FACEBOOK- a powerful social networking website that acts as a common centre of recreation for people all over the world. People spend most of their time on Facebook catching up with friends and family, (ex)boyfriend(s) and (ex)girlfriends…and the list goes on…
However, on a more serious note, we know that it is the website that connects all people, and acts as an arena from where information is received by all. Besides all these, it can be seen that a new trend has set in recently. The concept of Online Stores has been introduced on Facebook in the form of fan pages, groups, and in some cases, profiles as well. The growing numbers of such stores are a clear representation of their popularity.
So how did these ingenious minds come up with the idea of utilizing Facebook? Youthsparks asked one of the owners of Pops, Sagar Rashid, about the beginning- “ Shimanto and I opened Pops in 2011. We wanted to do something creative to make the most of our time, so we opened the Online Store. I wanted to open a fashion house, but taking the positives in consideration, opening an Online Store on Facebook seemed like a better option. And being medical students, it is much easier to do business online since you can manage it from your home.” According to Sagar, opening an Online Store was a stepping stone to the main thing- the outlet that the owners of Pops-Shimanto, Tanvir Chowdhury, Rafeed Khan and Sagar himself have opened very recently in Elephant Road. Thus, Facebook was a starting point for Pops- at present; it has over 13,000 customers, and offers a wide range of products for their customers, with more yet to come.
Another chit-chat with Tazwar Rezvi, the owner of G3 Shirts, a popular online clothing page, gave us the insight to the process of manufacturing of apparels in such stores- “The customer either contacts me through cell phone, or writes on the wall. We have hired a tailoring shop for this purpose. After contacting me, the customer goes to the shop, so that he can give his body measurements, and enjoy the liberty of choosing the fabrics for their shirts.” G3 shirts even takes customized orders, thus allowing their buyers to make any shir5t of their own choice. Furthermore, they launch new collections every three months, and on occasions as well. Tazwar continues,” After ordering, they are given a slip, which must be shown upon collection”. Even Tazwar admits- without Facebook, it wouldn’t have been possible.
When it came to delivery of the products, we were reliant on the person who introduced the idea of online clothing store. Safwan Rezvi, owner of one of the very first online stores in Dhaka- Hardstyle Revolution, told us about his online clothing and accessories business. He filled us in with the delivery details: “We see what is good for the customers. As we don’t have any outlet, we have to deliver the products hand-to-hand. When anyone places an order, we contact them and deliver the good at the nearest point.” Hardstyle offers free delivery near Dhanmondi, and pretty soon, the Gulshan dwellers will receive the same advantage. They charge only Tk.100 extra for home deliveries. Hence, such steps ensure utmost customer satisfaction.
All in all…how is Facebook helpful again? Not only is it suitable for “at home business” purposes, but it also provides a wide range of customers. On that point, we asked Suha Khanam Sumaita, the owner of Nail Arts by Sumaita, to explain her view on finding interested customers on Facebook, which included- “The goals that I wanted to achieve have been accomplished through Facebook i.e. online. These include primarily the representation and publicity of Nail Arts to the common people as almost everyone in this modern era uses Facebook. This then helps to attract eager customers. Thus, rather than opening a Nail Art Parlour, opening a page is more profitable because comparatively more people will get to know about the business and people can know all the necessary details while sitting at home.” This is the approach Sumaita has taken to introduce her business since it allows maximum exposure of her business, and it has indeed proved to be very profitable, thus presenting an entirely unique advantage of Online Stores.
That was the backstage insights from the owners of different famous Online Stores, and owing to that, we now know many tricks of the trade. However, one thing is for sure- Online Stores are not far behind than any other shops. One gets to choose from a wide range of products, and plus the benefit of getting the particular product on your doorstep, ensuring customer satisfaction throughout the whole process. At least we can say one good thing came out of “Digital Bangladesh”- our generation has developed “digitally”, and established a new phenomenon by which many are being benefitted. Thank you, masterminds, for taking such a gallant step and uniting your business with Facebook and in the meantime, taking shopping experience to an entirely new level…Kudos!
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