Shopping Online

With the state of our traffic and the long hours spent at work, many of us these days have little or no time to even shop for everyday necessities. Society, and commerce, evolves to meet the need of the people and new trends are introduced every day. In Bangladesh, like elsewhere in the world, online shopping, or ecommerce, has developed over the years as more and more people turn to the hassle-free option for their daily needs _ from groceries and medicines to books and cars.
If you talk to office-goers in general, you will usually hear that they have not seen the afternoon sun for a long time. The reason behind this is the extra hours one often has to work in an ever competitive corporate world.
“I don’t mind the long working hours as I am focused on my career, but I miss those days when I had time enough after work to roam shopping malls with my family to choose and buy things together,” said Tonuka Reza, a 32-year-old office worker. “Well, this is life, but with the advent of ecommerce, I now have the option to shop online, and also share the links with my relatives and friends for their opinions. I am an avid shopper and I buy almost everything online _ groceries from meenabazar.com, cosmetics from banglashoppers.com and clothes from Facebook vendors. Registered sites such as kaymu.com and daraz.com are almost spot on with their products, but sometimes, when it comes to buying clothing from Facebook pages, the pictures can be misleading. I am mostly happy with the quality of products I buy online. It serves my purpose as I only get time during Eid to go shopping with my family,” she added.
Naushaba Salahuddin, head of public relation at daraz.com.bd, told The Weekend Independent: “Customers are happy as we sell authentic goods, and sometimes at discount prices, with the same warranty that a store offers. Our highest selling products are smartphones, which account for 60per cent of our sales, and business is going up by double digits month on month. The average value of our order reaches up to Tk7,000. The age group of most of our customers range from 26 to 34, followed by younger people aged 18-25.”
While talking about profit in the online business, Salahuddin said: “There is a huge potential for ecommerce in emerging markets like Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. Online shopping is still quite new for Bangladeshi customers and will take some time before it’s fully profitable. Earning the customer’s trust is our first goal, because people still don’t trust online shopping very much. We are very happy with our growth. Our monthly traffic is one million plus.”
Another popular online shop among busy professionals is chaldal.com, where you can get all your daily groceries and other household items. It also sells personal care products and office supplies. You can click and choose items from different categories and put them in a virtual basket, and they will deliver anywhere within Dhaka city, at a time convenient for you. The site also takes orders over a mobile phone hotline and payment can be done online or in cash upon delivery.
“We believe time is valuable to our fellow Dhaka residents, and that they should not have to waste hours in traffic, brave bad weather and wait in line just to buy basic necessities like eggs!  This is why Chaldal delivers everything you need right at your door-step and at no additional cost,” a statement on its website says. “Our prices are sometimes lower than that of major superstores in the city. We also carry a larger variety (of items) than the average corner store. We try our best to offer you at or below market price,” it continues. Numerous calls to the contact numbers on the site went unanswered.
 “Whenever we need fresh food items or baby stuff, we order online and tell them when to bring our order, they do it promptly and their prices are almost the same as the local market,” said Shaheena Ahmed, a young mother who can’t go out for shopping every day, though she lives close to two city corporation-run markets in the capital.
“My husband doesn’t get home till well past 8pm, when all the shops close. Before, he would send the driver back after reaching his office in Motijheel so I could run errands, but that is not possible now, what with all the traffic. Besides, the kitchen markets are so crowded and unkempt, I don’t feel like venturing out there,” she added.
Mehedi Hasan, an executive at meenabazar.com, said online sales of the chain supermarket have increased gradually.
 “We also take cash on delivery for those who do not want to share credit card details due to security reasons, but I want to say that our website is secure for such transactions. For smart phone users, an app is also available,” Hasan added.
Another online shop that is on the rise is banglashoppers.com. It sells cosmetics mainly, and also has a virtual boutique for clothes, shoes, jewellery and accessories. Some online customers said they shop for items from this website as it ensures quality and sells the real thing, rather than counterfeit products that are widespread in the city’s markets.
“I grew up in the US and when I came here, I tried buying American products and was disappointed with the counterfeit items. Now, I buy the original items of my favourite skincare products from banglashoppers.com as it is not always possible for me to go to a store physically as I live in Uttara.  Can you imagine the traffic?” said Cynthia, a student aged 23.
Rokomari.com, a website that sells only books and electronics, receives orders of up to 500 items on an average day, and as much as 1,100 during special promotions and deals.
The unique website was launched in 2012 with the vision of increasing the number of readers in the country.
