Women Entrepreneurs Are Revolutionizing E-Commerce

DHAKA, August 31, 2024 (BSS) – Women are now not only busy with the household core, but also contribute to the family by earning money. Many of them continue to show the way to income for other young women and housewives.

Women from different parts of the country have revolutionised e-commerce by taking advantage of Digital Bangladesh.

Stakeholders say the global market system is now almost internet-based. This was further proven during the coronavirus pandemic, with buyers and sellers buying and selling goods online while staying at home during this time.

Especially women entrepreneurs now sell a large part of their products to various e-commerce companies online instead of selling them directly in the market. On the one hand, this ensures fair prices for their products and on the other hand, it reduces health risks. We can say that this is a “quiet revolution” in Digital Bangladesh.

After completing her studies, Nice Aktar from Bogura started working in agriculture with her husband Sazedur Rahman on a 20-decimal plot of land next to their home.

Initially, Nice grew papayas, and raised poultry and cows. She also continued sewing and crafting, which she learned from her mother and aunts.

At first, she sold her goods at a local market through her husband. But she said she did not receive fair prices for her products.

“I often got low prices because I didn’t know the market prices before. But the reality has changed. I don’t have to send my husband to the market to sell our products. I contact all the online sellers myself, using my smartphone,” said the confident entrepreneur Nice.

Not only Nice Aktar, Mahmud Aktar Adamdighi, Asma Islam Bhaluki and Baba Rahman are also creating a revolution in e-commerce.

Nice said online trading platforms Parmida, Market Bangla, Daraz Bangladesh and Food for Nation buy agricultural products directly from them.

The entrepreneurs said that the habit and confidence in selling products online that developed during the coronavirus pandemic has boosted interest in smartphones and e-commerce among others.

It has been found that the number of internet and smartphone users among farmers and women in rural areas is increasing day by day.

It was known that the government provides various types of training to entrepreneurs across the country. On the initiative of the ICT Division, various types of training are provided on e-commerce and freelancing.

Apart from the government, various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Action Aid, provide training to women entrepreneurs across the country.

But Nice Aktar said there were still some problems. “We are village people and we don’t have the right technological knowledge. But this is a potential field for our frames,” she said.

Nice said that rural women will be more encouraged to produce agricultural products if the supply chain is facilitated online through government and non-governmental initiatives. In this regard, she sought cooperation from the authorities concerned.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs provides training in various professions aimed at creating job opportunities for women.

“Women are now not sitting at home and are emerging as successful entrepreneurs. Women have revolutionised e-commerce and petty trading in Bangladesh using information technology,” said Mahmuda Aktar, an entrepreneur.

She said women are the biggest contributors to e-commerce and manage 80 per cent of all online and e-commerce organisations in the country. They have set an example of women empowerment in society,” she added.