One step ahead with Bangladesh Government on building a Digital Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Government is committed to turning Bangladesh, which was previously known as one of the world’s least developed countries, into a digitally developed nation by 2021. The vision is widely known as “Digital Bangladesh”. Expressing solidarity with the Bangladesh Government’s vision to build a digital Bangladesh, Agami Limited aims at minimizing the service inequality across the nation and upgrading the lifestyle of mass by making digital technology accessible to all. That is why the company established its first retail-based e-commerce site, known as Shopoth. An online shop that has taken an oath to deliver its promises.

Shopoth.com has started its journey on 31st January 2021 in Narsingdi and the greater Khulna region. Shopoth has taken the responsibility of creating online and offline correspondence with rural communities. This connection is built not only in towns but also in rural remote areas. Shopoth has already established its business in many remote areas and gradually it will start in 400 other Thanas across the country. The main objective of Shopoth is to introduce rural communities to Digital Bangladesh or e-commerce. There are still many people who do not have a smartphone and cannot use the internet. To serve these people, Shopoth has introduced Shopoth Agents in neighborhood stores where villagers can place orders to buy big brand products at the company’s price with the help of Shopoth Agents. Shopoth Agents are also receiving benefits from Shopoth. They do not need to invest any capital to become Shopoth Agents and to take the product for their shops. Shopoth is giving them a digital tab and necessary training free of charge. They are also getting a certain commission for every order completed in their shop. The initial journey of Shopoth started with 50-60 shops but now 500 retailers in Narsingdi and Khulna have become agents of Shopoth.

Sarajit Baral, the CEO of Shopoth, said, “Even though our initiative is small at the moment, our dream is much bigger than this. We will expand our business and services across the country very soon. In the digital age of online shopping, our goal is to make sure our local retailers don’t fall behind. At the same time, people are getting various products of top brands at fair prices with the convenience of faster delivery at the doorstep.”

E-commerce is not yet popular in remote areas. People have to go to shopping malls in the city to buy branded products at a high price. Many people in the village do not have mobile phones or internet connections. In this case, the initiative of Shopoth.com is quite hopeful. Rural communities will surely get the benefit of Digital Bangladesh through Shopoth.

Shopoth is trying to bring people from remote areas into a digital ecosystem. It wants to establish trust among people regarding digital services by providing original products at a fair price within the promised delivery timeline. At the same time, we are committed to minimizing the service inequality between big cities and remote areas through the convenience of digital technology. Agami Limited, with its retail-based online shop Shopoth, commits to bring confidence in digital service among the people in Bangladesh.

Reliable digital services in your neighborhood: Impacting Customers’ Life

Fahim, a resident of Dumuria Upazila in Khulna, has no big shopping mall near his village. If people in his village want to buy a phone or any other product of a renowned brand, they have to go to the Upazila Sadar, far from the village. But for the past four-five months, the villagers did not have to go to the market for shopping. Because all the products people usually buy from big shopping malls are now available in their local small shops.

But how are the services of shopping malls are now within the reach of these people in the rural areas?? Fahim, a young resident of this village, tells us his story. He said, “Due to the covid pandemic situation, there are limited opportunities to go to shopping malls in the city to buy goods which is a great concern for most of the villagers as they won’t be able to buy many necessary goods. But because of Shopoth, the scenario has changed. Many villagers including I can order any product at nearby Shopoth Agent stores at the company’s price and get delivery within 72 hours of ordering.” He also said that they are getting products like phones, routers, kitchen appliances, and many other useful products easily from Shopoth Agents. There is little room for mistrust as the customers have the option to pay cash on delivery. If there is any valid problem later, they can easily return the product and get a refund. This is how people in rural areas are availing the benefits of a reliable e-commerce service which were previously only available in more developed cities.

Shopoth is the first omnichannel service of Agami Limited. The management team of Shopoth says that their platform is designed to benefit rural people and improve their quality of life. Shopoth.com has started its journey on 31st January 2021 in Narsingdi and the greater Khulna region. They are serving people in many remote areas. Most people in the village do not own a smartphone and have no access to the internet. That’s why Shopoth provided digital tabs in the neighborhood shops so that the villagers don’t have to go anywhere and can purchase renowned brand products, which are available in Dhaka, right here at the company’s price. Shopoth has taken the responsibility of creating online and offline correspondence for people in rural areas. This connection has been built not only in towns but also in rural remote areas. Shopoth has already established its business in many remote areas and gradually it will start in 400 other Thanas across the country. Via Shopoth, the buyers order the goods in the neighborhood shops, and the goods are delivered to the same shops, known as Shopoth Agent Stores. The buyer receives the product from the retailer without any delivery charge. If the product does not meet their expectations, they can easily return it to the store and get the full refund without any hassle of a long process or having to make multiple phone calls.

