Founded in 2018, BeshiDeshi.com operates with a vision to ensure sustainable income sources for SMEs by providing an opportunity to showcase and sell their products worldwide.
Today, BeshiDeshi.com is the biggest digital platform for Made in Bangladesh products where all Bangladeshi artisans, craftsmen, manufacturers can promote and sell their products, and customers from all over the world can select, compare and purchase ‘made in Bangladesh’ products. Apart from providing a digital marketplace, BeshiDeshi also works towards providing skill development training, sourcing, packaging, photography, promotion, finance, and legal support to entrepreneurs and manufacturers.
Today, BeshiDeshi.com is the biggest digital platform for Made in Bangladesh products where all Bangladeshi artisans, craftsmen, manufacturers can promote and sell their products, and customers from all over the world can select, compare and purchase ‘made in Bangladesh’ products.
Although Bangladesh's eCommerce sector has been seeing consistent growth over the past few years, growing more than 20% YOY, the majority of the e-commerce platforms predominantly sell and promote foreign products. Hence many Bangladeshi producers, especially many underprivileged homegrown entrepreneurs have discontinued producing local products due to this influx of foreign substitutes which are marketed more aggressively.
Many authentic ‘made in Bangladesh’ products are now produced in limited quantities. Consequently, the country is facing a significant decline in products that speak volumes about our local culture and heritage.
From the very beginning of its journey, BeshiDeshi.com handpicks the best quality and unique ‘Made in Bangladesh’ products made by local artisans that are at par with any foreign products. The company helps these products reach a wider audience.
Bangladesh has always had genius and creative minds, capable of making unique products and propositions, but due to lack of platform and promotion, they never receive appropriate attention. Hence these talented artisans, producers, without technical knowledge of marketing and sales, eventually get demotivated when they see fewer sales and look for alternatives to make their livelihoods.
BeshiDeshi.com aims to find these talented artisans, train and nurture them with the current market scenario and demands, provide them all the support they require in their business, and promote their product in the best possible manner in the local and international market.
Currently, BeshiDeshi.com has more than 400 producers enlisted on its platform from all over the country, 53% of whom are women entrepreneurs.
The company has 150+ underprivileged women artisans who are fully capable of producing high-quality handmade products but lack the skills of selling. With the support of BeshiDeshi.com, the majority of these underprivileged homegrown women entrepreneurs have been able to double their sales.
With skill development training and business support from BeshiDeshi, most of these entrepreneurs have already been able to develop sustainable business models and improve their operational capabilities to grow their business.
According to IFC’s Business Pulse Survey: Impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs in Bangladesh: 37% of women-led SMEs had to close down their businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic.
However, this is not the case with BeshiDeshi partner entrepreneurs. The majority of the BeshiDeshi partner women entrepreneurs experienced a 3 times growth in sales during the same period, which encouraged many more new artisans to join the BeshiDeshi platform. Beshideshi’s comprehensive support for SMEs has made a meaningful difference during this period of trying time for SMEs.
BeshiDeshi.com is also working towards exporting products to the USA and European markets in order to create a greater demand for Bangladeshi products worldwide.
The role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country is indispensable for overall economic development. Since this sector is labor-intensive with a short gestation period, it is capable of creating employment opportunities for a large number of people, helping achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, gender equality, and women empowerment.
“We, as consumers, have the power to help realize the full growth potential of our local SMEs”, says BeshiDeshi CEO Mr. Zeeshan Khshed Mazumder. “There is no question that the job market is tight these days because local businesses continue to suffer amid the Coronavirus pandemic and steep competition from foreign brands. By opting for a local product, you are keeping a business open and giving people jobs, which in turn is helping the overall economy. Next time when you are shopping, consider that your choice could make a difference in the lives of people in this country.”
BeshiDeshi Ltd aims to create an entire ecosystem for the betterment of the SMEs of Bangladesh who makes local products. The company aims to address every aspect of the business of SMEs.
“We started with helping SME entrepreneurs access the wider market through our marketplace. Now we are helping them with training, sourcing, packaging, photography, promotion, finance, and legal support. In the coming days, we aim to make these supports more robust,” says Mr. Zeeshan. “The current government has put much emphasis on the development of the SME sector considering it as ‘the driving force for industrialization’. If more and more people opt for Made in Bangladesh products over foreign alternatives, we will be able to bring in revolutionary changes in the lives of the local artisans and manufacturers.”
BeshiDeshi Ltd aims to create an entire ecosystem for the betterment of the SMEs of Bangladesh who makes local products. The company aims to address every aspect of the business of SMEs.
