Independent University, Bangladesh

Internship Working Report Based

On
“Business Development at Pickaboo”

Prepared For

Ms. Zakia Binte Jamal

Senior Lecturer

Department of Marketing

School of Business

Independent University, Bangladesh

Prepared By

Md. Saddam Hossain Shadhin

ID: 1621591

Major: Marketing

School of Business

Date of Submission – 1st December, 2019

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 LETTER OF SUBMISSION
1st December, 2019

Ms.Zakia Binte Jamal

Senior Lecturer

Department of Marketing

School of Business

Independent University, Bangladesh

Subject: Submission of Internship report based on “Business Development at Pickaboo”.

Dear Madam,
I am pleased to present my Internship Report titled “Business Development at Pickaboo”
Which is a part of the BBA program curriculum. It has been a privilege to work under your
learned and sincere supervision. I have completed my internship from Pickaboo. The
internship program has given me the opportunity to learn about different aspects of this well
reputed E-commerce platform and e-commerce industry as a whole. I tried my best to make
this report as informative as possible. I sincerely believe that it will satisfy your requirements
and serve the purpose of my internship program.

I will be grateful if you are kind enough to receive this report and provide me your valuable
judgment about it. It would be my great pleasure if you find this report informative and useful
in providing a clear perspective on this process.

Sincerely,

Md. Saddam Hossain Shadhin

ID: 1621591

School of Business

Independent University, Bangladesh

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I would like to thank the almighty Allah for giving me the ability and enabling me
to complete the internship report successfully on time. It is a great pleasure to take this
opportunity to thank some people who have encouraged, directed and supported me
throughout the internship program.

I would like to show my gratitude to my supervisor Ms. Zakia Binte Jamal for guidance
which was cruicial for the perparation of my internship report. I would also like to express
my gratitude to my colleagues at Pickaboo.com and Silver Water Technologies including
our CEO Mr. Morin Talukder, Mohammad Waheeduzzaman (Head, Customer Experience),
Arafat Haque (HR & Admin), Farhana Khair (Accounts), Tasmiah Nafrin (Accounts), Asha
Mallick (Digital Marketing), S.M. Nasimul Haque (Manager, Business Development), Md.
Abu Taher Rana (Deputy Manager, Business Development), and last but certainly not least
Tazul Azam (Executive, Business Development) for the constant support and the opportunity
to work at Pickaboo.com. Without their help and support, I could not have completed my
internship program successfully. I enjoyed every moment of being surrounded by such a great
team.

Finally, I would like to thank all of my teachers, colleagues, classmates and friends, who
have constantly shared their knowledge and ideas about the internship procesess, corporate
life, the professional landscape and the e-commerce process.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Content Page No.

Executive Summary 5

Chapter 1: Introduction 6

Chapter 2: Internship Experience 15

Chapter 3: Internship outcome 19

Chapter 4: Conclusion 31

References 32

Appendix 33

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

E-commerce sector is an emerging sector in Bangladesh. Pickaboo holds the 2nd position in
e-commerce sector with a high market growth. E-commerce is an extremely competitive
sector and team Pickaboo is contantly vigilant about its market position and innovation.
Pickaboo believes that in order to keep customers satisfied its platform needs to be open and
informative. To make the customer happy each and every department has to be responsible.

The internship is a kind of on the job training. Students get an idea about the organization
through working in an organization. In chapter one organizational details such as, company
profile, mission, vision, and goals are discussed. The next section consists of departments of
Pickaboo, details of the product line, operation details and CSR activities are discussed. My
job responsibility during my internship period and the function of my department has been
included in chapter two. The challenges I have faced during my internship period are
included in chapter 3. In chapter 3 also has the analysis based on my observations and
provide recommendations for Pickaboo.

Finally, I enclosed my report through conclusion and implication for Pickaboo, which
Pickaboo.com and Silver Water Technology has the liberty to study and implement at their
will. Working in Pickaboo was a great experience. I have enjoyed every bit of time, and I
believe this experience will help me in developing a professional career in future.

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Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Company Profile

Pickaboo is a B2C e-commerce company conducting business in Bangladesh since May 12th,
2016. Pickaboo is an online shopping destination where you can shop from the widest
selection of Mobiles and tablets, Mobile accessories and gadgets, Computer accessories, TV
and it’s accessories, Gaming consoles and their accessories, Home appliances, Grooming
products, and many more exciting new items to come. The products are shipped directly to
the customer’s location of convenience anywhere in Bangladesh.

