Online shopping spree

The scorching sun, the unbearable traffic snarls, and the hassles of negotiating your way through the milling crowds—fasting all the while—all this is certainly a daunting prospect. Not for Eid shoppers, though. For them, the joy of haggling and shopping with friends and family supersedes all these.
This trend, however, is changing, with the slow but steady emergence of online shopping in Bangladesh. Now, many busy shoppers find online shopping to be a better option than to roam around the shopping malls, even on occasions like Eid.
“I did my Eid shopping online this year, and it was no less fun than the real shopping,” said Nadia Tabassum Khan, an employee of a market research company.
Nadia said the best part of online shopping is that you can practically do it at any given point of time. “Even when I am at office and want a break from my work, I go to online stores and look for things. One has many options, since there are lots of online boutique shops.”
She said that after searching and researching for some time, she finally bought a salwar-kameez set from an online store called Matrik. “It was home delivered, and that was the best part. I would have had to spend hours in Chandni Chawk or Bashundhora to find my dress in this hot and humid weather; but here I can spend those hours inside an air-conditioned room. And I found what I wanted.”
Zajiba Tarannum, an MBA student of a private university, also bought jewellery and sandals from an online store called Le Mode. “I haven’t bought my Eid dress yet, but I am searching online,” she said.
Zajiba said lots of reviews of products are available on websites and Facebook pages. “It is not like that you cannot make an informed decision while buying those products. Lots of other customers post many reviews and, by going through those reviews, you can get ideas about the products. I believe it is better because when I used to go out for Eid shopping, it always felt like the shopkeepers were duping me and selling me the items for higher prices.”
Sarkar Afif, a young lawyer, believes that online shopping is the future. “We all use social media, especially Facebook. Interestingly, in your Facebook feed, you will find sponsored advertisements of lots of products these days. Even if you don’t want to, you will stumble upon those advertisements. Those ads lure you and make you an impulse buyer.”
Afif said he had not planned on taking a vacation during Eid. “But I saw a sponsored ad of a Thailand tour package during Eid. It was so well-advertised that I bought a package. It was not pre-planned, but I bought it, just because it was advertised in my Facebook feed in a glamorous manner.”
Afzal Hossain, chief executive officer (CEO) of bdshoopers.com, told The Independent that huge amounts of money are spent across the world to conduct research work on customer behaviour. “The search engines and social media feed are well-tuned in line with those research works. Intelligent software immediately detects customer behaviour and posts advertisements in accordance with that.”
Afzal explained, “Suppose someone clicks sponsored advertisements of a shoe store in his Facebook feed. Then, from the shoe website, he somehow goes to a clothing website, and browses three or four other clothing websites for shirts. Then the intelligent design of the Facebook algorithm has the data that this customer is looking for a shirt. After that, the advertisements of several shirt stores are automatically posted in the Facebook feed of that particular person, based on the data.”
“It’s not only about Eid. Because of these advertisements, people get habituated to shopping online. It increasingly becomes a part of their life.”
Mohammad Golam Morshed, employee of a private bank, told The Independent that he already has the habit of buying his groceries online. “For the past one year, I have bought my regular groceries from chaldal.com. The grocery shopping for this Eid would be no different.”
He, however, said that when it comes to Eid shopping for clothing or footwear, he still prefers the old-fashioned way. “You cannot measure the quality of a shoe from a picture posted online; you have to touch and feel it to gauge it.”
Bijon Islam, CEO of Lightcastle Partners (LCP), told The Independent that with stronger security protocols, easier transaction facilities achieved with assistance from banks and trusted logistic companies, the digital consumer class is actually on the rise in Bangladesh.
LCP conducted a study titled ‘The Rise of Digital Consumer Class in Bangladesh’ this year to get an insight into the online shopping trends in Bangladesh. LCP conducted the online study among 450 respondents in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet—three well-developed e-commerce markets in the country. Coming from emerging middle, and the middle and affluent classes (monthly income within the range of USD 251–650) households, around 64.4 per cent of those respondents are aged 20 to 40, with 35 per cent representation from the 20- to 30-year age group.
The study said consumers are becoming more amenable to online transactions these days. This has resulted in more frequent visits and transactions online. The study found that around 18 per cent respondents visit e-commerce sites once a day and 22 per cent once a week.
Nearly 35 per cent purchases are concentrated on weekends, the study noted. During religious festivals like Eid, 27 per cent of the respondents buy things online, and during other festivals, like the Bengali and English New Years, 20 per cent of them do the same.
The research found that 28 per cent of digital consumers spend, on an average, BDT 1,000 to 10,000 on each visit. Fashion-wear comprises 22 per cent and fashion accessories comprise 18 per cent of all the transactions in e-commerce sites.
Most of the respondents (67 per cent) prefer cash on delivery (COD) mechanisms. However, mobile payment gateways, if correctly leveraged, can be promising alternatives, as the survey found that 32 per cent of the respondents would like to use mobile payment gateways, with a more easy-to-use mobile wallet option.
“With the advent of 3G internet, coupled with the proliferation of smarter gadgets and availability of secured and flexible mobile financial services, the e-commerce industry in Bangladesh is poised for exponential growth,” said Bijon Islam.
He also said that their research suggests that 38 per cent of the middle and affluent consumers would definitely like to increase their online purchases next year. “This Eid is an instance of the growing trend. The number of online shoppers has shot up exponentially this Eid,” he added.

