Mobile payment picks up at book fair

Digital payments are gaining popularity at Ekushey book fair, as beneficiaries are more comfortable with the service, while publishers also encourage buyers to pay via the mobile solution.

The leading mobile banking solution provider, bKash, first introduced the service at the Ekushey book fair in 2014. It offers 10 percent cash-back for buying books from the fair.

The second largest mobile banking operator, Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd (DBBL), began offering its services last year on a limited scale; they expanded the scope this year.

DBBL saw around 50 percent growth in transactions in the first two weeks of the fair compared to last year, said Md Rabiul Alam, head of merchant accounting and e-commerce business of DBBL.

Response from the visitors is huge this time, said publishers, adding that the system has made transactions hassle-free.

BKash said 253 stalls of 124 publishers accepted their payment system this year, up from 243 stalls last year.

In 2015, around Tk 20 lakh was transacted through bKash at the fair; sales in the first two weeks this year have already surpassed that amount. 

“Buying books through the bKash wallet is new to me. I opened my bKash wallet mainly to receive money from my father at home. But I can use it now for other purposes too, for example, buying books,” said Rumana Rahman, a Dhaka University student.

She bought eight books from the book fair this year, paying through bKash.

Hasnat, another student, had chosen some books to buy but saw that he had insufficient funds in his mobile account. He called a friend and asked him to transfer some money to his account and he was able to make the purchase successfully.

AK Nasir Ahmed Salim, owner of Kakoli Prokashoni, which is one of the first few publishers who adopted the digital payment system at the Ekushey book fair, said the method was helpful not only for the buyers but for them as well.

The system is becoming popular so fast that he thinks a majority of the transactions at the fair will take place through digital payment systems in the next few years.

Some publishers are also accepting debit and credit cards as a mode of payment, although they are few in number.  “The introduction of mobile banking service, or debit and credit cards as payment options brings a lot of benefits to customers,” said Milon Kanti Nath, owner of Anupam Prokashoni.

Nath, also president of the publishers' association, said although they began accepting digital payment since 2014, the response is huge this year.

Zahedul Islam, spokesperson for bKash, said the response is encouraging. “This is a unique experience for the visitors at the fair as it gives them an alternative payment option.”