Like any digital technology or consumer-based purchasing market, e-commerce has evolved
over the years. As mobile devices become more popular, mobile commerce has become its
own market. With the rise of sites like Facebook, social media has become an important
driver of e-commerce. Official Facebook page is verified and it has more than 884,000 with
4.4 stars out of 5 stars overall reviews. Pickaboo has around 6 minute’s response time,
reaching a staggering 98% response rate thanks to their dedicated social media team. The
Pickaboo website has an average of 25 thousand hits per day. (Source: Pickaboo Facebook
page)

Pickaboo has separate timely expenses categorized for marketing through Google search
engine optimization, through different popular websites, localized advertisements through
various online platforms here in Bangladesh. As getting more hits for Pickaboo’s website is
their main priority, they tend not to hold back when sparing some extra cash to boost their
site.

Pickaboo is an e-commerce based company with an exceptional presence in the field, and a
good track record so far. Pickaboo is a brand under Silver Water Technologies, a sister
concern of Edison Group. Currently Pickaboo is the second largest e-commerce company in
Bangladesh. The director’s board of Pickaboo consists of four investors, three members from
Edison Group and one member from MO-Magic Technologies India.

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1.1.1 Pickaboo Mission, Vision, Objective

Mission
To work in the E-commerce echo system of Bangladesh & make online shopping a
comfortable, trust worthy & Necessary shopping experience for OUR consumers.

Vision

What we promise, we deliver.

Objective

 Empower shoppers with more choice of Products in one place.

 Create a value chain for Grade-A product manufacturer & distributors.
 Establish a dependable after sales service for customers by working closely with the
partners.
 Create a dependable channel of sales for our Partners.

Tagline

“Delivering Happiness”

1.1.2 Corporate Division or Department

Pickaboo is a flat organization and follows a mixture of mechanistic and organic
organizational approach. The departments have the autonomy of decision making but, all
large decisions must be run through the CEO and rest of the departments must his direction.
In the following page, the organogram of Pickaboo has been given.

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 Chief Executive Officer

Human Resource Manager Senior Manager, Senior

Technology
Manager,
Manager,
Accounts
Business Development
Manager, Manager, Supply
Brand and Communication Chain Management
Development Manager, Customer Support
Manager, Admin Manager, Social Media

Social Media Specialist

Admin

Ast.Manager, Search Engine Optimization

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Manager,Web Development Manager, Information Technology
Manager, Content
Ast.Manager, Manager,
Accounts Business Development

Admin Assistant

Executive, Content
Executive, Marketing
Manager, Creative
Manager, Supply Chain Management
Customer Support Specialist

Rider/Delivery Man
1.1.3 Details of the product lines or services

Pickaboo at the begininng focused solely on mobile and mobile gadgets. That focus has
evolved into a product line which includes product categories such as home appliance, beauty
and fashion, daily needs and an ever growing dynamic array of electronics products. The
supply line of vendors is crucial at Pickaboo. Pickaboo follwos the inventory model of
ecommerce. The company make an agreement with different types of sellers and upload the
content of that product in Pickaboo’s website. A customer who are willing to buy a particular
product place an order then Pickaboo collects the product from designated sellers, brings it to
its fulfilment centrese for due process, and then send it out via its own delivery service
network. The details of the product line of Pickaboo are following.

Mobiles and Tablets

Mobile phones and tablets are more frequent usable device all over the world. Pickaboo has
mobile devices from all brands, not only the old brands but also the product newly entered to
the market Pickaboo always try to grab those phones first. Samsung, Xiaomi, Symphony,
Hellio, Infinnix, iPhone, Huawei, BlackBerry, Asus, Lenovo etc. brands are available in
Pickaboo with the official warranty. They also have mobile and tablet accessories such as
Back Covers, Memory Card, Selfie Stick, Screen Protector, Charger, Bluetooth Speaker,
Headphones, VR Box, Smart Watch etc. All the mobile phones and tablets have brand
warranty, service warranty or replacement warranty.

Computers
In computers product line they have the desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, and
accessories. In desktop category, they have All in One PC’s from different brands. Like, Dell,
Lenovo, Acer, Asus, Apple iMac etc. All of them have service warranty. They have laptops
from different brands. The brands are HP, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, Xiaomi, i-Life, Apple etc.
Desktop and laptop accessories such as Pendrives, Headsets, Mouse, Keyboard, Portable
Hard Disk, Webcam, Powerstrip, USB Hubs, Scanners, Projector, and Speaker etc are also
available.

Electronics and Appliances

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In Security System category they have a Security camera, Security alarm, Door Security.
Home equipment brings style to the house. It does increase home beauty and associate to
have home in today's world. Pickaboo has Smart TV, LED TV, CRT TV, Internet TV etc.
There is also Refrigerator, Air Conditioner, Dryer, Food Processor, Kitchen Hood, and many
more electronic appliances.

