Local software and digital media firm Tradeshi has teamed up with China's Alibaba.com as its e-commerce partner for Bangladesh.
The companies signed a deal on June 3 in China, said Shadab Parvez, managing director of Tradeshi, at a press meet in Dhaka.
Now under separate deals with Tradeshi, local e-commerce companies will be able to purchase or sell products via Alibaba.
“This process will help boost export volumes and bring diversity,” said Parvez.
Tradeshi will help develop the digital export marketing capabilities of Bangladeshi enterprises and make Alibaba's online channel popular in Bangladesh.
Alibaba's representatives will be available for seminars and workshops on digital export marketing and e-commerce in Bangladesh.
They can groom around 5,000 e-commerce entrepreneurs in the next three years, said Rajib Hossain, chairman of Tradeshi. Tradeshi is also expected to launch an association for the existing Bangladesh-based Alibaba.com 'Gold' suppliers.
State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said through this partnership, the country's business to business sector will develop. Under this model, around two crore entrepreneurs are working in China alone, he added.
“The partnership with Alibaba also gives us a different kind of branding, and through this, e-commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart will also come to Bangladesh.”
Razib Ahmed, president of e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh, said within the next few years, all commerce will become e-commerce and this process will help the sector mature. Currently, there are 1,000 e-commerce entrepreneurs in the country, who are running their business though websites, he said. There are some 8,000 Facebook pages also running this business, he added.
In response to a query, Palak said they will go for a separate e-commerce policy within a short time.