Call for specific policies for e-commerce sector

Business leaders of the country have called for specific policies to restore consumer confidence in the e-commerce sector amid rising allegations of fraud against e-commerce companies.

They demanded tax relaxation for the sector and including e-commerce in government procurement till 2030.

Leaders of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI), the apex trade organisation of Bangladesh, made the calls during a meeting of its Standing Committee on E-Commerce on Thursday.

The country has huge potential for e-commerce. But for various reasons, the sector is in a crisis of consumer confidence, members of the standing committee said, adding they will work to overcome this situation and create new entrepreneurs.

Shomi Kaiser, director in-charge of the committee and president of E-Cab said e-commerce businesses have bloomed during the Covid pandemic and generated thousands of employments. However, in some isolated cases, the image of e-commerce has been tarnished.

"In order to overcome this crisis, the Ministry of Commerce will provide unique identification numbers for e-commerce companies. A Complaints Management Cell will also be formed soon under the supervision of the directorate of national consumer Rights Protection," she added.

The E-cab president said a roadmap for one year would be drawn up by the FBCCI standing committee for the development of the overall e-commerce ecosystem.

Speaking as the chief guest at the meeting, FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin said that in order to create sustainable e-commerce, entrepreneurs in this sector must ensure institutional transparency and accountability and compliance.

FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu said it is necessary to formulate specific policies for e-commerce to restore confidence in the sector.

Meanwhile, presiding over the meeting, the Chairman of the Standing Committee TIM Nurul Kabir said lack of bank loans, poor penetration of cards, and over-reliance on cash on delivery and absence of cross-border e-commerce policies are some of the major challenges facing the business.

Co-chairmen and members of the FBCCI standing committee complained that the commerce ministry has not yet made the digital commerce cell fully functional and also it is yet to fix who will monitor the SOP in e-commerce.