Lifestyle and Entertainment

Some products go with the social class. That type of products literally called lifestyle product.
Cameras, Grooming products, Electric Motorbike, Health Care Device, Fitness products etc.
Watching movies, hearing songs, Video games are considered as an entertainment product. In
the entertainment product category,pickaboo have Audio players and system, Video players
and system, Gaming console etc.

Daily Needs

In electronics product, there has some product that needs on a daily basis. Those types of
products have categorized under daily needs. In daily needs,Pickaboo has Light, Fan, Switch,
Socket, Power strip, Tools, Hardware and many more. The products under this category are
Led Bulb, Tube Light, Cable, Circuit Breaker, Ceiling Fan, Table Fan Switch, Socket etc.
Pickaboo is trying to bring all sorts of electronic products under an umbrella. Because of a
potential buyer do not need to go another portal for searching his or her desirable product.

Beauty and Fashion

Pickaboo has all types of fashion product for men and women and different types of beauty
product collection. Men product such as top wear (t-shirt, casual shirt, formal shirt, jackets,
blazer and so on), bottom wear (formal pants, jeans, sports, trousers), traditional wear
(Panjabi, pajama), men’s watches, accessories and foot wear. Women product such as top
wear (hoodies, coats & jackets, tunic), bottom wear (leggings, pants, palazzo), traditional
wear (kurta&fatua, salwarkameez, boutique dress), footwear, women’s watches and ladies
bags.
Pickaboo also has beauty and grooming products for women’s such as different categories of
face makeup, eye makeup, hair care, lip makeup, makeup accessories, body and skin care
and nails. Pickaboo always search exclusive product line up for their valuable customers.
And all product have standard quality.

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1.1.4 Operation Details
Pickaboo is registered under Silver Water Technologies Bangladesh. Pickaboo is also
certified from e-commerce association of Bangladesh (e-cab). They operation details are
following.

Agreement

Pickaboo makes an agreement with the seller/vendor from whom they buy or collect the
product. Terms and Conditions are mentioned in the agreement. Warranty issues, product
collecting issues, payment terms are also written in this agreement.

Content Management (Product)

Afterwards the vendor provides his or her product list with a price to the vendor operation
manager (Business Developer). Then business developer gives that list to the Content
Optimization team for uploading the products in the Pickaboo’s website.

Order Confirmation/Cancelation

After placing any order by customers then a Customer Care Representative make a phone call
to the customer for confirming the customer’s order.

If any customer wanted to cancel his/her order then the customer need to give a call to 09 666
745 745 number, then a Customer Care Representative cancels the customer’s order.

Social Media Management

Pickaboo’s official Facebook page has more than 1,042,929 likes. Everyday huge amounts of
queries come from potential customers. If the potential customers do not get prompt response
his/her mind may change. Social Media Specialists of Pickaboo are able to provide a prompt
reply to the potential customers.

Product Collection

Pickaboo does not store all the ordered products, after getting an order in online the products
are collected from vendors and brought into Pickaboo’s fulfillment centre. The products are
then sent to the customer’s choice of pick up location. The company uses Magento e-
commerce systems software and code. Therefore when a customer places an order the

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designated seller also get a notification that his/her has an order at Pickaboo. Then the seller
prepares the product for rider pick up or reached the product at Pickaboo office.

Place an order
Pickaboo is a B2C e-commerce company in Bangladesh where you can shop different
categories of product. So, how to buy a product from pickaboo.com? Below table show you
clearly how to buy your desire product from pickaboo.com.

 Create an account to login

 Choose your desire product from Pickaboo website
 Add to cart
 View cart and checkout
 Choose quantity and Update shopping cart
 After then you have option for club point / discount code / gift cards
 Proceed to checkout
 Input your address and press continue
 Choose office collection or Regular shipping
 Choose payment option
 Cash on delivery / online payment / bkash payment / card on delivery
 Then order review Product name / Product quantity / Total amount
As a customer if you want to buy a product from pickaboo.com e-commerce website first of
all you have to create an account then login to your account after then you are going to search
your desire product from search bar or category. After selecting the product then click add to
cart then view cart and checkout. Choose your desire product quantity and update shopping
cart. Then if you have any club point, discount code or gift cards that you can use for your
shopping discount. Press proceed to checkout. After click to checkout you have an option and
input your address to deliver the product. There is an option to collect your product from
Pickaboo office, if you choose to collect your product from Pickaboo office then you have
got 100 point and also save your delivery cost. Then you have to choose your payment
method, there are many option for your payment such as cash / card / bkash. Last option you
have review your product details like product name, product quantity, per unit product cost
and subtotal and delivery period. After process the all step you will get an email for

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confirmation your order and also our customer manager will call you to proceed your order
confirmation.

