ODR), there are a number of advantages. It allows consenting parties to form their own agreements and offers them more control over the process and result of dispute resolution. Cross-border business expansion and e-commerce have led to an increase in disputes. The existing courts are being burdened by this. ODR offers a less costly and faster way to resolve conflicts than going to court. The article tries to find out the opportunities and challenges associated with ODR as compared to ADR in the e-commerce sector.