When Bangladesh Stepping into Arena of E-Commerce

Despite tons of hurdles in the way of overall growth of country, Bangladesh is encompassing wider range of technologies and e-commerce growth is its evidence. Bangladesh is stepping into arena of e-commerce slowly, but surely and steadily. It is the e-commerce performance for B2C category, which seems much promising and needs focus. Let’s check what it actually needs.

Bangladesh is considered as an under privilege country with high density population, high rate of illiteracy, high poverty rate, and scanty infrastructure to adopt advance technologies that most of the countries in the world enjoy. Despite such hindrance, today country has 7 million Internet users with more than 200 ISP and 100 million mobile Internet users. Nearly one million Internet users enjoy Internet and mobile banking services subscriptions and contributing nearly 100 core transactions each month.

Factors Favoring Online Shopping Trends
This big volume of Internet users have boosted the growth of e-commerce in unprecedented volume and more than 2500 online shops or say e-storefronts are operating in Bangladesh. Each prosperous brick-and-mortar store is enjoying an online identity offering online shopping or e-transaction facilities for online shoppers. No doubt, the growth of Internet is not one-day or one-year miracle, but the consistent efforts of government, international trade and other organization, contribution of world banks and finance institutions, and finally, contribution of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs residing outside the country.

Initiatives Made to Sustain Online Shopping Growth
Government had made target of “Digital Bangladesh in 2012” and provided all sorts of legal, financial, and infrastructural support to boost the online shopping infrastructure and intentions among the citizens through various nodal agencies. Banks in Bangladesh have formed a common platform to ease the lives of Internet shoppers and money transactions needy Bangladeshis within and outside the country. Recent collaboration of banks with Payza Bangladesh like payment gateway service providers are giving solid evidences of the good intentions of the country and its people to keep pace with time and modernize the society by-and-large.

If we look at the recent development, we can realize that Bangladesh is stepping into arena of e-commerce growth with solid infrastructure.

• Licenses issued to the maximum WiMAX services
• Licenses issued to the VoIP operators by BRTC
• Some additional IIG licenses issued by BRTC
• Permission for upgrade network to TD-LTE for Banglalion and Augere 

Besides these, recent onslaught of mobility have solved many problems indirectly like affordability of computing devices and spreading wired network because mobile devices are cheaper alternative against standalone desktops or laptops with limited mobility. Advent of 3G/4G technologies has solved connectivity issues at greater extents. Introduction of Payza like payment gateway provider in Bangladesh have eliminated the needs of bureaucrats in money transactions or remittance for Bangladeshis sending or receiving money from and to the country.

Nature of Online Shops in Bangladesh
Besides government services, ticket bookings for rail, air, or land transports are optimum usage of e-commerce or e-transactions. Various industries including garments, hospitality, travels, job market, outsourcing, groceries, retails, and many essential commodity businesses are witnessing a big surge through their online shopping opportunity services. In due course, following e-commerce or say online shopping websites are witnessing high revenue turn over.

•  Bikroy
•  Akhoni
•  Cellbazaar
•  ClickBD
•  BDjobs
•  Rokomari
•  And many others 

If we closely examine, majority of online shopping services were C2C nature in recent past, but now B2C types of online shopping is becoming trendy. Reasons are obvious as payment system for online shoppers is becoming more secure and safe against other delivery and collection methods in past traditions. Today any citizen can use her bank account to topple money in Payza Bangladesh account and easily as well as quickly make online payments with the cheapest rates in the world.

Thus, Bangladesh is becoming a paradise for online shoppers gradually and heading towards a bright as well as promising future.

Sending Money in Bangladesh Was Painful Once Not Now

Bangladesh came into existence after it's division from India earlier and later from Pakistan. The country has many stories of migrating folks who still migrate for the sake of money since then. Few years back, sending or receiving money to and from Bangladesh was daunting and painful experience, but Payza Bangladesh has changed the scenario today.

