• Imran calls it a great development
• Exporters will be able to sell products through the online platform
ISLAMABAD: The new era of e-commerce boom is set to start for Pakistan as e-commerce giant Amazon has decided in principle to add the country to its sellers’ list within next few days, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood announced on Thursday.
Pakistan’s addition to Amazon’s sellers’ list will create opportunities for the exporters to sell their products through the platform. The platform offers Amazon’s 3 P model which serves brand owners (third party relationship retailers sell directly to buyers through the marketplace) while 1 P model is for mass producers (marketplace acts as retailers while brand is wholesale supplier), who want to produce for Amazon brand items.
Technological transformation has changed global commerce. Online market places with maximum traffic and consumer bases have become giants because of their consumer-centric approach to the delivery of services.
Global connectivity with major markets is possible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through a seller’s registration program.
Amazon will soon open the sellers’ registration of Pakistani companies with the efforts of the Ministry of Commerce, the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC, and Los Angeles. The Ministry of Commerce has been working on this matter for a year.
A pilot project was initiated with the help of the Pakistani Embassy in America, etc. The National e-Commerce Council (NeCC) had been instrumental in taking the issue forward as all the public sector organizations were represented there. All the work began after the e-commerce policy was approved by the Cabinet at the end of 2019.
Islamabad: Amazon has added Pakistan to its approved list of countries that can directly sell on the world’s biggest e-commerce platform – a moment of celebration for Pakistani small businesses.
“We have finally made it,” stated the prime minister’s advisor on commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood on Twitter. “An important milestone of e-commerce policy has been achieved through teamwork”, he said, adding that the ministry has been engaged with Amazon since last year to open up the platform for Pakistanis. “It is a great opportunity for our youth, SMEs and women entrepreneurs,” he said.
Amazon will be adding Pakistan to its sellers’ list within a few days after which business owners can create their accounts on the online platform and take their business from Pakistan to the global markets.
Editor s note: Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute, former Defense Attache in South Asian countries. The article reflects the author s opinions and not necessarily the views of China Economic Net.
According to a report by Dawn on February 12, Pakistan’s e-commerce market size posted a growth of over 35% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year to Rs.96 billion compared with Rs.71 billion over the corresponding period of last fiscal year.
The data was shared in the fourth meeting of National e-Commerce Council (NeCC) chaired by Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood and attended by representatives of the public and private sectors.
Business
February 12, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The government is all set to launch a new system to process payments within and from Pakistan through integration with any international payment provider, officials said on Thursday.
The officials of the National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT) said the payment system will be facilitated by the involvement of third party. The payment facility was to become functional by the end of 2020. However, the multi-party engagement with the effect of COVID has affected the plan.
“However, we are working on it and will update as soon as they are ready to take it to SBP. Assistance from SBP will come in once they put in the complete details for their review. The pilot run is now expected in second quarter of 2021,” the NIFT official told the 4th meeting of National e-Commerce Council (NeCC).