Delivery Process

When the product gets ready then the customer is contacted via email/sms. The customer can
choose the payment option also, cash on delivery, card on delivery or bkash payment. The
customers who reside outside of Dhaka, Pickaboo sends their product through reliable third
party logistics systems.

Product Return Policy

The customer can return the product for the full refund if the customer changes his/her mind
or the product has any technical problems. But they must follow some rules and regulation. If
the package gets damaged by customer or others defect by customer etc he/she may not be
applicable for a full refund. Pickaboo has three days easy return policy.

EMI Facility

Credit Cardholders get 0% Equated monthly installments (EMI) facility. A credit card issued
by City Bank, Brac Bank, Standard Charted Bank, Eastern Bank, Mutual Trust Bank,
Southeast Bank Ltd, United Commercial Bank, Dutch Bangla bank Ltd, Jamuna Bank Ltd,
Midland Bank, Meghna Bank Ltd, Al-Arafah Bank Ltd, NCC Bank, Trust Bank,
LankaBangla Finance, NRB Bank, Standard Bank, Bank Asia, and Premier Bank. EMI
facility starts with buying the products worth above 10,000 BDT. Customers get 6 months to
12 months 0% EMI facility.

Service Blueprint

Through the service blueprint,anyone can get the complete idea about the operation of the
company. Pickaboo’s service blueprint is provided in the following pag

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 Physical Evidence Pickaboo.com Buying Product POS

See Product Category Registration Select Product Select Payment Option Delivery
Customer Action

Line of Interaction

Receptionist Payment clear

Package Handover/Receive for servicing
On Stage

Line of Visibility

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Back Stage Product Content UploadRegistration Confirm Product collection Delivery Status Delivery

Line of Internal Interaction

Promotion Server & HostingProduct collect from seller

Message from the system Courier
Support
1.1.5 Corporate Social Responsibility
Pickaboo is a sister concern of Edison Group and formally starting their business under Silver
Water Technologies Bangladesh Ltd. Pickaboo does not do any sort of CSR activity under
Pickaboo’s banner. But Edison Group is doing lots of corporate social responsibility.

Distribution of Warm Clothes

Every year Edison Group distributes warm clothes among unprivileged people of
Bangladesh. In 2015 they distribute almost five thousand blankets in different parts of
Bangladesh.

Scholarship

Edison Group also provides a scholarship to underprivilaged meritorious students. Generally,

they give scholarship among the students who holds the 1st, 2nd and 3rd position of class 6 to
class 10. Except forabove-mentionedactivity, they also take part in Beach Cleaning, Tree
Plantation activity as corporate social responsibility.

Pickaboo has not conducted any corporate social responsibility under Pickaboo’s banner till
now. But they have the plan to do CSR activity in future. They will teach Computer Office
Application among the poor school student. Search technique in the website and so on.

Chapter 2

Internship Experience / Observation Details

2.1 Job Responsibilities
Working in Bangladeshi’s leading e-commerce company with an extremely skilled team,
was the opportunity of a lifetime. Every day brought new opportunities for learning. I
was in Product and Market development team at Pickaboo. It falls under the Business
development Department. The main responsibilities of my team was to research and
compile data about Pickaboo, and its competitors’ products, Work in the field to research
market conditions across the city, and bring vendors on board with pickaboo’s business
model. My activities begun on September 15th 2019 and will end at December 15th 2019.

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Week Work Activity

Week 1 Introduction with Pickaboo team member, a tour

around the Pickaboo’s operational floors, knowing
about Pickaboo work environment, Pickaboo work
activities, product line-up and my job
responsibilities.

Week 2 Knowing about stock, getting integrated into the

office network, Primary research tasks,
communication via email.

Week 3 Product research and product data compilation, e-

commerce and F-commerce research task.

Week 4 Field Research, investigating Dhaka’s current

online integration level. Primary communication
with vendors.

Week 5 Field research continued. “Supplier” contracts

and “Supllier” meetings, Meet and greet with the
Logistics team.

Week 6 Quota and Key Points of Intereset Received. Strategy

and Action Plan. vendor acquisition, (Location-
Dhaka, Narayanganj)

Week 7 Vendor acquisition, (Location- Dhaka,

Narayanganj), Large sales pitch.

Week 8 Vendor acquisition, (Location- Dhaka,

Narayanganj)

Weeks 9 to 12 Full Operations

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2.2 Functions of the Department

The Business development department is one of the major parts of any e-commerce
company. Pickaboo is not out of from that. Product servicing, product development,
market analysis and vendor operations all are the part of the Business development
department. This department is working in backhand.

