E-commerce: A Handy Experience & Application
PART ONE:
A GENERAL STUDY
ON
E-COMMERCE
1. E-commerce: the definition
E-commerce generally means electronic commerce. E-commerce includes the tasks that support buying and selling goods and services and interaction between these tasks.1
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In easy word, providing services or options to buy and sell through electronic network, can be defined E-commerce. It facilitates internal interaction, improves customer relationship and eliminates constraints of place and time. It is a fast expanding business process where buyers and sellers staying at a far distance can communicate easily and directly reducing the constraints of time and place. In the world of IT, E-commerce is used through Internet using Web pages.
Web page helps to display information of the buyer to the seller and seller to the buyer, by which both of those parties can communicate each other. Thus with a few minutes and from a far distance E-commerce helps the potential buyer and seller to perform their work quickly and easily.
2. E-commerce how it works
E-commerce is the most modern way for the buyers and sellers to communicate easily. International networking works immensely for exposing of E-commerce.
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The information of the sellers is presented in the web pages in the Internet. The web pages include all the information about goods and services provided by the sellers and order option. Buyers can select required product and services from the web site of the sellers where database of all goods and services are given. After selecting required goods and services, buyer can order for that goods and services and with in a definite period the ordered goods and services are delivered to them.
Payment can be made by four options that are-
(1) International and domestic credit card
(2) Bank draft and check
(3) Smart community card
(4) On delivery payment.
Goods and services can also be delivered through two options –(1) Electronically (2) Physically. Digital goods like audio songs, video songs, films etc are delivered electronically and non-digital goods like foods, perfumes, flowers etc are delivered physically.
1. A feature on “E-commerce & Concerns for E-commerce In Bangladesh” by Professor Dr. Lutfar Rahman, Dept. Of Computer Science, University Of Dhaka.
3. E-Commerce: Basic Categories
Thus a buyer can order and purchase any goods and service choosing from the web site and paying through a specified way. This process is discussed elaborately in the later part of the report.
Base on the process of E-commerce discussed earlier, it may be classified into three basic categories. These are discussed below-
3.1 Business to business (B 2 B) :
When any transaction between two-business organizations takes place through E-commerce using Internet then this process is called Business to Business (B to B) process of E-commerce. Any transaction between two business organization may happen when the buyer firm communicates through internet using web page of the selling firm and orders for its required goods and services. One important fact in this process is that the buyer organization is not the consumer and therefore it never consume the purchased goods and services from the seller rather again sells the goods and services to other consumer parties.
RB2B: An example
Let one firm (Y) needs in USA Bangladeshi fish with a view to market it in their country. An e-commerce service providing firm (X) is in the domestic market operating its service in Bangladesh and has detailed web page where fish item is also included in food section in the Internet. Now the firm Y from USA has to browse the web page of the X firm. Knowing all the information about fish it will choose fishes according to its requirement & instating it orders through that web page in the Internet. Receiving the order, the ‘X’ firm in Bangladesh will instantly work to collect the required shipment & supply it with in a defined time. Since the buying firm is purchasing to sell those fishes in the market of America these transactions of E-commerce can be defined as B2B process.
3.2 Business to Consumer (B 2 C):
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This is a very popular E-commerce process. In this process a business organization can communicate with the consumer & sell goods & services directly. Buyers who are ultimate consumers directly access the website of the selling organization & order for their requirements. The sellers deliver goods & services to the consumers within a definite period. Collection of money or the payment system of the price is done by specified ways as cash on delivery; cash with order, international or domestic credit card, cheques etc.
RB2B: An example.
Here we can take the example of Amazon. com – a book selling organization in Amerrica. It sells books to its more than 3 million customers through online all over the world. The buyers order through website staying in their own countries & the firm, delivers boos to the buyers collecting the money in specified process.3
3.3 Consumer to Consumer (C 2 C)
Here one consumer sells goods & services to other consumers. A third party works to make the interaction between the two consumer parties. The consumer who wants to sell informs his selling information to the third party that presents those information in his website. Accessing that website another consumer can order & buy the goods & services provided by the third party. The payment firstly goes to the third party & from him it goes to the first consumer.
