Building a prominent presence in the e-commerce industry

Photo: Courtesy of Morin Talukder

Morin Talukder, the current CEO of Pickaboo, was inducted in the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list, under the category of Retail and E-commerce. Pickaboo is a Dhaka-based online store that sells everything from mobile phones to home appliances, apparel and makeup. Morin, a graduate of Anglia Ruskin University, started working with Pickaboo from 2016. Previously, he set up the e-commerce site ehaatbazaar.com. Being among the Forbes 30 under 30 honourees is a point of pride for him. Star Youth, The Daily Star, caught up with him to learn about his goals, and more.

How did your journey with Pickaboo begin?

I looked after Pickaboo's marketing, operations, and a few other departments from 2016 through 2018. After taking over as the CEO of Pickaboo in 2019, I revamped it as an omni general strategy platform. When Pickaboo started out, there were already a few online platforms such as Daraz and Rocket Internet. One of the things we tried to understand was why customers will come to us instead of these platforms. That is how we came up with our agendas.

What makes Pickaboo stand out?

Pickaboo was one of the first online retailers in Bangladesh to introduce a monthly installment payment plan, same-day delivery and a customer membership programme, and now, we plan to open 150 physical stores across the country by the end of 2021.

How is Pickaboo tackling challenges during the pandemic?

During the pandemic, we ensured same day deliveries with proper precautions. Other than that, we relentlessly offered quality service to our customers, taking feedback from them on how to improve our venture and implemented some of their suggestions as well. One of our most recent analyses showed a customer satisfaction of 98.3 percent.

What are the future plans for Pickaboo?

One of our core objectives is to build a prominent presence for Pickaboo in the e-commerce industry. We want to start a gadget hub in Bangladesh, where people can browse through authentic products both online and offline. We are also planning on expanding our platform physically, but we are facing some hindrances due to the pandemic.

The author is a freelance journalist. Write to her at [email protected].