KOLKATA | MUMBAI: As Flipkart ’s discount sale ran into a storm of protests in the virtual world, the company and its ilk of online retailers found little comfort in the real world too.A parade of big name consumer goods makers and brick-and-mortar retailers took aim at the e-retailer flock of Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon , accusing them of devaluing their brands and threatening their livelihoods, further marring a day that was billed as an important milestone in the evolution of the fledgling sector.LG Electronics, the country’s largest white goods maker, issued a rare advisory on Monday in which it explicitly stated that it had not authorised any e-commerce company, bar its own online store, to sell its products in India and hence it retains the right of not extending additional services, warranties on such products as it does not vouch for their genuineness.“This is to safeguard our consumers,” a company spokesperson said. Flipkart, however, sought to reassure customers that all products sold on its site were genuine.“We can assure our customers buying LG, Sony or Canon products on Flipkart.com that they are genuine. Our customers will continue to enjoy the warranty and services extended to all original LG products as always,” a company spokesperson said. But officials at several consumer goods makers, many of which have also had an uneasy relationship with the lot of e-retailers, said they would henceforth tighten the noose on online discounting.LG’s rival Sony said it will not allow massive online discounting of its wares because it impacts the company’s brand image and accused e-retailers of having violated business arrangements. “The online sale war of Monday was really disappointing and alarming. This is not the way we have agreed to do business as partners,” said Sony India sales head Sunil Nayyar. He said Sony televisions had borne the maximum brunt of discounting and that it had taken a toll on the company’s brand image as customers who brought the same product a day earlier at its correct market price could feel cheated and blame the brand.“We have decided to handle online discounts now with an iron hand and will ensure Sony is not involved again and there is a fair play for all channels,” he said. The maximum discounts at Monday’s flash sales were for electronic products, notably items such as Apple’s iPhone , iPod and laptops, Sony’s televisions and smartphones, Canon’s cameras, lenses and printers, Samsung’s television, smartphones, refrigerators and washing machines, LG’s televisions, refrigerators, microwave ovens and smartphones, and tablets and computers of Lenovo, Asus, Dell and HP.Camera maker Canon said it would henceforth ask distributors to have separate sets of products for brick-and-mortar stores and online stores. “We have just reached an agreement with Amazon and Flipkart that while they can sell offline models, they cannot discount it. We hope Monday’s sale is just one-off scenario and will not be repeated,” said Canon India Executive Vice President Alok Bharadwaj , adding that the hefty discounting of its products on online marketplaces was not endorsed by Canon and was also difficult to control.“Probably, the best way to reduce disruptions like these is deeper engagements with these online marketplaces which we now plan to do.” Lenovo, which had earlier this year urged customers against buying its products from online retailers only to subsequently withdraw its advisory, said it would also have different models for its online and offline sales channels. Lenovo India MD Amar Babu said his company was keen to have fair competition in the marketplace and did not favour one sales channel growing at the expense of another.The tongue -lashing from the consumer goods biggies on Monday followed a huge brouhaha created by traditional retailers, upset that the hefty discounting by online sites would hurt their business. Brick-and-mortar stores remain the mainstay sales channel for consumer goods brands, but fear that their businesses are threatened by the fast march of online retailers. In categories such as smartphones, online retailers now account for more than a 10% market share , so much so that some new model launches now happen exclusively on these sites. Online retailers also account for 5% of television sales.As Flipkart’s discount sale and Snapdeal’s riposte captured shoppers’ imagination on Monday, small retailers and trader lobbies said they wanted the government to intervene.The All India Mobile Retailers' Association, a new body that claims to represent the interest of around10,000 mobile retailers, said it would approach the government and the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to stop such predatory pricing deals by e-commerce marketplaces.“The way e-commerce is progressing, several shops may have to shut down, which will jeopardise lakhs of jobs,” said the organisation’s secretary general Dhiraj Malik. He accused e-commerce firms of cartel-like behaviour, discounting products and selling them below cost prices. “This in turn has impacted our sales by 30% and profitability by 60%,” he said.The Confederation of All India Traders, an umbrella body representing some six crore traders and small retailers, has already written to Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to stop discounting by online marketplaces. It said discounting by these sites had affected store sales of items such as cosmetics, footwear, apparel, jewellery, watches, electronics, computer hardware and software, mobiles, sports goods, travel luggage and books.“Since e-commerce firms merely provide a technology platform for sellers who are registered with them and because the ownership of the inventory is not their’s, how can these marketplaces offer discounts?” asked its secretary general Praveen Khandelwal . He said his association would complain to the competition watchdog this week.Officials at large retail chains, also taken aback at the aggressive discounting offered by online players, said e-retailers not only antagonised brands by selling products at throwaway prices but also affected distributors who might now demand unreasonable margins.“This event will perhaps now trigger many brands to go against all online channels for spoiling their imagery and pricing strategy,” said the owner of a leading electronics store chain. Vijay Sales managing director Nilesh Gupta said when it comes to appliances and durables, consumers still want the touch and feel factor, especially in smaller cities. “Also, most of the popular products are not sold online and consumers will have to visit stores if they want latest collection,” he said.