online bookstores

New horizon for bookworms

For bookworms of the country, online bookstores have emerged as an oasis to quench their thirst for good reading, given the lack of bookstores and the unbearable traffic to get to them, particularly in Dhaka. The book-loving populace had been searching for a solution like Amazon.com and Rokomari.com has become almost synonymous with online bookstores here. What is it?
Mehedi Hasan Rana, Head of Marketing and Branding of Rokomari.com informed The Independent that the website was launched in January 19, 2012 as an online bookstore. “The initial idea was to sell books through online orders. We have now expanded to include music and other CD/DVD’s and plan to further diversify our catalogue.” About the website
The website has a search button at the top of the home page, where a customer can enquire about particular books. Explained Rana, “The website categorises books based on over 30 subjects. A link to subject-wise lists is displayed on the home page. It also categorizes lists based on the author and publisher. It displays a list of award-winning books, Editor’s Pick (recommended by an in-house expert committee), Rokomari bestsellers and special discounts (in arrangement with publishers).” How to order?
Customer service phone numbers are provided on the home page of the website. One can simply call and provide the home address for delivery of the chosen book. A customer can register through a standard procedure. Every time a registered customer places an order through the “Buy Now” option, his/her information is cross-checked with the database, followed by a verification call. For unregistered users, clicking the “Buy Now” button leads them to a standard registration form.
Delivery and payment
Abu Bakar Siddique, Head of PR & Events at Rokomari, remarked that while Rokomari.com is an e-commerce website, it operates on the cash-on-delivery method. “When we first started cash-on-delivery, people laughed saying this method would not work for an e-commerce site. But, it has proven to the best route to receive payments.”
The website has also incorporated an online payment system through credit card/debit card issued by banks such as Dutch Bangla Bank Limited (DBBL) and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB).
The website has also entered contracts with four courier services, Sundorban Courier, Sonar Tori Courier, iExpress and Udvash, besides using the government postal service. It caters to all 64 districts of the country. Upon delivery, a customer needs to pay an additional Tk 30 over the price, regardless of the number of volumes he/she ordered from any corner of the country. The normal delivery time is within one to five days, depending on the distance. Within Dhaka, the delivery time is normally one day.
Security issues
Siddique believes the network security of the website is strong. It updates information every three hours and apart from some minor update-related glitches, the website hasn’t faced any major problem or security threats since its launch. All the products sent through the courier services are insured by the courier service as per the Postal Act.
Challenges facing the site
The main problem that the website faces is regarding delivery, especially finding trustworthy courier services. “We have received complaints from customers that the delivery persons demand money from them. That ruins our reputation,” said Rana.
He added that the site pledges to provide books at the customer’s doorstep within a certain delivery period, but traffic clogs and strikes make that a challenge. “Fake customers are another problem. But, currently less than 1per cent of the orders placed have proven fake,” stated Rana.
There are also certain issues with the payment gateway. “Real e-commerce can’t be implemented unless there is a payment gateway, through which customers can pay online,” he said.
Finding able manpower is another problem. Currently, a team of 100 members run the Rokomari website. “It’s not easy to run an e-commerce site. Quality control is very important.”
Factbox -In the online bookstore business, Rokomari.com enjoys a monopoly. Market research conducted by the site has found that so far, Rokomari controls 99 per cent of the online bookstore market. Other competitors are boi24.com, bookshelve.com and Ryans Archive.
-A market research conducted by the site has found that almost 80 percent of the educated population of the capital is aware of the website, mainly because it had a stall in the 2012, 2013 Boimelas, and among those 80 percent, nearly 30 percent have ordered books from the site. -Data provided by the site authority said it has sold over 3 lakh books since its launch, serving over 2 lakh customers.
-Rokomari showcases over 1,20,000 different books on its website. Rokomari receives around 300-350 orders for books daily, worth around Tk 700-800.

 

online bookstores

New horizon for bookworms

For bookworms of the country, online bookstores have emerged as an oasis to quench their thirst for good reading, given the lack of bookstores and the unbearable traffic to get to them, particularly in Dhaka. The book-loving populace had been searching for a solution like Amazon.com and Rokomari.com has become almost synonymous with online bookstores here. What is it? Mehedi Hasan Rana, Head of Marketing and Branding of Rokomari.com informed The Independent that the website was launched in January 19, 2012 as an online bookstore. The initial idea was to sell books through online orders. We have now expanded to include music and other CD/DVDs and plan to further diversify our catalogue. About the website The website has a search button at the top of the home page, where a customer can enquire about particular books. Explained Rana, The website categorises books based on over 30 subjects. A link to subject-wise lists is displayed on the home page. It also categorizes lists based on the author and publisher. It displays a list of award-winning books, Editors Pick (recommended by an in-house expert committee), Rokomari bestsellers and special discounts (in arrangement with publishers). How to order? Customer service phone numbers are provided on the home page of the website. One can simply call and provide the home address for delivery of the chosen book. A customer can register through a standard procedure. Every time a registered customer places an order through the Buy Now option, his/her information is cross-checked with the database, followed by a verification call. For unregistered users, clicking the Buy Now button leads them to a standard registration form. Delivery and payment Abu Bakar Siddique, Head of PR Events at Rokomari, remarked that while Rokomari.com is an e-commerce website, it operates on the cash-on-delivery method. When we first started cash-on-delivery, people laughed saying this method would not work for an e-commerce site. But, it has proven to the best route to receive payments. The website has also incorporated an online payment system through credit card/debit card issued by banks such as Dutch Bangla Bank Limited (DBBL) and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB). The website has also entered contracts with four courier services, Sundorban Courier, Sonar Tori Courier, iExpress and Udvash, besides using the government postal service. It caters to all 64 districts of the country. Upon delivery, a customer needs to pay an additional Tk 30 over the price, regardless of the number of volumes he/she ordered from any corner of the country. The normal delivery time is within one to five days, depending on the distance. Within Dhaka, the delivery time is normally one day. Security issues Siddique believes the network security of the website is strong. It updates information every three hours and apart from some minor update-related glitches, the website hasnt faced any major problem or security threats since its launch. All the products sent through the courier services are insured by the courier service as per the Postal Act. Challenges facing the site The main problem that the website faces is regarding delivery, especially finding trustworthy courier services. We have received complaints from customers that the delivery persons demand money from them. That ruins our reputation, said Rana. He added that the site pledges to provide books at the customers doorstep within a certain delivery period, but traffic clogs and strikes make that a challenge. Fake customers are another problem. But, currently less than 1per cent of the orders placed have proven fake, stated Rana. There are also certain issues with the payment gateway. Real e-commerce cant be implemented unless there is a payment gateway, through which customers can pay online, he said. Finding able manpower is another problem. Currently, a team of 100 members run the Rokomari website. Its not easy to run an e-commerce site. Quality control is very important. Factbox -In the online bookstore business, Rokomari.com enjoys a monopoly. Market research conducted by the site has found that so far, Rokomari controls 99 per cent of the online bookstore market. Other competitors are boi24.com, bookshelve.com and Ryans Archive. -A market research conducted by the site has found that almost 80 percent of the educated population of the capital is aware of the website, mainly because it had a stall in the 2012, 2013 Boimelas, and among those 80 percent, nearly 30 percent have ordered books from the site. -Data provided by the site authority said it has sold over 3 lakh books since its launch, serving over 2 lakh customers. -Rokomari showcases over 1,20,000 different books on its website. Rokomari receives around 300-350 orders for books daily, worth around Tk 700-800.