BSS
  10 Jan 2024, 14:26

E-commerce market empowering the country's women entrepreneurs

 
 
DHAKA, Jan 10, 2024 (BSS)- The dawn of internet accessibility has fanned the flames for online business in Bangladesh. As the world is now becoming technology-based, Bangladesh consumers suddenly have got a vast online platform that created an opportunity for them to have an easy buying of products staying at home. Everyone can buy or sell or get services from the online platforms. The online platforms were boosted more during the COVID-19 situation. Most of the people are now become dependent on online platforms.
 
 
E-commerce is also expanding rapidly in Bangladesh also. A revolutionary change has taken place in this sector during the COVID-19 period. The number of women entrepreneurs also increased during this period.
 
 
However, at the end of last year, a big shock came in this sector due to chaos in some big online platforms including Evaly. The government has opened Unique Business Identification (UBID) to bring discipline in this sector and most of the owners of the online platforms are women entrepreneurs who got registration in the first phase.
 
 
The women entrepreneurs said that the female are marching ahead apart from male and many women become self independent through e-commerce though they are facing some problems as most of the places of whole sale markets are not women-friendly till now. They hoped that the situation will be better in upcoming days.
 
 
Musfera Jahan, an entrepreneur, is a managing director of ‘Mom Fanush’ and chairman of ‘Gerosto Bari’. Her two online platforms got registrations in the first phase.
 
 
Jahan said she is selling boutique items, hand paint, block and handmade products from ‘Mom Fanush’ while ready spices are available in ‘Gerosto Bari’.
 
 
She said, “I started my online business in 2017. In the beginning it was only online based and I’ve got my family support. Now I’m also working offline apart from online.”
 
 
Jahan said e-commerce is now doing well as the people depend on online platforms. They preferred the online platforms for selling and buying. Besides, most of women are doing jobs and they have no enough time to go to market for shopping , she said.
 
 
About the problems of women entrepreneurs, she said women are facing many problems. “Though our businesses are online-centric, sourcing has to be done offline. I started with clothes. Now I made a separate platform for spices. I have to check and bring clothes myself. For this, I’ve to visit different places of the country. As a woman many times I felt insecurity. So, that I’ve needed to take help from others", she added.
 
 
Another woman entrepreneur Faraha Diba is the owner of ‘nithanbd’. She works with the dresses of male and female including panjabi, baby wear, and fashion accessories.
 
 
She said the stories of most of the women entrepreneurs are same. In fact, it is a struggle to open a business independently. Most of the women started their online business at their middle age. But now, many female students are starting their online business.
 
 
Diba said e-commerce is now becoming an industry and it is a demand of time. “I’ve started by business in 2018. And I’ve fully involved myself with the market in 2019”, she added.