You have to be consistent and predictable in positive terms so as sustain in this promising industry

amikinee.com is a new venture of bti limited (building technology & ideas ltd.), a online shopping company, which has been doing business with an impeccable reputation for more than three decades. amikinee.com always aims to provide their customers with the best products, prices, and unbeatable deals hoping to make shopping an enjoyable experience.

In this interview, Mr. Mizanul Kabir, Head of Operations at amikinee.com, reflects on his journey to what he is doing today, shares his thoughts on the e-commerce industry, innovation, leadership and strategy, discusses digital strategy, and future plans of the company.

Tell us about yourself and your path to becoming who you are today

I love a quote from famous George Bernard Shaw: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

Like most of the people the society, I didn’t have a ready fortune. Yes, being born and brought up in middle income-class family, I knew resource isn’t unlimited, and I learnt to share resources with my six siblings in my childhood.

My father was an open-minded person, army official in profession, used to study a lot and also focused on the education of his children. We, the siblings, had spillover effect of his professional rules and regulations at our home in daily life. This inarguably helped me to be organised and be self-disciplined from my early days.

I was empowered to take my own decision where this disciplined approach made me confident. Before getting my terminal degree MBA from the renowned business school IBA (DU), I started pursuing my professional career. Over the last thirteen years, I worked for few MNC and reputed local organizations, namely Renaissance group (former Araf Apparels), Grameenphone, & Transcom group.

Also read: A look into e-commerce trends and companies in Bangladesh

Whenever I switched to another organisation, I actually pursue a new industry to work with keeping the same field of interest – Sales, Marketing, and Operations. Giving significant time in different sorts of companies from different industries in the same field of interest actually helped me to enrich my perspective in ways of dealing with things.

2017 is a challenging year for me since I have chosen a new industry to explore, wherein I joined as Head of Operations at amikinee.com, a new venture from bti (building technology & ideas Ltd), which is the name of trust and confidence in real estate sector since 1984.

Give us an overview of amikinee.com now

amikinee.com is a platform which abridges the gap between buyer and seller. The company made its entry in the e-commerce industry in Bangladesh in late 2015 with a vision “to build world class online shopping company” and with a mission “to make shopping enjoyable”.

Over time, the company enriched its product line vertically and horizontally, tying up with numerous industry renowned merchants. It has set its countrywide delivery operation to ensure customer service at ease, and this network is getting stronger day by day. In our pursuit of excellence, we have built our own logistic operation to manage most efficient door-step delivery service at all the corners of the capital. Last year, amikinee.com made a soft-launch; and now it’s a platform of choice to customers for its diverse product line with a competitive price.

What are the major challenges for amikinee.com now?

Though increasing rapidly, level of access to internet is still way behind in Bangladesh compared to our neighbouring countries. Poor penetration level, therefore, is the biggest challenge which eventually makes the acquisition cost high for this startup business. On a similar note, delivery service outside Dhaka is also an issue of concern, as the industry has yet to incorporate long expected features like express delivery, door-step delivery, etc. This contributes in unexpected long customer waiting time for commodities. The challenges mentioned are not only true for amikinee.com but also for the other companies operating in the e-commerce and online shopping industry in Bangladesh.

How does your marketing work? How do you reach out to your customers?

Unlike industries in brick and mortar environment, digital marketing holds utmost priority for online shopping in Bangladesh. This is inevitable for brand building and for reaching out to customers. amikinee.com has its defined approach, both for conventional marketing and digital marketing, in terms of objectives, priority, rollout time, and tenure. The company is now strengthening its infrastructure and support services to the next level so as to ensure unparalleled superior service for the customers from the day of its commercial launch. However, the brand doesn’t flourish overnight; Therefore, the company started brand building and awareness activity since long.

What do you think about competition?

E-commerce in Bangladesh is an industry at its early stage. There’re numerous entrants in the pipeline, yet some companies have decided to stop their endeavour. It may be such that all final players aren’t on the ground as of now. Or, they may be on the ground, but the competition isn’t like what it is like among survivors in its full swing matured stage. Then again, there are few good entities that are making the customer base ready for the type of service, and are acting as a trendsetter. The pie is not defined, so is the competition for a share of that pie. We have to wait for some time to know the competition and our competitors.

Also read: Smart fish feeder eFishery enters Bangladesh and Thailand, secured 300+ users in Indonesia

What are the future plans for amikinee.com?

We will sell our superior service 24/7 all over Bangladesh, that’s all. We will ensure convenience and ease to find out solution of customers problem. It will be the brand of customer’s choice for online shopping in the country where customers not only come to find their solution but also come to enjoy shopping. To ensure this, we are working with different parameters like online user experience, product diversification, quality product, fastest delivery, etc. Like that of bti, someday amikinee.com will also be synonymous to trust and confidence.

What advice would you give to people who are just starting out?

Firstly, work on and capitalize on your “strength”. don’t try to explore every “opportunity”. You may face bankruptcy otherwise. Secondly, the customer is king. I urge all entities, who are in and who are starting out, to deal with customers with integrity and honesty. It’s not a one-day-game to earn some quick money; Rather you need to endure investment in right way to extract the fruit. You have to be consistent and predictable in positive terms so as sustain in this promising industry.

What is your management philosophy?

People first — that’s my management philosophy. The organisation itself doesn’t have any face, and the people stand as face of the organisation. With a motivated performing team, you can cross the Alps. Good performance is something that can be confirmed by training, guidance, or counseling followed by appreciation and recognition provided that you are maintaining a healthy and positive work environment. E-commerce in Bangladesh is a relatively new story. You can’t find that many experienced people here too often; So you have to invest time in developing people and nurturing people for the long run.

—-

The views expressed here are of the author’s, and e27 may not necessarily subscribe to them. e27 invites members from Asia’s tech industry and startup community to share their honest opinions and expert knowledge with our readers. If you are interested in sharing your point of view, submit your post here.

The post People First is my management philosophy, says Mizanul Kabir, Head of Operations at Bangladesh startup amikinee.com appeared first on e27.