Rokomari, Bangladesh’s largest online bookstore and one of the most important ecommerce players, has recently announced that it has expanded from a specialized book retailer to a comprehensive multi-category “everything” ecommerce platform, covering over 300 product categories. The move positions the company as a one-stop ecommerce marketplace for consumers nationwide.
Rokomari was launched in 2012 with some 10,000 books, a handful of publishers, a small team, and an ambitious mission to make books accessible to readers across Bangladesh. The company spent the first decade of its journey focused on selling books and building a trusted ecommerce brand on the back of a customer-first approach and efficient operation. The obsession has delivered a resounding win. Rokomari has built a brand reputation synonymous with quality, reliability, and trust.
As time passed, it became evident that customers' trust in Rokomari extended beyond books. They wanted more—more categories and services from the platform they relied on. Moreover, the ecommerce market in Bangladesh went through significant changes during this period.
Listening to these demands and observing market trends, Rokomari embarked on a journey early this year to transform itself from a bookstore into a comprehensive "everything store", adding 300+ new categories across electronics, home and kitchen appliances, fashion and apparel, stationery and office supplies, health and personal care, toys and games, and more.
In many ways, this expansion comes as a natural move for the company, an evolution driven by customer needs, technological innovation, and a deep understanding of the market.
The move also carries important strategic ramifications for Rokomari, expanding its market and opportunities, and strengthening its competitive moats while creating new operational and competitive challenges.
For Rokomari, the timing of this expansion has been superb. The ecommerce market in Bangladesh has reached relative maturity. More people are adopting digital shopping. There is no dominant “everything store” ecommerce player yet in the market that can deliver quality and service.
However, making the expansion work will not be easy. How Rokomari uses its strength, exploits the market opportunity presented to it, and tackles the operational challenges will eventually determine the outcome.
The rest of this essay tries to answer these questions.
Rokomari is known for being deliberate in its approach to operation. This much is evident in the past expansion attempts of the company. For instance, when Rokomari decided to launch its ebook application, it followed a rigorous testing process and took a long time before making the application widely available. More importantly, though, it didn’t give up even after multiple setbacks.
Rokomari understands that reputation is hard to build but easy to lose. One wrong move can cause irreversible damage to a brand.
The company has followed a similar meticulous method with the expansion.
The decision to branch out beyond books wasn’t made overnight. It was the result of careful planning, analysis, a deep understanding of customer needs, and a changing market.
When Rokomari started in 2012, the ecommerce landscape of Dhaka was markedly different—a small market with limited mainstream adoption of online shopping. Over the past more than a decade, this has changed.
By 2024, ecommerce in Bangladesh had gone mainstream, with an increasing number of consumers shopping online. However, while customer expectations were shifting towards convenience, variety, and quality service, many platforms struggled to provide the reliability and customer-centric experience that Rokomari had mastered in the book industry.
This presented a clear opening for the company. It could expand and attempt to become an everything ecommerce platform finally doing justice to its name. It also presented a challenge for the company. Existing or new players could come in and change the dynamics of competition. The internet allows aggregation. Given the services and quality, customers are happy to buy everything from one platform rather than going to multiple places.
This was apparent from Rokomari’s findings. Rokomari had been gathering customer feedback, and a recurring theme was the desire for more product categories. Customers frequently asked, “Why can’t I buy my household essentials or electronics here too?” Surveys and market research confirmed this sentiment, revealing that a significant portion of Rokomari’s customer base was already purchasing non-book products from other ecommerce platforms.
Rokomari's leadership recognized a critical market opportunity:
This realization, coupled with Rokomari’s strong infrastructure, robust logistics, customer service expertise, and a growing ecommerce market in Bangladesh, set the stage for expansion. Rokomari decided to capitalize on the opportunity. The company’s vision shifted from being a leader in the book market to becoming a one-stop shop for all customer needs, without compromising on the trust and reliability that had become Rokomari’s hallmark.
We discussed that Rokomari is a deliberate company. Rokomari’s expansion from a bookstore to a multi-category ecommerce platform was a meticulously planned and executed endeavor. The company used a multifaceted approach: carefully analyzing the market and customer demand, leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise, strategically selecting product categories, implementing technology upgrades and operational scale-up, utilizing multi-channel marketing while leveraging existing brand loyalty, and maintaining a strong focus on customer service and satisfaction. It also benefited from its past experience of small experiments in expansions.
Each step in the process was aimed at ensuring a seamless experience for customers and maintaining the company’s reputation for quality and reliability.
