The pandemic has brought several noticeable changes in our day-to-day life. Billions of people around the world stayed in home-quarantine during the prolonged COVID-19 lockdown period. In this period people developed many new habits and/or changed their lifestyles. This change is especially visible in the purchasing trend of the people. The convenience of the system soon caught up and it is adding value for both the customer and the retailers. But it has also opened the door for e-commerce fraud. Let’s dig into this issue and learn some safety tips against e-commerce scams. What Is E-commerce Fraud?  E-commerce fraud is in the process of eluding the customers or the retailers. A customer might order a certain product and receive a duplicate copy or a damaged product. There are reports of no product delivery at all after payment. Simply put, e-commerce fraud is the process where multiple discrepancies occur either through the customer, the retailer, or the platform itself.  The pandemic accelerated the e-commerce business platforms. With that, several scams rose too.  Read Investment: What Factors to Consider before Investing Money? There are several common scam types when it comes to e-commerce platforms. All of them affect retailers, e-commerce platforms as well as the customer. The nature and intricacies of these frauds make them almost impossible to recognize by the untrained eyes. However, all of these scams follow certain patterns which can be prevented with effective steps.  Ways To Avoid E-commerce Scam  These ways are specific to each of the e-commerce platforms, the retailers, and the customer. Since all three of the stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem face different forms of scams.  Conducting Site Security Audits  Sitewide audits can help to pinpoint the issues regarding scams. The thing about online scams is that they tend to exploit a small loophole within the system. So effective measures to secure any loophole can go a long way to prevent scams.  Read F-commerce in Bangladesh: Problems and Prospects The scam itself occurs in a few different ways. Site security, dashboard, and admin access, payment channel access are a few of them. Regularly updating them and checking for malware can help to effectively protect against attackers.  Check For PCI Compliance  PCI stands for Payment Card Industry. The PCI standard requires e-commerce platforms to maintain certain conditions to ensure transaction transparency. PCI standard helps to effectively monitor the card transactions. It also checks for fraudulent payments and ensures complete security in the payment gateway.  Check For Suspicious Activities  Shoplifting is a common thing. Not just in physical stores but in e-commerce platforms as well. This type of fraud is carried out by false billing addresses or fraudulent payments. Just like physical stores, a customer’s activities can be traced to ensure there is no fraud. Many e-commerce sites appoint fraud experts to check for any kind of suspicious activity in the ordering process. Some services ensure the legitimacy of the billing address which is detailed in the next point.  Read Key Challenges to Start E-Commerce Business in Bangladesh

Customers can now enjoy up to 25% instant cashback on bKash payment till July 20 while shopping online from popular brands and shops. They can also avail of up to 10% instant cashback on bKash payment while purchasing groceries and essential products from online and physical outlets of various superstore brands. The cashback offer, which started on July 1, will be available at reputed brands of accessories, clothing, electronics, food and restaurants, footwear, online shops and superstores. Also read: Online Healthcare: Up to 50% discount on payment by bKash A customer can enjoy up to Tk300 instant cashback daily and up to Tk500 during the campaign period. While shopping at superstores, customers will get up to Tk200 cashback on bKash payment of more than Tk500. Also read: bKash app locates nearby agents, merchants, ATMs, customer cares Users can avail of the instant cashback offer from around 92 popular brands like Aarong, Kay Kraft, Deshal, Le Reve, O2, Pride, Raw Nation, SaRa Lifestyle, Trendz, Bata, Apex, Leatherina, Ajkerdeal, Daraz, PriyosShop, Pickaboo, Bdshop and others. Also, they can enjoy instant cashback offers at 422 physical outlets and online of 70 superstore brands including Agora, Shwapno, Daily Shopping, Meena Bazar, Almas, Family Bazar, Mehedi Mart, One Stop and others. Read Fintech MFS: Best Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh

