He told Parliament that there are no legal provisions in Sri Lanka to protect the consumers from online businesses which are widespread at present.

"Online businesses have increased throughout the world. However, we have no laws in Sri Lanka to act upon complaints by consumers over issued faced due to online businesses. We will draft a Bill through the CAA and present it in Parliament soon," he said.

The cost of living is having an impact on online sales as consumers seek out better prices in stores, according to data from the Retail sales monitor.