Product Service
Under the product servicing sector Pickaboo is giving the after sales service. If
any customer faces any problem after purchase a product then they can get the
service from Pickaboo. After getting the complaint quality control teams check the
issue and if valid then they will give the service and if there is a replacement issue
then customer will get a new product.
Product Development
Product development is basically category product development. Find out the new
product that are available in the market and upload it to the system. Develop the
products contents specifications picture quality which will be visualized to the
consumers.
Market Analysis
In market analysis we have to follow the current market trends, analyse the
customer demand and offer those kinds of products which consumer want (Ex:
Nokia 6) Pickaboo was the first company launches this new product in the
marketplace. We have to find out the new products and source the products from
different vendors at possible lowest prices. We have to analyse the competitors,
what kinds of products they are offering and how they are pricing, based on that
we have to offer unique products and facilities which is completely different from
them.

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 Vendor operations
The main responsibilities of vendor operations are Manage a portfolio of accounts,
product pricing and how to keep it lower than competitor, build strong and long
term relationships with vendors/partners, follow up for new deals & product/
feature up gradation from the partners, cooperate with the after sales department
to achieve their objectives, meet deadlines for vendors accounts, report weekly to
line manager, develop the roadmap for several campaigns.

Chapter 3

3.1 Internship outcome- Issue analysis

Working at one of the finest e-commerce platforms in the country, I have been fortunate
enough to learn the Do’s and Don’ts of e-commerce. In this section, I will provide a brief
understanding of what e-commerce is, the market scenario of Bangladeshi ecommerce
and issues that Pickaboo.com is facing, on both micro and macro scale, as well as try to
provide recommendations on how to improve upon this finding.

E-commerce:- E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or

selling of products on online services or over the Internet. Electronic commerce draws on
technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management,
Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI),
inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems.

Types of E-Commerce Business

There are 6 different types of e-commerce businesses. Read further to know about all
these types.

B2B – Business to Business

B2C – Business to Consumer

C2C – Consumer to Consumer

C2B – Consumer to Business

B2G – Business to government

C2G – Consumer to administration or consumer to government

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B2B

B2B, or Business to Business, is the largest e-commerce model. In this model, both
the sellers and buyers are business entities.

This model describes the transactions between a retailer or a wholesaler, or a

wholesaler and manufacturer. Also, the transaction of the B2B business model is
much higher than that of the B2C model. Some of the examples of B2B models are
Alibaba (world’s largest online business to the business trading platform), Amazon
business, IBM, Boeing, ExxonMobil Corporation, and more.

B2C

The B2C business is the most common type. This is the thickest e-commerce market.
Business to consumer, known as B2C, is the most common and the thickest e-commerce
market. In this online model, the business sells to individual customers. This business
model offers direct interaction with the customers. This model works by marketers and
retailers so that they can sell their goods to internet users. This is the traditional retail
model, but the business is conducted online as opposed to in a physical store.

Some examples of B2C models are Wal-Mart, Staples, Target, and REI.

C2C

The C2C or consumer to consumer business model involves a transaction between

two consumers. It is also known as a citizen to citizen. A common example of this
model would be an online auction, where a customer or visitor posts an item for sale
and other customer bids to purchase it. However, the third party generally charges a
commission.

Also, having a C2C business or website requires immense planning and marketing
understands. Although the sites act as intermediaries to match the customers, they
don’t check the quality of products being posted online. The few examples for this
model include Craigslist, eBay and OLX.

C2B

Customer to business, known as C2B, involves customers selling their services or

products to business. It is roughly the same as a sole proprietorship serving a larger
business. The one thing that differentiates C2B from other business models is that

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 the consumers create the value for the products. Also, the model caters to the need
of freelancers, who work on tasks given by the clients. C2B examples include
Google Adsense, Commission Junction, and Amazon. Fotolia is also emerging as a
good C2B example.

B2G

Business to government is also referred to as the business to administration

commerce. In this model, government and businesses use central websites to do
business with each other more efficiently than they can off the web. This e-
commerce model is also referred to public sector marketing, which means marketing
services and products to multiple government levels. With this platform, the
businesses can bid on government opportunities including tenders’ auctions, and
application submission.

C2G

Consumer to administration or consumer to government e-commerce model enables

the consumers to post feedback or request information regarding public sectors
directly to the government administration or authorities. For example, when you pay
electricity bill through the government website, payment of health insurance, make
payment of taxes, etc. Pickaboo.com currently operates under the B2C system and is
preparing to launch its B2B platform.

There are three types of e-commerce models based on logistics: online retailing,
electronic markets, and online auctions.

Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to

directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a device to access
the internet. Online shopping differs from electronic markets based on the number of
sellers available. Online auctions differ from online shopping and electronic markets
based on pricing strategy.

