1. Assignment
On
Electronic Commerce
Topic: the future of Ecommerce in Bangladesh
Submitted To:
Moktar Ali
Course Teacher
Department Of Marketing
University Of Dhaka
Submitted By:
Afroza Ahmed
Roll no: 94; Section: B
BBA 12th Batch
Department Of Marketing
University Of Dhaka.
Date of Submission: April 28, 2010

2. FUTURE OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE IN BANGLADESH
Now a day’s use of technology in each and every sector has been very common. In this
era of globalization we can hardly find any sector operating without using technology. So
there is no doubt and it is quite natural that business world will also use technology
effectively as well as efficiently and take the greatest advantage which is offered by
technology. Internet is one of the largest blessings of technology, which enables people
from the distant parts or county to interact or communicate easily. It has made the whole
globe a single village.
A new horizon has been opened up for trade and commerce, namely electronic
commerce (e-commerce) by none other than one and only internet. E-commerce entails
the use of the Internet In the marketing, identification, payment and delivery of goods and
services all are done by e-commerce using internet. This paper highlights the future of e-
commerce and constraints to e-commerce development in Bangladesh. Here the
challenges in implementing e-commerce in Bangladesh are discussed. Major legal,
regulatory and institutional constraints to e-commerce are needed to be identified to make
the implementation of E-commerce success. Specific policy changes aimed at bringing
improvements to the legal and regulatory environment affecting e-commerce is another
important issue.
The advancement of technology is a continuous process. In recent age it has given birth
to a digital age. Now the buyers and sellers both have much power because of the
massive use of many powerful technology as well as internet. Most of the business
today’s are operating under the e-commerce criteria over digital networks. Internet
connects the people with companies.
It has provided easier ways to serve its customer in a superior way and build stronger
customer relationship by creating value for customer. (Kotler, 2008:493)

3. To discover the future of e-commerce in Bangladesh, we must have a clear idea about
what e-commerce is:
DEFINITION OF E-COMMERCE:
In a word e-commerce can be defined as performing business activity via internet or any
other electronic network. Book defines “Electronic commerce is an emerging concept
that describes the process of buying and selling or exchange of product, service, and
information via compute network including the internet.”(Turban, 2004:04)
From the definition above we can say that performing any type of business activity
through internet is e-commerce.
BENEFITS OF E-COMMERCE:
There is some significant benefit of e-commerce to some particular people or parties.
They are mentioned bellow:
1. E-commerce provides benefits to organizations.
2. E-commerce provides benefits to customers and
3. E-commerce provides benefits to the society.(Turban,2004: 14)
CLASSIFICATIONS OF E-COMMERCE:
E-commerce’s different dimensions can be categorized as the following five ways:
1. B2B (business to business)
2. B2C (business to customer)
3. C2C (consumer to consumer)
4. B2E (business to employee)
5. Location commerce Or L.C

4. CURRENT STATE OF E-COMMERCE IN BANGLADESH:
In Bangladesh there is a limited application and use of B2C e-commerce .This field is not
yet much developed in Bangladesh. There are many reasons behind it one simple reason
is this country is not so developed and most of its citizens are poor and uneducated. It is
quit natural that there are few customers who is willing and can shop in internet. It will
take year’s to be developed this sector in bd.
The telecommunication infrastructure any country affect the Internet services directly,
cause it is largely depended on it. Telecommunication sector in Bangladesh is
characterized by:
1. Poor level of penetration
2. High cost to access and
3. A lengthy waiting period
The Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) Is the one and only provider
and enjoying monopoly in providing basic telephone connections. The private sectors are
now involving in cellular phones and also working as Internet Service Providers (ISP) .It
is very essential although easy and affordable access to Internet services, BTTB’s pricing
and regulatory strategy on ISPs are restrictive.
Due to many reasons B2C e-commerce will not be able to be of much use in the near
future in Bangladesh. The reasons are:
1. Low per capita income
2. A weak infrastructural and legal environment
3. Lack of trust between business and consumers.
4. Non-availability of international credit cards
5. Foreign currency remittance restrictions