Online shopping spree

The scorching sun, the unbearable traffic snarls, and the hassles of negotiating your way through the milling crowdsfasting all the whileall this is certainly a daunting prospect. Not for Eid shoppers, though. For them, the joy of haggling and shopping with friends and family supersedes all these. This trend, however, is changing, with the slow but steady emergence of online shopping in Bangladesh. Now, many busy shoppers find online shopping to be a better option than to roam around the shopping malls, even on occasions like Eid. I did my Eid shopping online this year, and it was no less fun than the real shopping, said Nadia Tabassum Khan, an employee of a market research company. Nadia said the best part of online shopping is that you can practically do it at any given point of time. Even when I am at office and want a break from my work, I go to online stores and look for things. One has many options, since there are lots of online boutique shops. She said that after searching and researching for some time, she finally bought a salwar-kameez set from an online store called Matrik. It was home delivered, and that was the best part. I would have had to spend hours in Chandni Chawk or Bashundhora to find my dress in this hot and humid weather; but here I can spend those hours inside an air-conditioned room. And I found what I wanted. Zajiba Tarannum, an MBA student of a private university, also bought jewellery and sandals from an online store called Le Mode. I havent bought my Eid dress yet, but I am searching online, she said. Zajiba said lots of reviews of products are available on websites and Facebook pages. It is not like that you cannot make an informed decision while buying those products. Lots of other customers post many reviews and, by going through those reviews, you can get ideas about the products. I believe it is better because when I used to go out for Eid shopping, it always felt like the shopkeepers were duping me and selling me the items for higher prices. Sarkar Afif, a young lawyer, believes that online shopping is the future. We all use social media, especially Facebook. Interestingly, in your Facebook feed, you will find sponsored advertisements of lots of products these days. Even if you dont want to, you will stumble upon those advertisements. Those ads lure you and make you an impulse buyer. Afif said he had not planned on taking a vacation during Eid. But I saw a sponsored ad of a Thailand tour package during Eid. It was so well-advertised that I bought a package. It was not pre-planned, but I bought it, just because it was advertised in my Facebook feed in a glamorous manner. Afzal Hossain, chief executive officer (CEO) of bdshoopers.com, told The Independent that huge amounts of money are spent across the world to conduct research work on customer behaviour. The search engines and social media feed are well-tuned in line with those research works. Intelligent software immediately detects customer behaviour and posts advertisements in accordance with that. Afzal explained, Suppose someone clicks sponsored advertisements of a shoe store in his Facebook feed. Then, from the shoe website, he somehow goes to a clothing website, and browses three or four other clothing websites for shirts. Then the intelligent design of the Facebook algorithm has the data that this customer is looking for a shirt. After that, the advertisements of several shirt stores are automatically posted in the Facebook feed of that particular person, based on the data. Its not only about Eid. Because of these advertisements, people get habituated to shopping online. It increasingly becomes a part of their life. Mohammad Golam Morshed, employee of a private bank, told The Independent that he already has the habit of buying his groceries online. For the past one year, I have bought my regular groceries from chaldal.com. The grocery shopping for this Eid would be no different. He, however, said that when it comes to Eid shopping for clothing or footwear, he still prefers the old-fashioned way. You cannot measure the quality of a shoe from a picture posted online; you have to touch and feel it to gauge it. Bijon Islam, CEO of Lightcastle Partners (LCP), told The Independent that with stronger security protocols, easier transaction facilities achieved with assistance from banks and trusted logistic companies, the digital consumer class is actually on the rise in Bangladesh. LCP conducted a study titled The Rise of Digital Consumer Class in Bangladesh this year to get an insight into the online shopping trends in Bangladesh. LCP conducted the online study among 450 respondents in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhetthree well-developed e-commerce markets in the country. Coming from emerging middle, and the middle and affluent classes (monthly income within the range of USD 251650) households, around 64.4 per cent of those respondents are aged 20 to 40, with 35 per cent representation from the 20- to 30-year age group. The study said consumers are becoming more amenable to online transactions these days. This has resulted in more frequent visits and transactions online. The study found that around 18 per cent respondents visit e-commerce sites once a day and 22 per cent once a week. Nearly 35 per cent purchases are concentrated on weekends, the study noted. During religious festivals like Eid, 27 per cent of the respondents buy things online, and during other festivals, like the Bengali and English New Years, 20 per cent of them do the same. The research found that 28 per cent of digital consumers spend, on an average, BDT 1,000 to 10,000 on each visit. Fashion-wear comprises 22 per cent and fashion accessories comprise 18 per cent of all the transactions in e-commerce sites. Most of the respondents (67 per cent) prefer cash on delivery (COD) mechanisms. However, mobile payment gateways, if correctly leveraged, can be promising alternatives, as the survey found that 32 per cent of the respondents would like to use mobile payment gateways, with a more easy-to-use mobile wallet option. With the advent of 3G internet, coupled with the proliferation of smarter gadgets and availability of secured and flexible mobile financial services, the e-commerce industry in Bangladesh is poised for exponential growth, said Bijon Islam. He also said that their research suggests that 38 per cent of the middle and affluent consumers would definitely like to increase their online purchases next year. This Eid is an instance of the growing trend. The number of online shoppers has shot up exponentially this Eid, he added.