Sarajit Baral, the CEO of Shopoth, said, “Even though our initiative is small at the moment, our dream is much bigger than this. We are now working in all the districts, Upazilas of greater Khulna, and all the villages of Narsingdi. We will expand our business and services across the country very soon.” He also said that people are getting various products of various brands at fair prices. The Shopoth team is also going to the field and buying products directly from the farmers. Customers can buy products from our website or Facebook page. Shopoth’s CEO Sarajit Baral said in an open seminar, “We have made the process of online purchase easier while delivering products at customers’ doorsteps. The customers are receiving calls from our customer care center within minutes of texting on the messenger of our Facebook page for any query, problem, or even to place the order. Those who do not have an internet connection can order products from Shopoth Agents directly. The buyer only needs to choose the product from the digital catalog and the retailer will place an order on behalf of the buyers. The buyer will receive the delivery very fast, without any extra delivery charge.”

Shopoth is trying to bring people from remote areas to our digital ecosystem. Shopoth wants to establish trust among people regarding digital services by providing original products at a fair price within the promised timeline. At the same time, it commits to minimizing the service inequality between big cities and remote areas through the convenience of digital technology.

Ordinary to digital retailers: A dream is coming true!

Aslam is a resident of a small village in Shibpur Upazila of Narsingdi. All the awesome stories that are happening now in his little tea stall, still look like a dream to him! For so many years, his tea stall, where people used to come only to drink tea and hang out, is now the place where villagers can get almost all products, they could usually only purchase from big shopping malls. Aslam now has a digital tab in his hands and has also become quite adept at running his business. Whenever the villagers come to him and ask for any product, he orders them online with the tab. His tea stall is currently decorated with colorful signboards, festoons, banners hanging in front of his shop, where the oath of Shopoth to deliver the right product at the right time is communicated, and “Shopoth Agent” is written in big letters on the signboard.

But how did this change occur all of a sudden? Let us know the story from Aslam. The tea stall owner Aslam said, “When I first heard about the Shopoth, I was not optimistic and confident about the platform. How is it possible to get all the products available in shopping malls in a small tea stall like mine?! Then the representatives of Shopoth visited my tea stall and explained to me the business model of Shopoth. They also gave me full training on how to use the tab, how to place orders, and overall business process.” He also said, “What surprised me the most was that I became an agent of the Shopoth without investing any capital. I never imagined that I would be able to provide services like the Bashundhara Shopping Mall of Dhaka in my small tea stall, that too without capital. Not only I am earning more from the commission on the selling price, but also the villagers are benefiting from the service. Sales have also increased as they have gained confidence in e-commerce.”

The first omnichannel service of Agami Limited is Shopoth which is a retail-based e-commerce site that provides a seamless online shopping experience through all our trusted retail stores. The founders of Shopoth said that their platform has been created for rural communities. Shopoth.com has started its journey in Narsingdi and the greater Khulna region on 31st January 2021. The core objective of Shopoth is to modernize and improve the quality of life of everyone living in rural areas. Shopoth Agents do not need to invest any capital to take the product to their shops. Shopoth is providing them with a digital tablet and required training free of charge. They are also getting a certain commission for every order completed in their shop. Shopoth is changing the lives of small traders in remote areas.

Sarajit Baral, the CEO of Shopoth, said, “Even though our initiative is small at the moment, our dream is much bigger than this. We are currently working in all the districts, Upazilas of greater Khulna, and all the villages of Narsingdi. We will expand our business and services across the country very soon.” The initial journey of Shopoth started with 50-60 shops but now 500 retailers in Narsingdi and Khulna have become agents of Shopoth. Each retailer received a tab as well as the necessary training. Sarjit Baral said, “We stock products in our local warehouse beforehand. As a result, it is possible to supply goods to the buyer very quickly.” He added, “We are getting huge responses from the local retailers. Many retailers are now interested in becoming our Shopoth agents. Our goal is to improve their quality of life. In the era of online shopping, our goal is to make sure these ordinary retailers don’t fall behind.”

Shopoth is trying to bring people from remote areas into a digital ecosystem. We want to improve the lifestyle of retailers from the marginalized communities and minimize digital literacy inequality with the assistance of digital technology.