Initially Bangladesh was an eastern part of Pakistan, which came into existence due to the partition phenomenon of Indian peninsula. Bangladesh has been through troubles and suffering from social, political, economic, and educational problems ever since its origin.

Partition Phenomena
The first partition from India was indeed the series of painful experiences because the majority of people came in Bangladesh were from Bengal race, so Bengali became their national language while remaining Urdu speakers who came from rests of neighboring states of India fall at minority in Bangladesh at ethical and cultural level. Therefore, this minority community has strong ties with their relatives in India and some in Pakistan who came into picture after second partition of Bangladesh. The real threads of the ties were financial, wedding, family links, religious and cultural links for essential practices like burial and some were pure but strong emotional bonds as human beings.

Painful Sending and Receiving Money
These immigration ties were demanding frequent travel and money exchanges between the people of these two to three nations. In the olden days, sending or receiving money was uneasy and unsecured because, the carrier and the trust factors were in question. The recent new generations of Bangladeshis had begun migration to the western and other countries of the world for the sake of better opportunities and life.This has worsened issues related to money transactions further by adding currency and distance factors in it.

If you have heard horrendous stories of the pain of sending and receiving money from the elder immigrant folk of Bangladesh, you probably would have realized the importance of the one-click solution in the form of payment gateways on Internet thoroughly. According to the old folks, officials had created a lot of hassle in sending and receiving money. Sometimes they have to pay bribe to the border security guards for the cover or carrier crossing the borders frequently in due course of money transactions.

Gradual Improvements
Gradually, other means of money transfer came to the surface and eased the lives of many Bangladeshi folks who are dispersed across the globe and want to keep their ties intact with their Bangladeshi relatives or counterparts. Recently, the government of Bangladesh allowed Payza Bangladesh as official payment gateway, which will work on the accepted terms and respect the laws of country and most importantly, for the betterment of Bangladeshis by-and-large.

Payza Changing the Scenario
Payza has put an excellent service called, SimplySendBD as low cost, convenient, and fast online money transaction facilities where people of Bangladesh and immigrant folks can receive or send their money in a highly cost-effective way rapidly yet securely. Payza Bangladesh has tied knots with local banks of Bangladesh for easy local bank account access and money topping facilities for online shopping in Bangladesh as well as sending and receiving money from and through Bangladesh at the lowest remittance fees.

The ease through e-transaction has boosted the outsourcing and export sectors to grow and perform secure and conductive financial environment that was a nightmare once in the same country and for the same people of the Bangladesh.

If you have any questions or comments, we invite you to share them with us by leaving a comment below or joining us on our Payza Facebook and Payza Twitter pages.  

Bangladeshi Businesses Favors Buy Button of Facebook Commerce

Facebook has devised and tested Buy button for all levels of businesses. Its success is in favor of small to medium businesses of Bangladesh because they are heavily relying on Facebook for traffic and reputation. Moreover, lean approaches of Facebook to integrate and to let people select the payment gateway of their tastes and choices may prove a boon in Bangladesh as Payza Bangladesh is obvious choice of people for safe and secure transactions.

Great Aspirations of Facebook
Since the beginning, Facebook is eyeing on e-commerce activities comingled in its social media environment. Therefore, initially it had introduced virtual money in various games, but responses were not good. Now, it has followed the experiment of Twitter and introduced a ‘Buy’ button in its ads, chats, and post pages to purchase products or services directly without re-routing on any website or mobile app of the particular business.

Its beta testing is indicating desired success and shoppers are reluctant to use new approach of Facebook towards e-commerce. Fundamentally, Facebook has potential to become an e-commerce giant against its ultimate rivals like e-bay, Amazon, Google, Apple, etc. but in a bit different way and manner. Whatever are the aspirations of Facebook by entering in e-commerce arena, one thing is sure that Bangladeshi businesses are in win-win situations.

Importance of Facebook Commerce in Bangladesh
Before citing anything about Facebook commerce, let me tell you how Facebook had played vital role in the growth of online shopping in Bangladesh. Initially, very few entrepreneurs and brick stores have courage to enter in online shopping opportunities. They have selected Facebook for their online media and won hearts of millions through effective presentation of products/services and after sale support.

