With traffic jams and interminable wait on the roads becoming permanent features prior to any major religious festival, buyers are now keen to shop online with the click of a button.
Once buyers looked forward to going to the markets and enjoy the entire purchasing thrill, which included some hearty negotiation with the sellers.
The pressure of fast-paced urban life coupled with the daunting prospect of spending hours on the road now inspire people to dive into the vast virtual world of shopping.
To cater to the demands of buyers, a large number of e-commerce organizations have emerged.
Most of these are Facebook-based, as around 40 per cent e-businesses are run through the social media platform.
Expanding fast, these are also providing jobs to young people.
It’s believed that the online marketplace, which has seen phenomenal expansion, is worth about Taka four hundred crore at present. 

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Eid festival and World Cup football have boosted online trade, opined associated bodies unanimously.







Abdul Awahed Tomal, general secretary of e-commerce Association, said: “Online orders have doubled; online shopping platforms are getting 1500-2000 orders every day.”
Buyers are ordering daily essentials like sugar, rice, milk, special items like vermicelli for Eid and clothes; though orders for smartphones have seen a surge, he added.
Talking about providing e-commerce services to rural Bangladesh, Tomal underlined infrastructural deficiencies.
“However, by utilizing the existing 8 thousand post offices of the country, we can reach remote areas.”
The post office staff are being given training in this regard, he informed.
Tomal is confident that if e-commerce can be launched with the support of post offices, then a massive market all over the country can be formed.
The growth of e-commerce is more than 20 per cent with an average 20,000 orders every day, observed the beaming e-commerce proponent.
Some e-commerce platforms are also delivering goods outside Dhaka though chief executive of Ajkerdeal.com, Fahim Mashrur, deems out of Dhaka delivery to be problematic.
“We will stop taking orders from outside Dhaka after June 10.”
The e-commerce sector within the country is worth about Taka four hundred crore; of this, half are Facebook-based operations, informed Fahim.
“Local e-commerce will flourish if the aggression of foreign ones is forestalled.”
This sector has given employment to around 2-3 lakh people in the last few years, said Ashiqul Alam Khan, chief executive of Priyoshop.com.
Foreign investment has come and we hope that the government will approve a digital commerce guideline to safeguard the interests of local entrepreneurs.
“From my outlet, World Cup accessories, like jerseys and flags have seen the most sales. The ‘cashback; plus ‘special rates’ have had enthusiastic response.”