4. Different application of E-commerce:
E-commerce has made the life easier-various fields & categories of its business applications prove this theory. The most popular and familiar fields & categories that make the life dynamic and easier of e-commerce include E-cash, E-shopping, E-advertisement, E-banking etc. In fact E-commerce is very wide concept including many electronic services related with numerous institutions like Govt. merchants, manufacturer, suppliers, and consumers. It also involves wide process like marketing, sales, purchases, payment etc and computer network like local area network, internet, corporate and commercial network etc. Legal issue and skilled manpower is also obvious for e-commerce processing. The major application fields of E-commerce are described below:
| E-cash | E-health | E-banking | ||||
| E-shopping | E-advertisement | E-security | ||||
Figure 4: major applications of e-commerce
3. Books may be purchased in every accessible places browsing the website addres. www.amazon.com.
? E-cash:
E-cash means electronic cash. E-cash is the modern mean of completing transaction including electronic transfer of cash. The very interesting matter is that in purchasing and selling goods and services through Internet money is used called Imaginary Digital Survey (IDC.) It means the payment is accomplished using the IDC where no direct connection between the buyer and seller is available. Staying at a far distance both the parties accomplish transaction by IDC. IDC means payment digitally by using international or local credit cards, electronic check etc. (Image shown-54)
Through e-cash in banking service any customer can draw money from the 24hrs cash disbursement service of the banks.
E-cash is used in small transaction in the business with a low cost. Example of E-cash is credit card, ATM cards etc.
? E-shopping:
E-shopping is a very important part of E-commerce. E-shopping means electronic shopping or digital shopping. In this part of E-commerce consumers or buyers can buy goods and services without getting face to face or any direct communication, staying at a far distance. Buyers accusing the website of the seller including different shopping items, consumers goods and services, can order according to their choice from the given items and can pay through credit card or check, bank draft or on delivery payment. Thus E-shopping becomes easier, time saving, less costly and also save our labor and time.
?E-advertising:
This is another most modern means of business, which “helps our business world immensely to globalize it. E-advertising means providing advertising digitally in the Internet through website. A specialized web site only for advertisement may be prepared where only advertisements of various business, non business or servicing organization are included. Besides any website may contain advertisement of various organization. Through the website the whole world can know those advertisement which has extremely helpful for the business to express about the business all over the world and its globalization. Thus through E-commerce an organization in Bangladesh can be known by million of people of the world (Image shown-65)
4. This image is taken from www.google.com-search engine – e-commerce/images.
5. This image is taken from www.munshigi.com/homepage.
In actual sense E-banking includes a vast sectors but in our country E-banking serves only a definite service by which the clients of bank can observe the balance not going to their bank physically with the help of E-banking. The e-cash service is also included in the e-banking services where the customers can draw their money whenever they want using credit card, ATM card etc.
? E-health:
Generally E-health means health related service or information is served through Internet. Through the Internet different kinds of data or health-related information are shared among various countries.
RB2C: An example……………….. ……………………………………………………………………..
The www.munshigj.com (our concerning firm) transfers the prescription, name of rare medicine, the method of treatment etc. to our doctors from many famous doctors. of different reputed hospitals or clients of different countries through it. But medicine cannot be transferred. Again in many different operations such as heart operation, cancer operation doctors of different countries get the opportunities to consult themselves that matter and operation system. For example say in Dhaka P. Ghospital a serious patient has needed immediate operation but the doctors are a trifle conscious about the operation. At that time the doctors can consult about the matter with the specialist doctors of Germany (assumed).
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Another very charming & probably the most astonishing e-heath service is going to be introduced. According to this a very small silicon chip will be installed in any part of body of a person who is a member of any hospital & an insurance company. This silicon chip work as an indicator of disease. It informs the server of the through Internet of the insurance company & the medical center 3 to 4 hours ago the man becomes sick. Thus that person may get admitted in the hospital before disease actually attacks him or her. Nowadays through electronic mail the smell of different things can be transferred from one country to another. Two famous scientist of Israel has discovered the method of smell transformation. For example one can transfer the smell of rose to his friend birthday.
? E-security:
This is one of the most modern means of providing security to the society & the common security, This application is very new in the field of e-qommerce & not familiar in Bangladesh like other applications. Security service may be provided primarily in two ways.
First one is the GPS or Global Positioning System. Any country the prisoners or each criminals when will be imprisoned from the jail or custody, a very small silicon chip will be added to any of body parts that will be operated by the security service members. The most interesting & new means is that by the indication or help of the silicon chip the security members can monitor the prisoners’ location & direction. Thus all the imprisoned criminals wilt be monitored by the security members that will reduce the crime to a great extent & may be arrested very easily.