Research and Planning: Rokomari's expansion strategy began with a thorough analysis of market trends and customer feedback. Rokomari conducted extensive market research to identify high-demand product categories that aligned with its existing capabilities. The team analyzed customer preferences, purchasing patterns, and market trends to ensure that the expansion would meet genuine needs.
Leveraging Existing Infrastructure and Expertise: Rokomari recognized that its existing infrastructure and expertise in logistics and customer service provided a strong foundation for expansion. Its established systems for book delivery and customer support could be scaled to accommodate new product categories while maintaining its reputation for reliable service.
Strategic Selection of Product Categories: Rokomari carefully researched and selected product categories that had high demand and aligned with its existing capabilities. This ensured it could offer products that customers wanted while effectively managing inventory and logistics.
Building Partnerships: To ensure product quality, Rokomari partnered with trusted suppliers and vendors across different industries. These partnerships were essential for maintaining the same level of trust customers associated with the brand.
Technology Upgrades and scaling Operations: Rokomari made significant investments in technology and operations to support the expansion. The platform was upgraded to handle diverse product categories, enhance search functionalities, and improve inventory management. The company also expanded its logistics network, invested in team training, and implemented robust warehouse management systems to handle increased volumes. The integration of automation tools for order management, delivery tracking, and customer engagement further streamlined operations.
Multi-Channel Marketing and Leveraging Brand Loyalty: Rokomari utilized a multi-channel marketing approach including social media, email campaigns, and in-app notifications to communicate its expanded offerings to customers. The company leveraged its existing brand loyalty, built on years of excellent service in the book industry, to promote trust and confidence in new product categories.
Focus on Customer Service and Satisfaction: Rokomari placed a strong emphasis on maintaining its high standard of customer service across all new categories. Customer support teams received specialized training to handle inquiries and issues specific to each product category. Proactive communication strategies were implemented to keep customers informed about order status and delivery. A feedback mechanism was established to actively collect and act on customer input, ensuring continuous service improvement.
Rokomari now caters to over 15 major categories, offering a diverse range of products to meet the varied needs of its customers. Some of the categories include:
The company says the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive and popular categories include electronics, stationery and office supplies, health and personal care items, and home and kitchen essentials.
This is not surprising. Rokomari already has a loyal customer base, providing a ready customer base for the new categories of the company. The intelligent integration of new categories has ensured that Rokomari continues to provide the same level of service, strengthening customer loyalty and increasing their reliance on the platform.
Rokomari’s diversification into multiple categories brings several benefits to the company. By offering a broader range of products, Rokomari has encouraged repeat purchases and strengthened customer loyalty. Customers now have one more reason to stay with Rokomari. Aggregators often enjoy a strong moat because it is hard to compete with an aggregator that has a growing user base. New product categories have opened up additional revenue streams, allowing the company to increase revenue and grow sustainably.
The move has also enhanced its market position. Rokomari is now a formidable competitor in the e-commerce market, positioning itself as a comprehensive marketplace.
Finally, it has improved the platform efficiency and effectiveness for Rokomari. The company can leverage its existing logistics and operational expertise to support the expansion with minimal additional costs. Moreover, it allows the company to experiment with cross and upselling within the platform, improving on the platform return.
That said, every expansion comes with its challenges. Rokomari faced significant challenges during its expansion. Handling the complexity of diverse product categories while ensuring quality control was a daunting task. Managing logistics and ensuring timely delivery was a major challenge. The variety in product types required modifications to warehousing and delivery systems. More importantly, customers expected the same level of service across all categories, necessitating extensive team training and system upgrades.
To address these challenges, Rokomari used several strategies. The company has moved to a centralized warehousing model optimized to handle diverse product categories efficiently. It has implemented AI-based inventory management and predictive analytics for demand forecasting to ensure smooth operations. Dedicated teams manage product sourcing, marketing, and customer support for each category, allowing specialization, and improving performance and speed over time.
Rokomari’s tech stack also had to go through a series of important changes. The website and app were redesigned to accommodate a more intuitive and seamless shopping experience across categories.
To tackle operational challenges, automation tools were integrated for order management, delivery tracking, and customer engagement. New roles were created for category management, vendor relationships, and operations. Partnerships with third-party logistics providers were established for faster and more efficient deliveries.