The pandemic has brought a drastic change in our lifestyle. Whether it's wearing a mask or maintaining social distance, we have adopted many things that weren’t a common practice before. The change is seen in our shopping habits as well and baby care products being an essential need for many households, it was a matter of time before people shifted to e-commerce platforms. Countless e-commerce sites sell baby products. But how do you know which ones are reliable? In this article, we will take a look at the 8 best Bangladeshi e-commerce sites to find baby products in 2021. Some Popular Bangladeshi eCommerce Sites to Find Kids and Baby Products in 2021 Baby Care Babycare.com is one of the premier baby product shops in Bangladesh. The e-commerce platform was founded back in 2012 when there were hardly any e-commerce sites in the country. However, over the years, the company built its trust and customer base and has been recognized as a PLC in 2018. You can find all sorts of baby products on their site. The site is well categorized and you can navigate as per your requirements. The products section has categories for toys, food, diapers, dress, skincare, etc.  there is also a separate mother’s care section and fresh fruits section which is pretty handy as well. Read Some Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh in Diverse Sectors Baby Shoppers Another pioneering e-commerce site for baby products is babyshoppers.com.bd. Baby shops have a wide range of products to completely ensure the overall care of your baby. The company was founded with the motto that every child is special. Over the years, baby shoppers have established themselves as the one-stop solution for all your baby care needs. Their website is very intuitive and categories are also detailed. You will find everything related to baby care, some you didn’t know you needed even. They have a range of delivery options inside and outside Dhaka that you can avail of. BD Baby Mart BD Baby Mart has been a reputable baby care name for two reasons – their on-time delivery and the range internationally. The company boasts of working with over 100 foreign brands to source its products. So naturally, you will be able to get the best for your baby without worry. The pricing of the site is also reasonable, nothing that will break your bank. The site is also extensively categorized and you can avail of the live chat feature to get a better understanding of a product. they provide cash on delivery inside Dhaka and full or partial payment for products delivered outside Dhaka. Read Top Bookstore Cafés in Dhaka: 6 Places Bringing Back the Joy of Reading

Amazon’s pandemic boom isn’t showing signs of slowing down. The company said Thursday that its first-quarter profit more than tripled from a year ago, fueled by the growth of online shopping. It also posted revenue of more than $100 billion, the second quarter in a row that the company has passed that milestone. Amazon is one of the few retailers that has benefited during the pandemic. As physical stores temporarily closed, people stuck at home turned to Amazon to buy groceries, cleaning supplies and more. That doesn’t seem to be dying down. Also read: Amazon gets Thursday night games, NFL nearly doubles TV deal In the first three months of this year, the company reported profit of $8.1 billion, compared to $2.5 billion the year before. Earnings per share came to $15.79, about $6 more per share than what Wall Street analysts expected, according to FactSet. Revenue jumped 44% to $108.5 billion. Seattle-based Amazon is one of four American companies that have reported quarterly revenue above $100 billion. The others are iPhone maker Apple, oil and gas company Exxon Mobil and retailer Walmart. Also read: Amazon takes early lead as union vote count gets underway Amazon said revenue will remain at that level in the second quarter, expecting between $110 billion and $116 billion. Part of the reason why: It plans to hold Prime Day, its popular sales event, during the quarter. Amazon didn’t specify a date for Prime Day, but said it would happen before the end of June. Besides online shopping, Amazon’s other businesses grew, too. Sales at its cloud-computing business, which helps power the online operations of Netflix, McDonald’s and other companies, grew 32% in the quarter. And at its unit that includes its advertising business, where brands pay to get their products to show up first when shoppers search on the site, sales rose 77%. Amazon’s growth comes as it faces activism from within its workforce. Workers at a warehouse in Alabama tried to unionize, saying they wanted better pay and more break time. But a majority of voters batted down that effort. This week, Amazon announced it was giving more than 500,000 workers a raise of between 50 cents and $3 an hour starting next month to attract new workers. The company already pays at least $15 an hour. Also read: Amazon jumps into health care with telemedicine initiative The online shopping giant has been on a hiring spree to keep up with a surge in orders. It had 1.27 million employees at the end of March, adding more than 430,000 people in the last year. Shares of Amazon.com Inc., which are up 40% in the last year, rose 2.6% in after-hours trading Thursday.