No doubt, until today Facebook is a choice for online shopping outlet development in Bangladesh, as it is low cost investment for online shopping identity for Bangladeshi businesses of small to large scale. Facebook has enormous number of users in Bangladesh and numbers are still rising at rocket speed.

Mobile proliferation and easy Internet access had poured more fuel in growth of Facebook commerce. Almost all major to minor brands have Facebook presence in form of Facebook fan pages or commerce pages. Businesses are in race to win more likes, share, and getting good reviews of their commercial adventures.

Conductive Environment for Facebook Commerce in Bangladesh
These all have created a conductive environment for Bangladeshi businesses to use Buy button explicitly. Brands have earned great trust of its patrons and potential consumers upfront. They now need ‘Buy’ button like conversion agent to hit their conversion goals with the shortest loop of buying process for online shoppers in Bangladesh.

Moreover, Facebook allows online shoppers to select payment methods and payment gateway of their choice as well as express their willingness to share their private data with Facebook for future checkouts. These lean approaches of Facebook have placed ease for shoppers to go with their favorite Bangladesh payment gateway provider like Payza Bangladesh.

Payza is not only offering the cheapest alternative for e-transactions, but it also is ensuring high security and safety for its users. Thus, Bangladeshi businesses are more reluctant to use Facebook commerce and ‘Buy’ button like initiatives willingly.

Influence of Payment System on Internet Shopping in Bangladesh

Well functioning payment system means safe and secure Internet shopping experiences. Therefore, it is mandatory to know existing payment system in the country and push improvements if needed to boost financial growth of the country. Let’s know the payment system in Bangladesh and find out how it adds value in life of an average Bangladeshi.

Recent financial surveys, financial reports for government plus non-government agencies, and suggestions from e-commerce experts are indicating that payment system is vital element for e-commerce conversions for the targeted audience residing anywhere across the globe.

Payment Method: Success Key of Conversion
If you want to catch the target audience in a region or country, you need to respect the online payment preferences of the online shoppers who are residing in that particular region or culture. At psychological point of view, the audience of particular region or culture generally put trust on selected payment methods.
For instance, Japanese people are cash-oriented and prefer Konbini payment system where cash is collected at convenience stores located in nearby areas. In China, Alipay is enjoying same status as PayPal in American region and UnionPay as Chinese credit card gradually picking up speed. In case of Brazilian audience, your e-commerce store should have Boleto Bancario payment method integrated.

Prevailing Payment Methods in Bangladesh
The same is true for Bangladeshis because they highly rely on the Payza Bangladesh like payment gateway services against PayPal and other similar international players. The true reasons behind such popularity are new online payment system call SimplySend and e-wallet.

SimplySend
Legally the payment system in Bangladesh is under Payment System Department (PSD) of Bangladesh since 2012 and it has given green signal for the formation of National Payment Switch Bangladesh (NPSB) platform by involving majority of banks operated in Bangladesh.

This has facilitated banks to issue or allow various credit/debit card payments using multiple routes including ATM for cash and online payment through cards with the least service charges against the hefty charges of international credit cards. Moreover, this platform has eased the online payment by omitting merchant payment gateways in between the process.

E-wallet
The next big thing Payza has gifted to the Internet shoppers and other electronic currency or payment method users is e-wallet. E-wallet is working based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. It allows innovative modes of payment in many unique use-cases. This way Payza has offered the most suitable and economical payment system for Bangladeshis by respecting their culture and laws of lands beautifully.

In Early Days
In earlier days, internet shopping in Bangladesh was mostly thriving on simple ads and Facebook like social media platforms where no secure and safe payment methods were available on the web. Tendency of Bangladeshis were pay-on-delivery or other traditional methods of payment due to underprivileged society where trust factor was a sensitive issues. Gradually, Payza Bangladesh has made payment safe, secure, rapid, and cheaper against other available payment systems in the Bangladesh.