Symphony, the leading mobile handset brand of the country, is preparing to launch an ecommerce platform of its own, said sources familiar with the matter. The platform, which is now in under development, will host products of Symphony and will allow people to buy online and get delivered to their places.
This news came in a time when many local companies are venturing into the ecommerce space. PRAN RFL started a stand alone ecommerce venture last year and Fresh is beta testing one. We have come to know that a couple of other local corporations including a telecom brand is also considering launching ecommerce.
However, the majority of these companies are considering ecommerce as another channel for selling their products, at least for now. While this sounds interesting an idea but from the point of execution it would be difficult given the huge cost involvement, infrastructure and logistics need.
One common practice which is prevalent in many countries is that a third party manages the entire ecommerce for the company, starting from online infrastructure to logistics. In Bangladesh, however, we are not aware of such a company that can help companies to handle their ecommerce operations.
For Symphony, things will be a little different than other FMCG brands. If it starts selling high-end products on its platform, which the brand has been trying for quite some time, it should be able to maintain a decent operational optimization. Similarly, there is a trust issue when people buy electronics products from other platforms which should work as an advantage for Symphony. We couldn’t find the details of how the platform will run or the future plan for that matter but one thing is clear that we are just getting started with ecommerce here in Dhaka.