As city markets remained closed during the strict phase lockdown that entered into force on the very first day of Ramadan, as well as the Bengali New Year on April 14, buyers started moving to online shopping to purchase different items ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest festival for Muslims. The business insiders said their sales have immensely boosted thanks to the covid-19 pandemic across the country. Even rural people also move here due to easy accesses and offer prices in different products including essential commodities, home appliances and apparel items. They also sought the government’s support for the facilitation of uninterrupted e-commerce services throughout the country. According to the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), the sales of products through the digital platforms went up 70 percent year-on-year in 2020 thanks to the pandemic. More than 160,000 deliveries are made in a single day in the country. Read Online shopping boomed but many falling prey to fraudsters General Secretary of e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) Abdul Wahed Tomal said they have around 1,500 members. Consumers purchased around Tk 3,000 crore worth of commodities for their daily necessities in the last eight months of 2020. “A new dimension has been created in the online business in Bangladesh following the pandemic. Though people can’t purchase desirable products ahead of Eid in festive mode as their income came down,” he also told UNB. Tomal added that a good number of entrepreneurs has been created in the last one year, as many youths couldn’t join in jobs and many had been laid off. “There are now around 500,000 (5 lakh) Facebook entrepreneurs here. Rural based many entrepreneurs have also made thanks to digital advancement. However, buyers are now uncertain following the lockdown whether the markets will be opened or not ahead of Eid,” he said. Read Potential of e-commerce hemmed in by bottlenecks He also said consumers are now purchasing essential commodities and Iftar items from online platforms. They will start to buy the Eid products from next week. Actually people are not now in festive mode to purchase products to enjoy. They also avoided buying Pahela Baishakh items.   A rash of buying of products will begin soon. “Though we get some fraud related allegations from consumers. But we are dealing with the government and traders to resolve the problems,” Tomal added. Managing Director and CEO of E-valy.com Limited Mohammad Rassel said online shopping is getting popular in Bangladesh day by day. “Our order volume has got higher than earlier. It’s almost twice the previous year.  We can’t reveal the exact order number. But in particular products, orders get higher in lockdown period than normal days. Now almost 40% orders are being generated out of Dhaka city.  The number was around 20% before pandemic,” he added. Rassel said they are getting higher orders related to Eid products including fashion items. “For delivery, we have a target to deliver them as soon as possible after successful order placement. We are delivering our products within 2 days. In some cases, it might take some extra time.  Whatever, we have been working to deliver Eid products before the Eid,” he also added. Read 'E-commerce market will be $3 billion big by 2023' The E-valy chief said during lockdown, the main problem is to source products and deliver them at customers’ doorstep. Because maximum shops are shut and delivery service providers are often challenged by law enforcement agencies. So it is a big challenge now. “The government is doing great for the boosting of e-commerce industry. We appreciate that they have already recognised this sector. In addition to that government is coming up with a law very soon. We hope that such law will bring benefits for e-commerce platforms, sellers and customers and mostly to the entire industry,” he added. Talking to UNB, Shayantani Twisha, head of PR, media and communications at Daraz Bangladesh Limited said on a year-to-year basis, the order numbers have always increased exponentially. But in the last year of the pandemic, they have witnessed a new segment of people migrating to the e-commerce platform, leading to Daraz having 3-times more orders than the corresponding previous period in 2020. “Eid has always been a festive season for us, one which promises a lot of shopping! Even amidst the strict lockdowns, we are going to deliver products within the promised delivery timeline, to any corner of the country,” she added. Read Boom in e-shopping ahead of Eid - United News of Bangladesh Asked to identify some bottlenecks in Covid times, Twisha said they have to face "specific area wise lockdowns" imposed by local residents. "Also, during the lockdown, some aspect of the supply chain gets disrupted for which it gets difficult to deliver within the timeline," she also added. Sakina Begum, a resident of Maniknagar said she purchased different products including daily essentials from online shopping in the pandemic period. “Though, I have to wait for long days to get the products after ordering, I don’t have to leave home, that’s my benefit,” she added. The Vice President of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) SM Nazer Hossain said the sector is rising potentially in Bangladesh but consumers are suffering too. “We receive huge allegations from consumers. Of them, 80 percent allegations come from e-commerce platforms. After getting the allegations, we call the number but get off. Actually they fraud with consumers in various ways,” he added. Read Coronavirus bites into online Eid shopping Nazer said many customers turn away from e-commerce due to hassle by the cheaters. It should be stopped. “More women and silent consumers are harassed more as they don’t want to share the matter with others. So fair business must be ensured to flourish it,” he also added. He urged e-CAB to cancel members who defraud customers. And the government has to play a significant role to this end. The Senior Secretary of Commerce Ministry Dr Jafar Uddin said they have already formed a digital commerce cell to implement the digital commerce policy. “The final work of ‘digital commerce operation guidelines-2021’ is going on. We think to include the entrepreneurs of social media commerce in the guideline. The ministry took various initiatives to boost the sector,” he informed. Read Bangladesh achieved commendable success in e-commerce