Second one is the database of all the common people will be reserved in the security department & in any case for any people or criminal for a given identity & social security number all the past activities may be recorded & found very easily. This one is very familiar in developed coufiltries like USA, England.
This service is encountered as e-commerce since it may provide by private organization at cost.
A CASE STUDY ON E-COMMERCE
5. Our concerning firm: Munshigi.com
Name of the company Munshigi.com
Website www.munshigi.com
Chief executive officer Munshi Md.Giasuddin
Period of establishment
Munshigi.com Ltd. has introduced E-commerce in Bangladesh through www.munshiro.com website. This website has been uploaded on 14.01.2000 and is inaugurated ceremonially on 24.01.2000 at the national press club, Dhaka.
Present clients 35000(thirty five thousands)
Major products &. services:
Web-development, web hosting, domain registration, networking, solution, online marketing & promotion, online advertisement, hotel booking, airticket sale, helicopter charter service, delivery service etc.
Technological profile
v Non human 30(thirty) computers, 5(five) U.P.S., 10(ten) voltage stabilizer & 5(five) telephone sets.
v Human full times 40, part time 10.
Legal Status Private limited company.
7. Goods II services provided by Munshigi:
WWW.Munshigi Com is the first E-commerce website in Bangladesh. The categories of all goods in munshigi.com. may be listed as below: Cosmetics, Groceries, Clothing, Food, furniture, jewelers, gift items, and many more. Through this website, fresh flowers, showpiece, nice designed dresses of famous institution, sweets of Moronchand, biriani of hazi, food of Sajna restaurant, electronic goods, of the Grundig Company of Germany, plastic furniture, gorgeous gold ornaments of Amin jewelers etc. are transferred within home and abroad. Again with the help of grocery page anyone can make his/her weekly shopping. (Annex-2).
8. How Munshigi serves: the procedure
Munshigi.com is providing home services in case of delivery of the goods. They reach the goods home to consumers according to their order. It takes at least 3 hours to reach the goods to the home within Dhaka. The payment system of purchased goods is also very easy. It may be COD (cash on delivery, CWO (cash with order) or by credit card.
As MunshigLcom is the first & best e-commerce center in Bangladesh it is serving its goods & services majority in Bangladesh. Anybody in Bangladesh can receive its services sitting in the home following a definite procedure. The whole procedure is analyzed below:
Step=l Taking membership:
To get services of Munshigi, pre-condition is to take a membership. Munshigi provides an option to get the free membership through one line application form. Clients or Internet users may get the form in the. website of munshigi.com. Those who are interested to get e-commerce services from munshigi.com will fill up the form correctly & submit it through online.
Step=2 Log-in name & password:
After filling up the application form correctly the client will get a login name & password. Login name means with this name the customer may access the commerce site & get the overall e-commerce services from munshigi.com. To access the site & get e-commerce services a password of specific text is also required. Without this password a client can never access the net.
Step=3 Entering the website:
Anybody using Internet can access the website www.mnsugi.com & gets the home or main page first. Then using the given log-in name & password a client can enter the website of Munshigi.com. The page where all category goods are shown then viewed.
Step=:4 Index of products:
Entering their website, clients get an index of Munshigi’s products i.e. name & description of products with which Munshigi deal with. This page cannot be viewed if the client cannot provide his or her password or login name.
Step=5 Entering the required product:
Now the client needs to choose the product or service that he or she wants to get. From the index of the product a client can select his required product category.
Step = 6 Getting all products with picture & description:
If the client chooses a definite category she/he will get a detail Page. After selecting the required products, a client can get display of products with picture, price & description & with other competitive products. .
Step=7 Selecting the quantity of product:
From the display of products a client is to determine the quantity of products i.e. how many products a client wants to buy. .
Step=8 Add to trolley:
After completing the whole process a client is to select a trolley; which is imaginary, to carry his required products & is to take all the product to trolley.
Step=9 paying the bill
The buyer has to pay the amount of bill thorough electronic way. They have to put the Smart C-ard, Credit Card or Community C-ard number in a given form & the bill will automatically be paid from the consumer’s bank account. Of course they also can pay the amount after delivery (Cash on Delivery}.