5. 6. Delays and informal payments at customs clearance. (http://www.jobsproject.org)
The above reasons contribute greatly for the non operation of B2C e-commerce in
Bangladesh.
On the other hand, In Bangladesh B2B e-commerce is already in operation for years.
Export sector has the great use of it. A major field of the use of e-commerce is ready
made garments (RMG) sector. They use internet for searching potential buyer and
supplier. There some local websites which provides facility of C2C e-commerce in
Bangladesh. In those websites both the customer or buyer and seller can interact directly
with each other. (http://www.jobsproject.org)
OPERATING SECTORS OF E-COMMERCE IN BANGLADESH:
Currently there is some field where e-commerce is running successfully in Bangladesh.
Although this sectors are operating in our country in very limited operations due to the
lacks of adequate customer still it has many potentials to be pervasive. Anyway the
sectors are:
1. Online banking
2. Hotel booking
3. Airline ticket booking
4. Ready made garment.( http://www.american.edu)
5. Oil and Gas Sector
MAJOR CONSTRAINTS TO E-COMMERCE:
There are various constraints to e-commerce in particular in respect of Bangladesh. If we
can overcome this barrier there is possibility that we can successfully implement and

6. operate e-commerce. So in order to make the future of e-commerce in Bangladesh
prosperous we have to have careful watch on those. The constraints are:
1. Inadequate telephone connections in Bangladesh
2. There is no strong independent telecommunication sectors regulatory body
3. Lack of encryption law that precludes acceptance of digital signature.
4. There are no other options of Letter of Credit (L/C) to conduct international
transactions.
5. Bangladesh does not issue international credit cards for cross border transactions.
6. Interest rate ceiling on export loans. (http://www.jobsproject.org)
The status and performance of the telecommunications sector holds the control of entry,
value, and the image of Internet services.
Bangladesh is characterized by poor level of penetration (0.4 telephone for every 100
persons, Graph 1), high cost to access, $341 connection fees each telephone, one of the
highest in the world, and a lengthy waiting period -- average waiting period for a new
telephone connection varies from three months to ten years. It’s very difficult o
establishing a strong and independent regulatory body. Perfect framework can be of
immense whereby volume, efficiency and accessibility of the telecom services can be
enhanced.
FUTURE IN BANGLADESH:
As today’s business activities are no longer confined within the boundary of its won
country, company should adopt new technology in order to cope up with current
situations. Now a day’s click only company is much more popular. It refers to
company who sales only its product on internet. The emerging popularity of such
company has encouraged other brick and mortar companies to adapt to the new
technology to remain competitive in the field. In the developed countries there is

7. hardly any company which to some extend does not use technology. In Bangladesh
the situation is different. Bangladeshi firms which operate locally do not use internet
generally.
In Bangladesh most of the application of e-commerce is for export business. Export
oriented companies use this facility to contract customer. If the firm can not use this
facility it will fail to remain competitive in the industry.
Since Bangladesh is an underdeveloped country, there is a little possibility of
prosperity of e-commerce in Bangladesh. As the per capita income of our country is
low, only few customers can afford to use internet as well as order and purchase on
internet. Our infrastructure is so undeveloped and does not have the ability to support
the whole country with such facility. We all know that poverty is a curse. But no on
can deny the fact that this curse is surrounding us from all sides. In our country the
literacy rate is only 53% (UNICEF, 1999) and almost half the population lives below
the poverty line. Most people still remain unaware of consumer protection or
consumer vigilance concept
The use of internet or e-commerce to be successful in Bangladesh largely depends up
to the philosophy of businessman. Its operation will be only successful when the
business man believes that it’s less costly, efficient, convenient, effective, faster and
competitive. In fact it’s not sufficient only believe of the businessman. In reality it
must be profitable. But in Bangladesh there are some conservative businessman who
is not willing to change their current venture style.
Some people believe that use of internet will reduce the employment rate, as result
per capita income will fall and national economy will on crisis. Some also think that
using internet or e-commerce is an expensive venture which can not be afforded.
The future of e-commerce in Bangladesh may be prosperous. Because day by day the
literacy rate of our country is increasing. Today’s young generation is being inclined to
technology more and more. They are very interested to discover any new technological