“Our sales have almost doubled, and majority of our customers are people aged 18-24,” said Mehedi Hasan Rana, a mentor at Rokomari.com.
Rana added that at present, business is not that profitable, but it has potential as the market for online shoppers is growing every day.
 If you log-on to the website, the large number of customer testimonials or reviews will give you a glimpse into the quality of their products and services. As they deliver all over the country and accept payments through mobile banking, they have customers as far as the remote areas of Teknaf.
Then there are some 24-hour pharmacies like Lazz Pharma Ltd that has home delivery service and you can order online or over mobile phone. A pharmacist will call back to confirm the order.
“I am a diabetic, and often forget to refill my insulin prescription. It is not possible for me to go to the pharmacy or send someone in person all the time,” said M Ahmed, a retired bureaucrat who lives in Dhanmondi. “So, I order online, and it is very convenient as they quickly deliver what I need,” he added.
Online retailers also receive a large number of orders from overseas Bangladeshis who make purchases for parents or relatives back home, particularly during festival times. Come Eid-ul-Azha, many of online shops also sell sacrificial animals and cater to the expatriates by offering delivery services for the sacrificial meat.
Meanwhile, if you drive along the car showrooms of Dhaka, you will see that many have bikroy.com and carmudi.com on their signboards, announcing that their cars can also be bought from those websites.
Websites like ekhanei.com and clickbd.com, which introduced the online buying and selling trend in Bangladesh, also offer opportunity for anyone to turn into a seller. Asif Khan, a doctor, recently sold his car through an advertisement in clickbd.com before moving abroad.
 “I had already sold most of my household things on the site before moving to New York. The last thing I needed to sell was my car and thanks to clickbd.com, I was able to do that without any hassle as I was contacted by interested buyers and I got an excellent deal. My younger brothers always sell off their mobile phones through bikroy.com and clickbd when they want to upgrade the models and they are also very happy with the services these websites provide,” Khan told this writer over Skype.
Another website that stands apart from most online shopping sites in Bangladesh is pepeelika.com, which was launched quite recently and has similar features like the famous amazon.com site. Anyone can register their service, product, brand and business with pepeelika.com and go from there.
It is great to see that the trend of shopping online is being facilitated by a number of virtual marketplaces since it is a convenient way to get things delivered right to your doorstep, without worrying about commuting through the terrifying traffic of the city.

Parveen Ahmed also contributed to this article.

Shopping Online

With the state of our traffic and the long hours spent at work, many of us these days have little or no time to even shop for everyday necessities. Society, and commerce, evolves to meet the need of the people and new trends are introduced every day. In Bangladesh, like elsewhere in the world, online shopping, or ecommerce, has developed over the years as more and more people turn to the hassle-free option for their daily needs _ from groceries and medicines to books and cars. If you talk to office-goers in general, you will usually hear that they have not seen the afternoon sun for a long time. The reason behind this is the extra hours one often has to work in an ever competitive corporate world. I dont mind the long working hours as I am focused on my career, but I miss those days when I had time enough after work to roam shopping malls with my family to choose and buy things together, said Tonuka Reza, a 32-year-old office worker. Well, this is life, but with the advent of ecommerce, I now have the option to shop online, and also share the links with my relatives and friends for their opinions. I am an avid shopper and I buy almost everything online _ groceries from meenabazar.com, cosmetics from banglashoppers.com and clothes from Facebook vendors. Registered sites such as kaymu.com and daraz.com are almost spot on with their products, but sometimes, when it comes to buying clothing from Facebook pages, the pictures can be misleading. I am mostly happy with the quality of products I buy online. It serves my purpose as I only get time during Eid to go shopping with my family, she added. Naushaba Salahuddin, head of public relation at daraz.com.bd, told The Weekend Independent: Customers are happy as we sell authentic goods, and sometimes at discount prices, with the same warranty that a store offers. Our highest selling products are smartphones, which account for 60per cent of our sales, and business is going up by double digits month on month. The average value of our order reaches up to Tk7,000. The age group of most of our customers range from 26 to 34, followed by younger people aged 18-25. While talking about profit in the online business, Salahuddin said: There is a huge potential for ecommerce in emerging markets like Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. Online shopping is still quite new for Bangladeshi customers and will take some time before its fully profitable. Earning the customers trust is our first goal, because people still dont trust online shopping very much. We are very happy with our growth. Our monthly traffic is one million plus. Another popular online shop among busy professionals is chaldal.com, where you can get all your daily groceries and other household items. It also sells personal care products and office supplies. You can click and choose items from