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Madiha Ishtiaque September 13, 2015 Leave a comment Umber Khairi
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With rapid evolution in the online retail industry in Pakistan along with its challenges archaeologist
and fallouts, e-commerce is the tipping point for businesses and consumers alike
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Special Report
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Online retail may have only appeared a virtual fantasy to common sensibilities until
recently. But its fate changed rather dramatically and people began to take it for the
real thing. With the staple use of plastic money and the growing internet, people have
now cottoned on to the convenience of online shopping. Why trail through crowds
and lug heavy bags home when the virtual cart can just do the job better.

While the world has been reaping the benefits of ONLINE BUSINESSES for almost a
decade now, retail investors in Pakistan were always reluctant in capitalising on an
industry that majorly depends on the availability of internet. Though not anymore.
According to PTA, by December 2014, there were over 31 million internet users in
Pakistan and about half of them accessed it through cell phones. And so, with the long-
awaited arrival of 3G and 4G technology coupled with the popularity of smartphones
that has led to a mobile-commerce revolution, Pakistan pictures a fertile field for
investors.

This does not still mean you can have Amazon deliver at your doorsteps tomorrow.
For now, we have Daraz.pk, Kaymu.pk (both are sister Rocket ventures), Olx.com,
foodpanda.com, eatoye, carmudi, zameen.pk, tcsconnect.com, umall.pk, symbios.pk,
ishopping.pk, payless.pk all of these are large virtual shopping palaces that
catalogue items ranging from home electronics to clothing to mobile phones to
gourmet food and also home grocery.

And where Rocket ventures are moving ahead with the aim of being the e-bay for
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Pakistan, some very successful ventures operate from only a spare room.
Fatal landings
However, each one of these e-commerce sites has carved its own niche and serving to
September 13, 2015
a different clientele that also keeps overlapping occasionally.
 Some visitors are only interested in the most economical deals, Girls at Dhabas: A much-needed
some only wish to scrap old items while some just want to save campaign
themselves the toils of visiting the shop. And even though all of the September 13, 2015

e-commerce giants have pitched their carefully executed

A poetic legend retold
commercial strategy online, the competition is tough.
September 13, 2015

Thanks to the way things function online, businesses exactly know

who their customers are, what they are looking for, if they are
Bathing royalty
happy with the products or not and where can you target your September 13, 2015
prospective clients. This is one unique edge online marketing has
over the traditional. And hence its chances of engaging its right
audience are overwhelmingly high.

I frequently shop online and havent gone to the Popular Recent Comments Tags

market for quite sometime now Ive always used

The doors that wont open
credit cards and never been a victim of fraud
September 13, 2015
Online shopping is now perfectly safe, says Tahir, a
site-engineer who is always on call with barely
enough time to stroll through the marts. The superiority myth
September 13, 2015

Other than these huge retail stores, most of the traditional brands
in Pakistan big or small now have their online set for e-
When women speak and play
transactions. A few years back, women would flock outside September 13, 2015
designer lawn stores waiting for hours to get the best designer
lawn suits. Today, all they have to do is click them to the cart, and
have it delivered at their doorsteps in a matter of few days. Remembrance of things poetic
Moreover, many websites, including kaymu.pk, now have the September 13, 2015

options to get monthly rations and individual grocery items right at your place which
would soon presumably put an end to compulsion of lining up in long queues and
waiting for your turn. A poetic legend retold
September 13, 2015

However, all is not pink. The online retail in Pakistan faces a host of challenges not
many countries have to counter.

The first and the primary is the payment mode. Even though for Pakistanis cash on
delivery is the rule, it costs relatively higher due to the sensitivity around cash Like us on Facebook
handling. Some of the more economic options are online payments, express delivery
and shipping via Overland. The general fear is that there is an armada of hackers The News on Sun
4,305 likes
waiting out there to intercept buyers credit details and empty his credit card before
any online patrol could rescue. It may have been true a decade back but times have
changed. Most of the banks now in Pakistan have the technical facilities to make
online shopping safer, if not safest. Standard Chartered, UBL, HBL and even other Like Page Share

smaller banks extend outstanding support and customer services for online
businesses. 3 friends like this

I frequently shop online and havent gone to the market for quite sometime now. I
know many people who dont have time for it. Ive always used credit cards and never
been a victim of fraud. So any tales about it are old. Online shopping is now perfectly
safe, says Tahir, a site-engineer who is always on call with barely enough time to
stroll through the marts. He is happy buying online and complains of no online
mishaps. Follow us on Twitter
The steep illiteracy curve is another major challenge that has discredited the
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convenience e-shopping has to offer. Where the surprisingly good part is that a major
portion of online sales comes from outside the three major cities, which shows e- The News on Sunday 12h
@TheNewsonSunday
shopping is not just an urban notion, order placement and confirmation becomes an
Loving Pakistan is fine but need it be based on
issue. A wrong order placed cant be blamed for a wrong delivery. Most of the belittling others? bit.ly/1VVEwAf
complaints arise from a difference in expectation and the received product. Saad #Pakistan #India @wordoflaw
pic.twitter.com/SelwTifA82
Khan, an accounts manager at a multinational e-commerce venture, says, Complaints
Show Photo
are usually about wrong delivery. When we go at the back-end, these people have in
fact placed exactly what they have received. The News on Sunday 12h
@TheNewsonSunday
At times illiteracy is a roadblock in the way of achieving customer satisfaction, while Tweet to @TheNewsonSunday
at times it is the seller who falls below the mark when it comes to the promised
quality. Arbash, a regular online shopper, bought an expensive water-proof mobile
only to find the mobile set couldnt survive five minutes in the bathtub. It took me a
few days but I got complete payback so Ive no sour feelings over it. It could have
happened to me in the regular market place too, so I cant really blame online
shopping for it.
 There is another critical problem at hand here. Some of these websites used
photoshopped products with very cheap price labels and flossy details. The bubble is
popped once the real thing reaches your door and it just looks atrociously inferior
from what you ordered. Saimaa, a regular online shopper, shares her story, When
you get plain satin in the name of silk, youre bound to revolt against the seller who
sent you that. I knew Ill get my money back but what about the frustration of
ordering and finding out you were set up to settle for less.

Hajra, another shopper with a sorry experience, says, I ordered a pack of 5

Maybelline lipsticks for Rs999. I thought it was a good deal I should just grab. After I
took the delivery, it took me no time to figure out it wasnt the brand I opted for. It
was a replica. Even though Google does ban websites making copyright violations, it
is usually late. If online sellers sincerely intend to build buyers trust, honesty is
essential or their businesses will die their own death.

Moreover, what I find to be a fundamental flaw in online business is the time factor.
Even the fastest deliveries at least take somewhere from two days to a weeks time to
be delivered, says Hajra.

With rapid evolution in the online retail industry in Pakistan along with its challenges
and fallouts, e-commerce is the tipping point for businesses and consumers alike
providing both with multi-channel shopping and selling experience that too with the
added charm of convenience and cheaper operating cost.

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Madiha Ishtiaque
The author is a digital media journalist and an ex-staffer at The News.

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