Online business surges ahead of Pohela Baishakh

With Pohela Baishakh, the largest non-religious festival of Bangladesh, coming closer, e-commerce sites and F-commerce pages are having a busy time.
While e-commerce sites and Facebook pages selling Boishakh-themed clothing remain the top choice among the buyers, websites and pages selling foods, shoes and other gift items are also logging good sales. 
Nadia Tabassum Khan, an employee of a multinational company, said she had ordered a number of sarees from an online shop, Gift Hampers BD. “There are hundreds of online boutique shops that sell their products through their e-commerce sites or Facebook pages. There are plenty of options for me to choose from.”
Nadia Khan said she chose Gift Hampers BD because it supplies its products in beautiful designer boxes.
Talking to The Independent, Papya Jubair, owner of Gift Hampers BD, said it has brought special Boishakh-themed tant (handloom) sarees from Boishakh with an eye on Pohela Boishakh.
“There are lots of other sites and pages selling sarees like us. So we wanted to give something unique. That’s why we have come up with this designer box.” 
She said, “In the last few days, we've been able to sell over 200 sarees. Events like Boishakh give us the opportunity to boost our sales.”
Menca, another online saree store that sells sarees through its online pages, has come up with an all-new themed collection. Sabiha Akand, owner of Menca, said designing sarees with an innovative Boishakh theme was not an easy task.
“When you shop at the market, there is always the chance that you might get tired and end up buying things from a store just to avoid moving further. In an online environment, you can just do that on your smartphone, and so, online stores have to come up with unique things. Otherwise, people won’t buy things from them,” she said.
Akand said the unique selling point (USP) of her product is that every saree is unique and different from the others. No saree is the same. “I have got a very good response in the last few days. But I don’t produce sarees in bulk.”
Meanwhile, online grocery stores are bulking up with sales orders for hilsha fish, rice and different food items. Khadija Afreen, a trainer of corporate communications, ordered hilsha fish through chaldaal.com.
“I plan to invite my family and friends on Pohela Boishakh to my house. I bought a large hilsha fish and other items, including Basmati rice, coconut and different spices through chaldaal.com. That saves me the hassle from going to the market,” she said. 
Online food store Meals Bangladesh has come up with ‘Boishakhi Offer’. Md Assaltuzzaman, owner of Meals Bangladesh, said: “On Pohela Boishakh, many people don’t want to cook, so they prefer to order food from outside or eat out. So we offer a full-cooked family meal on Boishakh with hilsha fish and different bhortas. We will deliver the food for free.” 
Talking to The Independent, e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) president Rajib Ahmed said around 7,500 active Facebook pages and 600 active websites run the online business in Bangladesh.
“Events like Eid and Pohela Boishakh give opportunities to these online-based businesses to grow,” he said.

Online business surges ahead of Pohela Baishakh

With Pohela Baishakh, the largest non-religious festival of Bangladesh, coming closer, e-commerce sites and F-commerce pages are having a busy time. While e-commerce sites and Facebook pages selling Boishakh-themed clothing remain the top choice among the buyers, websites and pages selling foods, shoes and other gift items are also logging good sales. Nadia Tabassum Khan, an employee of a multinational company, said she had ordered a number of sarees from an online shop, Gift Hampers BD. There are hundreds of online boutique shops that sell their products through their e-commerce sites or Facebook pages. There are plenty of options for me to choose from. Nadia Khan said she chose Gift Hampers BD because it supplies its products in beautiful designer boxes. Talking to The Independent, Papya Jubair, owner of Gift Hampers BD, said it has brought special Boishakh-themed tant (handloom) sarees from Boishakh with an eye on Pohela Boishakh. There are lots of other sites and pages selling sarees like us. So we wanted to give something unique. Thats why we have come up with this designer box. She said, In the last few days, weve been able to sell over 200 sarees. Events like Boishakh give us the opportunity to boost our sales. Menca, another online saree store that sells sarees through its online pages, has come up with an all-new themed collection. Sabiha Akand, owner of Menca, said designing sarees with an innovative Boishakh theme was not an easy task. When you shop at the market, there is always the chance that you might get tired and end up buying things from a store just to avoid moving further. In an online environment, you can just do that on your smartphone, and so, online stores have to come up with unique things. Otherwise, people wont buy things from them, she said. Akand said the unique selling point (USP) of her product is that every saree is unique and different from the others. No saree is the same. I have got a very good response in the last few days. But I dont produce sarees in bulk. Meanwhile, online grocery stores are bulking up with sales orders for hilsha fish, rice and different food items. Khadija Afreen, a trainer of corporate communications, ordered hilsha fish through chaldaal.com. I plan to invite my family and friends on Pohela Boishakh to my house. I bought a large hilsha fish and other items, including Basmati rice, coconut and different spices through chaldaal.com. That saves me the hassle from going to the market, she said. Online food store Meals Bangladesh has come up with Boishakhi Offer. Md Assaltuzzaman, owner of Meals Bangladesh, said: On Pohela Boishakh, many people dont want to cook, so they prefer to order food from outside or eat out. So we offer a full-cooked family meal on Boishakh with hilsha fish and different bhortas. We will deliver the food for free. Talking to The Independent, e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) president Rajib Ahmed said around 7,500 active Facebook pages and 600 active websites run the online business in Bangladesh. Events like Eid and Pohela Boishakh give opportunities to these online-based businesses to grow, he said.