(Annex-3)
Desire to buy Paying, the bill
Taking membership Add to trolley
Log-in name & password Selecting the quantity of products
Entering the website Getting all products with picture
& description
Index of products Entering the required product
Figure 8: diagram of Munshigi service process
è Online payment system is very complex and is not widely used in our country
9. Barriers of e-commerce: munshigi perspective
In operating e-commerce no payment is made hand-to-hand. It is known that e-commerce is operated through Internet line. So here no chance of making payment hand-to-hand. All payments are made with the help of online payment system. But in our country online payment system is very complex and it is also seen very few. So it prevents the improvement of e-commerce.
è Low bandwidth is existed in our country’s Internet line
To operate e-commerce data communication is an important fact. Several technical matters affect data communication. Among them Bandwidth is one which is used as channel. Bandwidth is defined as transmission speeds of data i.e. bits-per-second transmission capability of a chanliel. There are several bandwidth with several speeds e.g. voice band width 9600 to 28800, medium band width 56000 to 30 billion bits-per-second. But in our country channel with low brand width is existed. In this situation to operate e-commerce is difficult both for the clients as wet! as the firm.
è Lack of consciousness in our general public
It is known to all that our socio economic status is very low. Our education rate is also low. Our socio economic status and educational rate express the awareness of our countrymen. E-commerce is a matter where education is involved i.e. people have to know about Internet line, online payment system etc. But few of our people know about it. For this reason, e-commerce is hampered in our country.
è Our telephone system is normal & tele-communication structure is so complex
Besides, in accessibility of telephone line complexity of telephone is also a barrier. Telephone system is very complex in our country. High charge of telephone is also a barrier in our country. In improved countries telephone charge is very low which is helpful to improvement and expansion of ecommerce in those countries. But in our country telephone charge is very high which hampers e-commerce.
è A few number of Internet users
Small of our large population use Internet but most of them have portion no Internet account and this can be a stumbHng block in the way of e-commerce.
è Inaccessibility of telephone
Inaccessibility of telephone is an obstacle in the way of e-commerce. Telephone is essential to operate e-commerce. A great portion of our large population is not telephone holder. Bureaucracy also appears to get a telephone line and it is also so expensive. So it is an obstacle in the way of e-commerce.
è Our govt. is not so generous in improving of e-commerce
In most of the improved countries e-commerce is used in various prospect i.e. in the forme-health, e-security, e-shopping etc. It has possible only with the help of government of those countries and awareness of people. Government plays a great role for improvement of e-commerce. Govt. can provide variolJ,s facilities to the firm involved in operating e-commerce and also can make pupHcity to the general public nationally. But in our country govt. is not so helpful. It also hampers the e-commerce in our country. .
è High cost of ISP’s
Internet Service Providers in our country charge more from the Internet users. So prospective & existing Internet users get disinterested in using Internet for this high cost.
è Barriers-from the viewpoint of consumers:
èNo freedom of choice
The consumer can not explore in a wide range of choice that means here consumers have no freedom of choice. They are only confined to the goods that are available in the website.
è No perfect verification of goods
The consumer cannot verify the quality of goods in E- shopping as they can in case of physical shopping. There is a possibility of getting low quality goods and services.
è No capacity of bargaining
The another barrier that is faced by the consumers is that they are incapable of bargaining in case of shopping like physical shopping in the market
10. The way to solve: munshigi perspective
From the perspective of munshigi com the problems of e-commerce may solved in by taking various steps. According to them the following efforts may be taken to blowout the barriers of e-commerce in Bangladesh.
è Improving telephone service
The main predicament of E-commerce of our country is the telephone service and for this the government must ensure better service of telephone as well as the opportunity of being use telephone independently.
èReducing cost of communication
Most of the developed countries in the world charge no amount for local call but in our country it is absolutely opposite. Here people have to pay a big amount of money for their local call. Again after starting the multimetering system they face different problems rather than getting good service. Spending a large amount of money they get a bad service.
è Introducing of submarine optic fiber
If we get the opportunity to attach our telephone line to the submarine cabl, then we will get better service than now. But in our country there is no proper scope for using submarine cables because we have lack of suitable place from where we can take the cables. Chittagong is the only place from where we can take the connection of submarine cables. At this situation government should take the matter seriously. It is good news that the government is trying to get the opportunity of submarine cables.
