The online market has also changed the nature of local employment. From small delivery companies, young men delivering orders on motorcycles, young women looking after customer service to housewives selling cosmetics through Facebook Live, they have become a part of online business.
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Biratnagar, the industrial city of the east, is not bustling like it used to be. There is a slowdown in business. However, online business is booming.
Nikesh Dahal from Pokhria in Biratnagar has stopped shopping for a long time. He said that he had ordered a rag to hold clothes from Daraz online, "I feel confident when I buy things online." According to the locals, it has only been three years since the digital business started here. Especially after the corona epidemic, online business started to grow in this eastern city . Especially food delivery, clothes, fashion materials, mobile accessories and daily consumer goods are being traded through online . In which the younger generation has more participation.
Urmila Sah of Biratnagar-13 often orders lunch online. Not only masham, chowmein, roti, vegetables, pizza and burgers, she also orders and eats lunch online. "I placed an order on Facebook and it arrived within half an hour," she said. The number of mobile wallet users like Khalti, Iseva, Phonepay is also increasing . However, most transactions are still based on the cash on delivery system .
The reluctance of customers to make digital payments is still there . Apart from food delivery, students and young generation seem to be attracted towards purchasing digital educational materials, gadgets and online notes . Also, during the festive season, the habit of shopping at home is developing.
It's been almost 6 years since the online delivery service called 'Upaya' started . It has expanded its shop/delivery network to more than 200 locations within Kathmandu Valley and outside the valley including Pokhara, Chitwan, Hetaunda, Biratnagar, Dharan, Itahari, Damak. It basically provides online courier service . "Door to door" service is its main goal. More than four thousand people have got direct employment across the country. According to Shailendra Singh, Koshi head of
measures, recently, the trend of common people connecting with online business is fast. They say, 'We do everything from online banking services to Isewa.'
Online market seems to have changed the nature of local employment as well. From small delivery companies, young men delivering orders on motorbikes, young women looking after customer service, to housewives selling cosmetics through Facebook Live, they have become part of online business . "There is still a crisis of trust in digital transactions", Singh said, "Many customers are still skeptical." The challenge is how to make our service more reliable.'
Being a close trade port with India, Biratnagar has a lot of potential for cross-border wholesale e-commerce . Likewise, an online export market for locally made spices, clothes, and handicrafts can also be developed .
Digital marketing expert Angela Shrestha says that digital transactions can be managed by collaborating with local government, organizations and bank/ballet service providers. It takes more time to reach a mature market like Kathmandu. However, with the expansion of Biratnagar's digital market, changes in consumer habits, market trends and local economic activity are beginning to be seen.
