Muhammad Saleem

The e-commerce of fashion products is gaining ground in Pakistan, creating multiple job opportunities for the youth.

Hammad Ahmed, who runs an online fashion store, told WealthPk that fashion e-commerce is a growing sector, and he is making a killing. “We launched this project a couple of months ago with a shoestring investment, and now we are expanding rapidly. Our expansion will surely create more jobs and contribute to the national economy,” he said.

He said that e-commerce is a perfect medium to provide jobs to females, letting them work from home efficiently. He asserted that with the help of online shopping, the government can collect ample revenue to ensure economic growth. He suggested that policymakers must devise a policy for courier companies, which were playing a crucial role in boosting the online shopping trend.

Hammad Ahmed pointed out that currently, there was no authority where sellers or consumers could complain against the courier companies intentionally delaying or damaging products. Similarly, he said the authority should also be authorized to move against sellers defrauding their customers. “The government should regulate the ecommerce sector to protect the rights of sellers and buyers.

Scores of fraudsters are fleecing masses through digital marketing, offering lucrative deals at cheap rates. Whenever customers place orders, these negative elements send them fake products,” he claimed. Mohsin Ali, a digital marketer, told WealthPk that consumers' preferences were changing rapidly. He explained that with the help of online searches, digital marketers were able to hit the required customers, giving sellers a leg up to boost their businesses.

He noted that the trend of fashion products was surging due to attractive images, videos, and product descriptions. He said not only established brands but also ordinary sellers were enhancing their sales by ensuring quality products. It's evident that the trend of online fashion boutiques and social media selling is increasing, compelling sellers to spend lavishly on marketing to attract customers.

He observed that the growth of these sellers was not just limited to urban areas, but also earning from smaller cities and towns. Muhammad Nadeem, a local ladies’ suits dealer, said that people were doing a good business with small and high budgets, selling different suit qualities to customers in urban and rural areas. He explained that, initially, they did not provide stock to newcomers, fearing they might vanish into thin air with the products.

However, once these new sellers proved their mettle, they were allowed to make payments after an agreed-upon period. To prevent misunderstandings, he said, they maintained a paper trail of all supplies. This approach benefits both wholesalers and online sellers, to run their businesses like a well-oiled machine, he added. He explained that while a small number of customers did not honor their credit agreements, the majority remained loyal clients for months, and they focused on satisfying their customers' needs.

Hammad Ahmed said that e-commerce had opened the floodgates to scores of new job opportunities including developers, online merchandising, product video and photography, order fulfillment, and customer service. He explained that, unlike traditional business models, requirements for online platforms are different, as you have to showcase attractive images and videos while responding to their queries quickly.

Credit: INP-WealthPk