If a consumer goes to an online publication house and purchases an e-book, that’s an

example of online shopping. The seller/service provider has exclusive access to the
site and its customer base. Examples of online shopping would be Meena Bazar’s
website. Online financial services (fintech apps such as bKash) can be categorized
under this category.

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 On the other hand, when a consumer goes to an electronic/online marketplace, there
he/she finds different sellers/service providers offering different types of
products/services. In this case the market is competitive and is not exclusive to one
seller. Ride sharing or food delivery platforms also fall under this category. An
example would be Bikroy.com

If a consumer goes to an auction site, there might be one or more sellers, but the
prices will not be fixed. The product will only go to the highest bidder. E-bay is an
example of auction site.

Pickaboo.com follows the electronic marketplace model.

3.1.1 Future of E-commerce in Bangladesh: -

Developing economies like Bangladesh are expected to become a mega sector for e-
commerce in near future. It has been projected that by 2020, there will be more than 18.3
million internet subscribers in Bangladesh. Boston Consulting Group and Telenor have
predicted that in few years 32% families of Bangladesh will have at least one internet
connection. This will create a great impact on online purchase and e-commerce along
with economic contribution. The growth is at a rate that may surpass the developed
countries within a few years. It can be said without any doubt that Bangladeshi e-
commerce market will see a huge growth in upcoming years with the massive change in
the lifestyle of people and the introduction of new technology. E-commerce will
basically shift towards the mobile devices. Already, the traffic on sites from mobiles is
10 times greater than that on desktops. In near future, most of the e-Shoppers of
Bangladesh will be using e-commerce service through mobile devices. This statement
can be justified quite easily as the number of internet users in Bangladesh has crossed the
90 million mark already. The number of mobile phone users has also increased to over
154 million. E-commerce in Bangladesh dates to as far as the late 90s, however, there
was no real growth or potential in the market during the time.

The industry began to grow after 2009 when Bangladesh Bank began allowing online
payments. Payment aggregators like SSL Commerz became visible and early e-
commerce websites like ajkerdeal, rokomari, and akhoni (now bagdoom) began
sprouting. This, coupled with the introduction of WiMax Internet, became the catalyst
for driving exponential growth in the industry. Soon foreign players like Kaymu and

21
Daraz (merged and later acquired by Alibaba) entered the market dominating the
industry with their vast experience in e-commerce and deep pockets.

The e-commerce market is valued at $250 million which has been growing at a rate of 8-
10% annually, making it an industry worth noting, especially considering that market
analysts estimate the market to grow to a $20 billion industry by 2020. It is also
estimated that 10-billion-taka worth of transactions take place per year in the market.
Since last year, Bangladesh ranked as the fifth largest mobile market in the Asia Pacific,
with over 43% of the population under the age of 25 have been acclimatized to
technology.

In 2013 Bangladesh Bank also lifted its international payment restriction and allowed for
Bangladeshis to purchase goods and services from foreign websites using international
credit cards, facilitating e-commerce business with the global market.

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3.2 What is driving this growth?
The major industry drivers are:

1. Rising internet penetration: internet subscriptions have been growing at a rate

of 19.4% annually since 2012, currently amounting to over 90 million as of
September 2018.
2. Smartphone penetration: In 2017, smartphone penetration was at 31% in the
country and set to grow to 75% by 2025, driven by declining prices making it
more accessible to the greater population, notably in suburban and rural
areas.
3. Deteriorating traffic conditions: According to World Bank reports, over the
last 10 years the average speed in traffic dropped from 21km/h to 7km/h, and
if conditions remain the same, will drop to 4km/h. Adding the fact that almost
1/3rd of all registered vehicles are in the capital city, the conditions have
been encouraging more and more people to shop from home.
4. A young population: Currently 43% of the population is under the age of 25
who have become acclimatized to technology and view functions like e-
commerce as being second nature to living with technology.

3.3 Current Market Scenario: -

Competitive Landscape
It is estimated that there are 100 e-commerce companies in the country and 10,000
Facebook-commerce (f-commerce) businesses present. F-commerce has greater
popularity due to its low barrier to entry, as it can be done from home, requiring only
goods to sell, logistics and a Facebook page.

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 FIGURE: Notable Local Players in the E-commerce Market

Since the e-commerce space in Bangladesh is mostly teemed with ventures

focusing on lifestyle products, there is a prevalence of Retail model/ Inventory-led
model and marketplace model.

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Brand Equity, Leading Ecommerce site: Source E-commerce Association of Bangladesh

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3.4 Problems/challenges- faced/identified in the workplace

Problem 1:

Pickaboo.com, just like any other business, currently faces a host of issues on all
departments. From a marketing standpoint, the following are its key concerns.

