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E-commerce takes a hit for coronavirus pandemic


Bangladeshpost
Published : 27 Feb 2021 07:54 PM

Amidst the inevitable turmoil and compulsive silence due to spread of coronavirus in the country, the e-commerce amongst others has taken a hit owing to the virus. Endowed with blessing in disguise, twenty-one-year-old Atashi availed the opportunity and made the pandemic situation a tool to start e-commerce business, reports BSS. 

Bangladeshi student Atashi studying music at a Kolkata school had to return home from India due to prevailing Coronavirus situation. After returning home she was passing her time idly, and got bored as she has nothing to do at her home. Even, she could not meet her friends due to COVID-19.

One day an idea came to her mind, and she planned to do business through online. She communicated one of her friends living in Dhaka and told her to send some three pieces and sarees. After getting those items, at first, she communicated her local friends and some sisters at Rajshahi city. She sent pictures of her products. And surprisingly, her all items were sold out within only three days. She earned Taka 3,000 against her investment of Taka 15,000.

It was the month of July when she started the e-business. Now, she is passing a very busy time with her business. She earned Taka 20,000 in the last month by selling garment items.

A large number of women have become financially solvent through e-business amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the business and institutional establishments were shut down in the country as well as the world due to the epidemic that brought about a massive change to the normal lifestyle.

Like other parts in the world, demand and popularity of the online as well as e-commerce business has started rising to a greater extent in Bangladesh.

As a result, some young entrepreneurs have built an online business platform with exceptional and diversified local products properly utilizing information and communication technologies.

‘Women and e-Commerce Forum’ has already become one of the largest online business platforms as the number of participating members in the platform has exceeded around 10 lakh making many women as successful entrepreneurs.

Like Atashi, 40-year-old Oly Sarker became unemployed due to Coronavirus. She ran a dance school. But her school was shut down and her income also stopped. She fell into a deep financial crisis as her husband also became unemployed.

In last June, she started selling food items through an online food valley. She just cooked the items and delivered those to deliverymen. In the first month she earned Taka 10,000. Now her income is raising gradually.

Oly said it was very difficult to run the family as ‘me and my husband have no income’. “Later, I’ve started selling food items. 

Now, I’m so busy at my kitchen,” she added.

She viewed that the e-business is playing a vital role in creating identity of the women which is very important in terms of women empowerment.