"Anondomela" an online marketplace initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for small and medium enterprises, has partnered with Joyeeta Foundation to organise the largest online fair for Eid during the COVID pandemic. Anondomela Facebook page (facebook.com/anondomelashop) will remain active for the fair from April 24 to May 6, from 8 am to 8 pm, with an array of clothing, jewellery, home decor, food items and other knick-knacks from women-led small and medium enterprises, according to a UNDP press release. Anondomela was launched by UNDP in April 2020 as an online marketplace for SMEs struggling to make sales amid the pandemic. Read Retailers brace for flood of returns from online shopping "Our initiative aims to ease the pressure that the Covid-19 crisis has put on these very small and largely informal entrepreneurs, at a time when most feel naturally inclined to demonstrate more social solidarity and care during the holy month," said Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh Sudipto Mukerjee. Joyeeta Foundation is a long-running initiative of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. The foundation empowers women entrepreneurs and artisans by creating a secure channel for them to showcase and sell their products. "During this ongoing crisis in Bangladesh, when our entrepreneurs are struggling to survive, we are glad to be organising this online fair that will give them an opportunity to sell their products to a large audience. This online fair is part of our continuous efforts to come to people's aid in their time of need," said Joyeeta Foundation's Managing Director Afroza Khan. Read Walton offers big discounts on online purchases The online fair will have five 30-minute slots that will be divided among entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs can post details about their products and directly connect with buyers. They can also promote their businesses through this opportunity. Interested SMEs are encouraged to join Anondomela as a seller to participate in the fair. Their products can be delivered seamlessly through 'ekshop' delivery. Read Lockdown: Shops, shopping malls to reopen from Apr 25

Walton is offering big discounts on the online purchase of its electronic products, home and kitchen appliances, and IT devices. The brand's online sales platform Walton E-plaza has come up with several facilities like home delivery and attractive discounts for online buyers.   Customers can buy all kinds of products – including refrigerators, air conditioners, televisions, mobile phones, laptops, electrical and home appliances – from E-plaza with facilities like maximum 50% discount and equated monthly instalment (EMI) with zero interest.  Also read: Walton shares Tk 77cr profits with employees Customers can pay off the prices through cash on delivery, online banking or mobile banking. Nafis Ishtiaque, the coordinator of campaign management and business development of Walton E-plaza, said, "The customers will get a flat 30% discount on the purchase of certain models of refrigerators from the e-plaza." Walton e-plaza is also providing up to 40% discount on certain models of air conditioners. Customers can buy air conditioners with a 12-month EMI facility at a 10% discount. Read Walton launches new models of all-in-one computers Customers of all models of LEDs, smart LEDs and voice control TVs are also getting a flat 10% discount on the purchase from e-plaza. Also, they can get up to a 20% discount on the purchase of various accessories including Walton laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, and monitors from e-plaza. Washik Jahan Ishan, the marketing coordinator of Walton Mobile, said Walton is offering up to a 50% discount on certain models of smartphones; customers will get the products within 48 to72 hours, read a press release. Read Walton launches 2 new 2nd generation compressors

Local mobile phone manufacturer Symphony has launched an e-commerce and home delivery service amid a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and fresh nationwide restrictions. Customers can place an order for Symphony smartphones on the brand's website. A delivery charge of Tk60 will be added to the fixed price of the smartphone for home delivery. The product will be delivered in just 12 hours, Symphony said in a press release issued on Monday (April 12, 2021).

In 2021, getting food delivered to your home in Bangladesh is easier than ever. Our food delivery startups have matured over the last seven years. However, Bangladesh saw its first food delivery service in 2013 through HungryNaki. After that, a lot of delivery startups emerged and sank, including the international giants. With the smartphone's availability, ordering food from home has been becoming a common norm in Bangladesh. Here we have listed some of the most popular food delivery apps in Bangladesh.