different categories and put them in a virtual basket, and they will deliver anywhere within Dhaka city, at a time convenient for you. The site also takes orders over a mobile phone hotline and payment can be done online or in cash upon delivery. We believe time is valuable to our fellow Dhaka residents, and that they should not have to waste hours in traffic, brave bad weather and wait in line just to buy basic necessities like eggs! This is why Chaldal delivers everything you need right at your door-step and at no additional cost, a statement on its website says. Our prices are sometimes lower than that of major superstores in the city. We also carry a larger variety (of items) than the average corner store. We try our best to offer you at or below market price, it continues. Numerous calls to the contact numbers on the site went unanswered. Whenever we need fresh food items or baby stuff, we order online and tell them when to bring our order, they do it promptly and their prices are almost the same as the local market, said Shaheena Ahmed, a young mother who cant go out for shopping every day, though she lives close to two city corporation-run markets in the capital. My husband doesnt get home till well past 8pm, when all the shops close. Before, he would send the driver back after reaching his office in Motijheel so I could run errands, but that is not possible now, what with all the traffic. Besides, the kitchen markets are so crowded and unkempt, I dont feel like venturing out there, she added. Mehedi Hasan, an executive at meenabazar.com, said online sales of the chain supermarket have increased gradually. We also take cash on delivery for those who do not want to share credit card details due to security reasons, but I want to say that our website is secure for such transactions. For smart phone users, an app is also available, Hasan added. Another online shop that is on the rise is banglashoppers.com. It sells cosmetics mainly, and also has a virtual boutique for clothes, shoes, jewellery and accessories. Some online customers said they shop for items from this website as it ensures quality and sells the real thing, rather than counterfeit products that are widespread in the citys markets. I grew up in the US and when I came here, I tried buying American products and was disappointed with the counterfeit items. Now, I buy the original items of my favourite skincare products from banglashoppers.com as it is not always possible for me to go to a store physically as I live in Uttara. Can you imagine the traffic? said Cynthia, a student aged 23. Rokomari.com, a website that sells only books and electronics, receives orders of up to 500 items on an average day, and as much as 1,100 during special promotions and deals. The unique website was launched in 2012 with the vision of increasing the number of readers in the country. Our sales have almost doubled, and majority of our customers are people aged 18-24, said Mehedi Hasan Rana, a mentor at Rokomari.com. Rana added that at present, business is not that profitable, but it has potential as the market for online shoppers is growing every day. If you log-on to the website, the large number of customer testimonials or reviews will give you a glimpse into the quality of their products and services. As they deliver all over the country and accept payments through mobile banking, they have customers as far as the remote areas of Teknaf. Then there are some 24-hour pharmacies like Lazz Pharma Ltd that has home delivery service and you can order online or over mobile phone. A pharmacist will call back to confirm the order. I am a diabetic, and often forget to refill my insulin prescription. It is not possible for me to go to the pharmacy or send someone in person all the time, said M Ahmed, a retired bureaucrat who lives in Dhanmondi. So, I order online, and it is very convenient as they quickly deliver what I need, he added. Online retailers also receive a large number of orders from overseas Bangladeshis who make purchases for parents or relatives back home, particularly during festival times. Come Eid-ul-Azha, many of online shops also sell sacrificial animals and cater to the expatriates by offering delivery services for the sacrificial meat. Meanwhile, if you drive along the car showrooms of Dhaka, you will see that many have bikroy.com and carmudi.com on their signboards, announcing that their cars can also be bought from those websites. Websites like ekhanei.com and clickbd.com, which introduced the online buying and selling trend in Bangladesh, also offer opportunity for anyone to turn into a seller. Asif Khan, a doctor, recently sold his car through an advertisement in clickbd.com before moving abroad. I had already sold most of my household things on the site before moving to New York. The last thing I needed to sell was my car and thanks to clickbd.com, I was able to do that without any hassle as I was contacted by interested buyers and I got an excellent deal. My younger brothers always sell off their mobile phones through bikroy.com and clickbd when they want to upgrade the models and they are also very happy with the services these websites provide, Khan told this writer over Skype. Another website that stands apart from most online shopping sites in Bangladesh is pepeelika.com, which was launched quite recently and has similar features like the famous amazon.com site. Anyone can register their service, product, brand and business with pepeelika.com and go from there. It is great to see that the trend of shopping online is being facilitated by a number of virtual marketplaces since it is a convenient way to get things delivered right to your doorstep, without worrying about commuting through the terrifying traffic of the city. Parveen Ahmed also contributed to this article.