A van driver and runner of Sundarban Courier Service have been kidnapped allegedly by some armed indigenous youths from Ramgarh upazila in Khagrachari on Saturday night. The kidnapped staffers of the courier service are Md Abbas, driver of the van from Bhola, and runner Md Al Amin from Noakhali. The kidnappers however released the assistant of the driver Solayman during the incident. Also read: 4 kidnapped fishermen rescued in Ctg, 5 robbers held Md Salauddin, manager of Khagrachari office of Sundarban Courier Service, said: “The kidnappers at first demanded Tk 3 lakh calling from the driver’s personal number, later they raised it to Tk 5 lakh.” The covered van was heading for Dhaka with postal cargo from Khagrachari sadar upazila when it was stopped by some seven or eight armed indigenous youths on motorcycles near Datarampara point on Ramgarh-Jaliyapara road, Solayman told UNB. “They took the van a bit inside the Datarampara road, and took Abbas and Al Amin on their motorcycles on gunpoint, as we failed to show any receipt of having paid extortion fee,” he said. A source wishing anonymity said, “The courier office authority held a meeting with the leaders of the kidnapping gang but as they could not agree on the amount of ransom the staff were not released. Also the kidnappers stopped contacting from Sunday noon.” Mohammad Shamsujjaman, Officer-in-Charge of Ramgarh police station, said the van was recovered from the spot and taken under custody. Also read: 2 held for raping minor girl after kidnap in Barishal “Law enforcing forces are conducting drives to rescue the kidnaped staffers but no complaint has been lodged yet with police yet in this regard,” said the OC.

Online businesses like eCommerce and F-commerce have been on the rise for quite some time now. Customers get access to all sorts of products from different eCommerce and F-commerce sites and services. They have become fast, reliable, and hassle-free shopping for many. While it’s all positives on the customer end, an eCommerce platform faces some critical issues to dispense the customer queries. The most notable one being product delivery service. Let's look at what you should consider before choosing a product delivery service for your eCommerce or  F-commerce platform. The necessity of a good product delivery service Even though online shopping has been on the rise, the advent of Covid-19 has accelerated the process by manifold. Social distancing and lockdowns across the globe have shifted the interest of the customer from physical shopping to online ones. As a result, the number of eCommerce platforms has surged rapidly. From clothes, toys, gifts to daily essentials, there seems to be a bunch of eCommerce and/or  F-commerce platforms for every type of product imaginable. However, the growth of an online business needs to correspond to its service. As much as the customer is concerned about the product, there is also the expectation of fast delivery, reliable service, and an easy return policy. READ: Common Challenges faced by Startups in 2021 All of these are related to product delivery services. An eCommerce platform needs to be careful while choosing a delivery partner as its one of the main aspects of customer service and satisfaction. Here are some of the things you should check upfront. How to choose a delivery partner for your online business Product and customer base It's not easy to address this question as eCommerce and/or F-commerce platforms hardly sell one type of product. However, it's easy to understand the genre of product you are selling. It can be electronic items, perishables, food items, or fragile items. There are different service options for each of these products. There is also the aspect of whether your client is local or foreign-based? Do you want to include an express delivery option? Many eCommerce businesses follow the drop-shipping model where products are delivered on a pre-order basis. In that case, you need o to consider the delivery service for importing as well. READ The Emerging Logistics Tech Startups, Courier, Delivery Services in Bangladesh Ease of Service An eCommerce and/or F-commerce platform is grossly reliable in the delivery service to ensure total satisfying service to its customer. As a business owner, you need to check whether there is ease of communication between you and the delivery agency. This is ensured through a robust client service mechanism of the delivery service agencies. You need to also check for the frequency of product pick up as it's closely related to the product delivery time. Areas Covered There is no limitation to the client base when it comes to an eCommerce platform. Your customers can be local, regional, or even international. To ensure maximum client range, you can incorporate international shipping too. For that, you need to ensure whether the delivery service has international shipping options. Even if your business is in its early stage, it's always better to stay future-proofed for any kind of scaling needs. You need to carefully check the additional price for regional shipping. The rate tends to fluctuate depending on the agents you choose. The idea should be to find a balance between cost and coverage. READ: Seed Fund Raising for Startups: Things to Know About Speed This is probably the most important factor when it comes to choosing a delivery service for your business. regardless of how good a product is, a customer is always concerned about how fast the product will reach them. Before signing up with a delivery service, try and check their average delivery time and customer satisfaction rate. Depending on your budget and the time, you will find multiple choices. The target should be to choose a reliable service whose words match with their action. Product Handling If you look at the reviews of some eCommerce and/or F-commerce sites, there are often instances where the customer complains of product mismanagement. Some may complain about broken products, torn packaging, and sometimes shipping to the wrong address. A good way to avoid these is to check for online reviews regarding the delivery service. Because in the end, the customer won’t care what damaged their product. It’s your reputation that’s on the line here. READ  Renowned online payment gateways in Bangladesh for domestic, international transactions Experience in business There’s a saying that experience begets everything. The same holds for people in the delivery service sector. The more experienced a delivery business is, the more chances the service will be on point. You can also check for their service history. If they have experience of working with a similar business like yours, it can help you in the transition to working together. Service flexibility Often there might arise a requirement for a product to be returned. There are instances where you might have to take a product back. The ease of transition in the process makes it hassle-free for the customer and also shows the commitment of the platform. As a result, you need to have a delivery service that is flexible in product delivery and product return. READ  Best Sites to Sell Used Electronics in Bangladesh Tracking capability We already talked about how the product gets lost or damaged in the shipping process. So it's important to have a delivery service that will provide you with tracking capability. You need to be able to track the product. Sometimes, the product might need to get shipped to a foreign country or a regional area. Sometimes it might be days before the product gets delivered. In that case, you might need to be able to update your customer about their products. The best way for that would be to check whether the delivery service provides a tracking service for the product. Price Lastly, you should be concerned about the price. At the end of the day, you are a business and it's always about profit maximization. The idea here is to find a balance between service quality and price. Sometimes, services will offer you a discount based on the volume of products delivered through them. Either way, you should consider several services before signing up with one. READ: 7 Local Startups Get Tk 150m Funds from Startup Bangladesh Limited Bottom Line Fast and efficient delivery is one of the key requirenets for the survival of any online business. There are a lot of factors that you should consider before choosing a delivery service for your eCommerce or F-commerce business. We tried to outline the important aspects which often act as the deciding factor. We hope that our discussion will help to find the best shipping company for your online business.