è Increasing bandwidth
The main problem of E-commerce in our country is the low band width Internet that means small number of information can be transferred through Internet'” _ with in a minute. This problem will be solved if it is possible to take submarine cables connection.
è Facilitating credit
Credit facilities should be provided in bulk by the private sector & the government sector to increase the availability of e-commerce service providing firm and modern e-commerce technologies & software.
è Promoting annual budget
A considerable part of amount of the budget should be allocated for the development of E-sector.
è Inspiring the people’ by the Gov.
Government can inspire the people about the E-sector providing financial help as well as offering Government advertisement like Arsenic, Black Bengal goat, dowry etc.
11. Standing and potential condition of business
It we serve advertisement in TV from the month of January 2003, the numbers of our customers will increase and WI December 2003 we may collect fresh 70,000 customers.
With the 35000 customers being engaged fresh 70000, a large numbers of customers will be formed and from January 2004 we may reach to our ultimate goal of on line sale. That is, from then our 25% customers will begin to purchase In average of TK500 in every month and the sale will be about TK1,30,00,000 in every month. 10% profit means TK13, OOOOO and this amount will ensure the officer’s salary after repayment of bank installment and interest. That is, from the month of January 2004, we may begin to achieve profit. Meanwhile, our income will increase from our online advertisement, web-design and online marketing.
10. Future Goal of Munshigi:
“We try to make the expansion of the technology of e-commerce to the sma!!, medium industry as the prompt seller and service organization. Again, we ensure the opportunity of export of Our domestic goods and services to the world market through electronic technology.”
Munshi Gias Uddin
CEO
MunshigLcom
Munshigi.com offers creation of an easy as well as cheap process for entering in ‘Ecommerce’ for each & every person who is interested. They create a great area for the general people to use e-commerce. In fact it is most modern way of conducting business & easiest process of purchasing goods & services. Munshigi.com is trying to really change the business system in Bangladesh by applying modern technology. People of all classes may get the touch of this service system. Moreover this modern e-commerce business process may be adopted in export-import business. Now munsigi com is also providing services to the users living abroad. Thus they”help the country to earn foreign exchange through the export of known & unknown goods and services. For this purpose we try to sell the unknown goods and services such as fresh flower, cooked food, sweet, fruits etc. all over the world recently and get expected response Ifeedback.
Munshigi is trying to get improvement in its business and they determined to introduced the general public with e-commerce and take this busine_s at a high ppsition. In future-they want to establish a web portal which will be the largest one in our country. They also want to increase the awareness of the gelileral public about computer technology and Internet. For this purpose they will make _any seminar in
the many district level on the importance of computer technology and use of Internet. .
Findings &. Conclusion
From the above discussion of e-commerce and its handy application in business, we have found the following major facts:
F E-commerce is a company based most modern way to operate business in the world recovering the barriers of distance.
F The purchases, sales and payments are mostly completed within the electronic media very easily.
F E-commerce has 3 basic forms that are business to business(B2B), consumer to consumer(C2C) & business to consumer(B2C)
F Among different appHcation of e-commerce e-shopping, e-bank_9, ecash, e-security, e-health & e-advertisement are the majors & most modern application of e-commerce.
F Munshigi.com is’ providing e-commerce services for many years efficiently & also handing various problems smartly. They are the first & best ecommerce service providing firm in Bangladesh.
F Munshigi serves various categories of products & services mainLy e!shopping & e-advertising. to get these services customers have to take the membership first & then may receive these services.
F There are numerous constraints in the way of e-commerce as to be the most popular means of modern business in Bangladesh that are being faced by Munshigi.com.
F At this. moment they are not in the profit making pos.ition. Ins.pite of this. they also think for the consumers as to how consumers may be more benefited from e-commerce.
F Munshigi.com has some effective proposal to solve the barriers & to improve the e-commerce condition in Bangladesh. In fact they want to ‘. expand the area of e-commerce in Bangladesh.
“we want to globalize our domestic business with the dynamic business world making the nation efficient in technology.”
Munshi Gias Uddin
CEO
MunshigLcom
Now, we can conclude that this study on e-commerce is very effective to improve us with the advancement of e-commerce. The overall practical study with Munshigi com has been an excellent step to acquire the real knowledge of e-commerce& its application.