8. offering and advantages. Although ours is poor country majorities of our educated people
today has a personal computer and have access to the internet. Companies are also
becoming more and more technology oriented. To remain competitive in the industry, to
sustain in this competitive age of globalization it is must to use internet to get updated
information about market changes, opportunities and threats.
Now in Bangladesh there are many multinational companies operating with successful
operation. As they are multinational they have there own intranet service as well as
strong communication network of internet in the field of education will also notice that
the knowledge of computer is also a mandatory to know. In Bangladesh we can see now
that from the very beginning level of school the computer is being taught how to operate.
There are different types of compulsory subject on computer in different stages of
education. In our country most of the internet users are the students, teachers, employees,
employers, researchers and all classes of educated people. Almost all educated person has
access to the internet now a days. it is not at all a matter of being surprised that not only
the professional but also the housewives are also using computer and internet.
This kind of inter users group are mainly the ultimate potential customers of all product
offered by e-commerce. As a result in spite of having poor and deprived population there
are lots of people who are blessed with all the resources, facilities and luxuries of the
society in order to enjoy superior facility provided by the new world. These classes of
people may make the future of e-commerce bright and a profitable venture in
Bangladesh.
If we try to dream about making the future of e-commerce successful we have to increase
the use of internet and develop a favorable environment.
E commerce has great potential future in Bangladesh. So the govt. should be favorable
with their legal restriction and take necessary steps to make the country infrastructural

9. developed and eligible with favorable environment for all operation of ecommerce
successfully.
Without the help of govt. this is not possible o make the operation of it successful in
Bangladesh.
It is a matter of the very much delightment for us that our current govt. has taken a
project to make the country fully digital. If this dreams our prim minister Sheikh Hasina
comes true then it is not needed to say that there would be no alternative of implementing
e commerce in all possible sector of business.
RECOMMENTATION:
To make ecommerce successful in our country we need the help of all aspect of people as
well as govt. and business industry to cope up or overcome the following limitations:
1. access to computer of household should be increased
2. the cost of using internet should be affordable to general people
3. user of software should be more simple for the easier use
4. Its use should be made as easy as TV and newspaper so that it require
unsophisticated skill.
5. The ecommerce should be more attractive to user in order to offset the limitation
of lack of experience of meeting directly with merchant and customer.
Laudon,2008,p:63

10. LIST OF REFFERENCE:
Century the Next Challenges, October, Dhaka.
Goldstein, Andrea and O’Connor, David. Undated. E-commerce for Development:
Prospects and Policy Issues, Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD).
Laudon C. K. , Traver C.G.,’Ecommerce’ (4th edition), India, Sanal Printer
Hossain, Najmul, 1994. Export Prospects of the Electronics Industry in Bangladesh,
http://www.jobsproject.org/content/publication/E-Commerce_in_Bangladesh_status.pdf
http://www1.american.edu/carmel/ap1579a/ecom.htm
Kotler P., Marketing Management,12th edition, USA,Prentice Hall
PricewaterhouseCoopers, 1999. Bangladesh Telecommunication Sector Reform
Project, Dhaka
PricewaterhouseCoopers, 1999. Bangladesh Telecommunication Sector Reform
Project, Dhaka
The Asia Foundation, 2000. Bangladesh Export-Apparel Industry: Into the 21st
The World Bank Residence Mission, Bangladesh.
Turban, 2004:04
UNICEF, 1999. Progotir Pathey: Achieving the Goals for Children in Bangladesh,
Dhaka