Product Sourcing- As opposed to marketplace/drop shipping, for an e-commerce

website that follows the inventory/warehouse model, securing suppliers and sources
for its products is extremely important. The following is a basic model of inventory-
based ecommerce. Being part of team Pickaboo, one of the key problems we faced
was securing suppliers. E-commerce supply chain is a very new field with a very
low amount of product suppliers. The majority of the country’s vendors are reluctant
to affiliate themselves with e-commerce. Here we face many difficulties securing,
low cost suppliers, securing supplier loyalty, and securing consistent supplier
performance.

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Recommendation: Treat “Sourcing” channels like a distribution channel and act accordingly.
Implement the 11 steps of creating new channels, or in this case a supply source (based on location,
product e.g. bikes, new market demand), and sign up “eagle” suppliers and importers. Use the eight
steps to choose good suppliers. This will help establish a selection criterion that identify the best
channel as well as filter out troublemaking, channel-destroying undesirables while maintaining the
highest legal and ethical standards candidates.

Problem 2:

Service quality has always been a “make-or-break” factor when it comes to any online
outlet. There are many service-oriented factors within an ecommerce site, such as
delivery system, replacement warranties and after sale service. Pickaboo.com has gained
a huge brand equity, market share, and good word of mouth due to its impeccable service
model. Yet, certain aspects of its model require improvements. Every day, a robust
customer support and after sales team work tirelessly to handle numerous demands and
complaints. Therefore, observing and aiming to solve this end of the model must be a
priority.

Recommendation: A comprehensive analysis and understanding of Pickaboo.com’s

service dynamic. First suggestion is to see their services through The gaps model of
service quality.

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Using this model, Pickaboo will discover what the customer expects and perceives the
standard of its service, What’s the gap Pickaboo as a provider has and so on. Another
suggestion would be to use approach their service offerings from the Service Quality
Dimensions. This will ensure that they design their service offering in such a way that
they can attempt to satisfy all 5 aspects (Reliability, Assurance, Responsiveness,
Empathy, & Tangibles) of the Service Quality Dimension.

Problem 3:

For a massive organization such as Pickaboo.com, understanding its consumers is key.

Pickaboo, so far has a very unilateral approach to its client, which means every client
gets the same treatment. When it comes to its reward system “the club points” or its
traffic acquisitions through partnerships with financial institutions such as Banks and
Corporate offices, even then all customers get the same treatment. I feel Pickaboo
ignores the consumer behavior aspect of its operations and marketing team.

Recommendation: Use the vast amount of accumulated purchase behavior, search

behavior, browsing behavior, and advertisement/content interaction to create customer
retention strategies. This will be dubbed Customer profitability-focused marketing. The
concept dictates that Retention is more important than attraction. Pickaboo needs to
Track cost and revenue of individual customers. And then Establish tiers of customers
according to their profitability levels. The result would be the identification of Platinum,
Gold, Iron and Lead tier clients and partners. E.g. If more transactions/EMIs are using
Standard Chartered Bank’s credit cards then Pickaboo ideally should provide incentives
and benefits to SCB card holders.

Problem 4:

A prominent organization such as pickaboo.com surprisingly has a small marketing

team. Insider sources say that the company has never conducted proper marketing
campaigns and relied solely on “black Friday sales” and “discounts”. Although the team
has done a tremendous job of SEO and similar digital channel activities, traditional IMC
campaigns are lacking in Pickaboo’s current portfolio.

Recommendation: Conduct large Integrated Marketing Campaigns, covering all aspects

of 360-degree marketing in order to hype new product launch or “sales/discounts”, make
new unique customer acquisitions, and improve brand image.

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Problem 5

Working as a b2b intern, the first problem I faced was to explain the company I was
from to our vendor. In order to do so inadvertently field sales and marketing teams had
to refer to competing ecommerce sites. This in turn is largely cause by the huge lacking
brand equity. In a world where trust between customer and the online service provider is
very low, Pickaboo has gained great word of mouth due to their consistent delivery of
performance. Its competitors are also currently faltering under huge public criticism and
backlash from poor quality. Pickaboo must take this opportunity to grow its brand
equity.

3.5 Detailed Solution- Creating the Pickaboo brand.

Establishing Brand Awareness

1. Increasing the familiarity of the brand through repeated exposure

(E.G Google adsense, GDN)
2. Forging strong associations with the appropriate product category or other
relevant purchase or consumption cues (for brand recall). Use products that
have better sales volume/consumer reviews such as smart-bands, Bluetooth
speakers, xiaomi phones
Etc.