Ecommerce has a complex competitive landscape in Bangladesh. There are established ecommerce platforms that sell everything. There are niche ecommerce players that operate in specific verticals such as fashion, healthcare, food, etc. There are thousands of social media-based online sellers who have a significant consumer base. It is a complex and fiercely competitive landscape. The sector also suffers from an underdeveloped digital infrastructure and skepticism and a lack of trust in online transactions from consumers.
Despite these challenges, Rokomari has managed to build a dominant brand. The success of the company can be attributed to several key competitive advantages that differentiate it from other players in the market.
Strong Reputation and Customer Trust: Rokomari built its initial reputation as a reliable and trustworthy platform for books. This established trust has carried over as the company expanded into new product categories. Customers already associate the brand with quality and reliability, giving them an advantage over competitors. This advantage is particularly significant in a market where trust and reliability are crucial factors in online shopping decisions.
Unparalleled Customer Service: Rokomari is renowned for its exceptional customer service enabled by its customer-centric policies, such as competitive pricing, easy returns, and proactive customer support. With the expansion, the company now offers a convenient shopping experience by providing a wide range of products on a single platform. This dedication to customer satisfaction has helped the company build a strong brand image and a loyal customer base.
Ensuring Excellence Across Categories: Rokomari says it has taken several initiatives to ensure it delivers the same quality of service across all categories. Teams are trained to operate at their best. A culture of proactive communication ensures customers get the details of their orders and get prompt resolutions to their issues. Finally, the company has an established feedback mechanism and actively collects and acts on customer feedback to improve the shopping experience.
Curated Selection and Quality Control: Rokomari prioritizes offering high-quality products by partnering with verified sellers and implementing strict quality control measures.
Deep Understanding of the Local Market: Rokomari has a deep understanding of the Bangladeshi market and customer preferences, gained through years of experience operating in the country. This local expertise enables the company to tailor its product offerings, services, and marketing strategies to resonate with the specific needs and preferences of consumers. Rokomari has successfully used this knowledge to its advantage in the past.
Efficient Logistics and Operations: Rokomari's established logistics and operations, initially built for books, have been scaled to accommodate the expansion into new product categories. The company has invested in technology-driven systems, such as AI-based inventory management and predictive analytics for demand forecasting. It also has a centralized warehousing system optimized for various product categories and has expanded its fleet and partnerships with third-party logistics providers to ensure faster and more efficient deliveries. This efficient logistics network ensures timely and reliable delivery, a critical factor in e-commerce success.
Rokomari has so far successfully leveraged these competitive advantages to expand from an online book retailer to a leading multi-category ecommerce platform. If the company can consistently execute on these strengths, it will achieve equally impressive outcomes in its new categories.
In many ways, Rokomari is just getting started. The company has ambitious plans for future growth.
These plans include expanding into niche categories, such as pet supplies and sporting goods, implementing same-day delivery in major cities, and leveraging AI to personalize the user experience through customized recommendations.
Rokomari’s transformation into an "everything store" offers several valuable insights for companies looking to expand and grow.
First, listen to your customers. Customer feedback is the best guide for identifying opportunities and making informed decisions. Rokomari’s expansion is rooted in this philosophy. Existing Rokomari users have been asking for more products from the platform and the company has simply listened to them.
Second, the most effective strategy in almost any situation is “experimentation.” Test, learn, and Iterate. Instead of trying to do something at once, gradual rollouts help minimize risks and ensure smooth transitions. More importantly, when you take an approach of testing and iteration, you learn at each step and it allows you to find new growth opportunities.
Finally, build scalable systems. Building infrastructure that can adapt to growth is essential for long-term success. Often companies operate in a fire-fighting short-term mode, overlooking the importance of long-term thinking in designing the organization. Many organizations fail to scale successfully due to this limitation. When you build systems that don’t scale, it is hard to scale an organization or the system breaks when you try to scale. Rokomari has learned through past experiments that unless it has scalable systems in place, things will break when you try to expand and expansion will not work.
Rokomari’s evolution from an online bookstore to an "everything ecommerce store" is a fascinating development in Dhaka’s ecommerce industry.
On the one hand, it is a case study where a niche vertical player is aiming to become a leader in multi-category ecommerce.
On the other hand, it is an example of how you can leverage platform power and brand reputation to expand into new verticals in the age of the internet.
The path ahead will not be a smooth sail for Rokomari. The company has to go through significant challenges and obstacles to make the expansion work.
One advantage Rokomari has is its organizational history. It has been in this market for over a decade and has developed the skills and strength to weather the challenges of the terrain. As Rokomari continues to grow, we will be following closely to see what the company does next.