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The Four Steps of Brand Building

· Who are you? (brand identity). Ensure identification of the brand with
customers and an association of the brand in customers’ minds
· What are you? (brand meaning). Establish the totality of brand meaning in the
minds of consumers
· What about you? What do I think or feel about you? (brand responses). Elicit/draw the
proper customer responses to the brand identification and brand meaning
· What about you and me? What kind of association and how much of a
connection would I like to have with you? (brand relationships). Convert brand
response to create an intense, active loyalty relationship between customers and
the brand.

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3.5.1 Proposed Branding Campaign

Aspect: Salience
Campaign: Billboard
Demographic: Shop-owners
Offer: Pickaboo sponsored billboards for select pickaboo vendors.

Aspect: Resonance
Campaign: Activation
Demographic: Corporate/Working Class
Offer: Company Specific Discount. For example: employees of British American
Tobacco gets 20 percent discount on household electrical appliances such as Oven,
Washing Machines, Blenders etc.
Communication method: MOU, Email marketing.

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4.1 Conclusion and Implications
E-commerce is an emerging sector in Bangladesh. Majority of the population here have
are starting to rely on e-commerce. At this stage an e-commerce company must not only
focused on the product but also on service. When the product quality and the service
quality meet customer satisfaction at the optimum level they create success for e-
commerce company. Pickaboo’s strong supply chain management ensures the
customer's satisfaction through delivery of products on time.

Pickaboo has always focused on the logistics and service aspect of their business, and this has
led to the branding and marketing side of their business to suffer. But this has led to a improved
service quality, after sales service, payment method and warranty policy and overall better
retention of customers. They can share their experience to others as well as review feedback
through Pickaboo social media. Pickaboo always want to ensure their product quality before
delivering to the customer that’s why Pickaboo create a quality control team so that after getting
the product, customer can always depend on Pickaboo purchasing and become loyal. Pickaboo
recently added Pathao for fastest delivery. Pickaboo promise to delivery in Dhaka city within 48
hours but due to rider shortage some of the cases they failed but for avoiding this type of
problem Pickaboo added Pathao for better services. Pickaboo always provide customer after
sales service and product warranty service. Pickaboo try to give the best service in this case.
They provide brand warranty, service warranty for their product recently they create a team for
after sales service.

Recent times the company has been facing trouble trying to hold on to its position of the
second largest e-commerce company in Bangladesh. The company has also struggled to
keep up with market leaders in sales volume and brand awareness. The company has
taken its in depth knowledge from years of excellence in execution and has created a
new business model. For this model to succeed the company must now create brand
awareness and position itself as the premium e-commerce in the market.

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 REFERENCE

 www.pickaboo.com

 Uddin, B. (February, 2018). Manager, Human Resource. (Interviewed by – Tazul

Azam)

 Mohiuddin Azam (February, 2018), Key Account Manager. (Interviewed by - Tazul

Azam)

 Md. Mahmudul Hasan (March, 2018), Executive, Accounts and Finance (Interviewed
by Tazul Azam)

 Md. Touhidul Islam (March, 2018), Manager, Supply Chain Management.

(Interviewed by Tazul Azam)

 Tamim Ahmed (March, 2018), Executive, Quality Control. (Interviewed by Tazul

Azam)

 Kim, S. H., Cohen, M. A., & Netessine, S. (2007). Performance contracting in after-
sales service supply chains. Management Science, 53(12), 1843-1858.
 Sarker, R. A., & Khan, L. R. (1999). An optimal batch size for a production system
operating under periodic delivery policy. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 37(4),
711-730.
 Yeh, R. H., & Lo, H. C. (2001). Optimal preventive-maintenance warranty policy for
repairable products. European Journal of Operational Research, 134(1), 59-69.
 Chan, L. K., & Wu, M. L. (2002). Quality function deployment: A literature
review. European journal of operational research, 143(3), 463-497.
 Gosden, T., Forland, F., Kristiansen, I. S., Sutton, M., Leese, B., Giuffrida, A., &
Pedersen, L. (2001). Impact of payment method on behaviour of primary care
physicians: a systematic review. Journal of health services research & policy, 6(1),
44-55.

1
 APPENDIX A

Start-up Name Pickaboo.com

Web-address www.pickaboo.com

Founding Date May 12th, 2016

Incorporation Yes

Total Team Member (Currently) 150

Start-up Stage Paying Users

Category Enterprise, Consumer

Sector E-commerce & Online Marketplaces

Product Electronics, Home Appliances, Beauty & Fashion

City Dhaka, Bangladesh

Office Address Flat no B-5, Plot-06, Block-SW (H), Gulshan Avenue,

Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh.

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 APPENDIX B

List of Tables
Table-1, Page-03

Table-2, Page-09

Table-3, Page-11&12

Table-4, Page-25

3
List of Figures
Figure-1, Page- 12

Figure-2, Page- 24

Figure-3, Page- 27

Figure-4, Page- 28