The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought about many changes to everyday life, especially the way people deal with the outside world. Those who were previously sceptical about buying products online now fully trust digital shopping platforms to honour electronic payments and deliver the goods to their doorsteps as maintaining social distancing is an integral part of the new normal. Similarly, executives who loved to hold meetings face-to-face have now shrugged off their technophobia and carry out such activities online. In a bid to stay relevant amid growing interest among consumers to shop from digital marketplaces, improve efficiency and survive the coronavirus fallout, entrepreneurs began to automate their business process and open online retail stores for their products. From opening an online store, tallying sales, keeping accounts or inventory to production, vehicle tracking and payment processing, the demand for various software and IT services significantly increased in recent years, ushering in hope for a boon for the country’s IT sector in the coming months. Software developers are now receiving numerous queries about their services, according to BM Shorif, managing director and chief executive officer of Skylark Soft, a local IT firm that markets automated production tracking systems for garment exporters. During the pre-coronavirus era, Skylark Soft managed to sell only one system each month but in the last month-and-a-half alone, the company has sold seven. “We saw some unexpected sales and are also getting good feedback.” Based on the current trend, Skylark Soft could sell as many as 20 systems by the end of the year. “We are seeing more interest than usual among large-scale garment producers,” Shorif added. Things were tough for the IT industry in the past though; the demand for automation and digital marketplaces had been growing at an inadequate pace ahead of the coronavirus breakout in Bangladesh in February this year. During the pre-pandemic period, IT service providers had to work hard to convince local entrepreneurs about the benefits of automation and how the use of ICT services in the business management process improves efficiency, said several software developers. The coronavirus outbreak seems to have actually simplified things as everyone now appreciates the importance of automation. “The pandemic forced us to think about ways to improve competitiveness,” said Asadduzzaman Asad, deputy general manager of operations at Mondal Group, a leading garment manufacturer and exporter. Entrepreneurs are now prioritising the automation of their businesses processes, according to Mir Shahrukh Islam, managing director of Bondstein Technologies. “People now understand the value of technology. It is important for us.” The demand for automated systems increased significantly due to the ongoing pandemic, which has forced people all over the work to maintain social distancing in a bid to reduce the risk of infection. Bondstein, like Skylark, also registered a spike in local demand for their products, which caters to healthcare, lifestyle businesses. “Growth definitely is there and it is a necessity for survival,” Islam said. Recent estimates on the annual market size for software and IT services are not available but in 2017, the Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS) said that the domestic ICT market was worth about $1.18 billion. The two-and-a-half-month-long countrywide general shutdown aimed at flattening the curve on coronavirus within Bangladesh harmed the IT service providers due to the prolonged recess of economic activities, according to industry insiders. Businesses began to slowly recover after the lockdown came to an end on 30 May as various firms resumed operations with reduced resources and fully automated systems in a bid to respond to the customers’ growing preference to shop online while keeping costs low. The number of transactions made daily increased amid the pandemic’s peak, said Ashish Chakraborty, director and chief operating officer of SSL Wireless, a company that facilitates online transactions. The value of transactions also increased but not significantly, he said. Regardless, the pandemic has made electronic transactions more accepted now and this change in habit for the general public is a good sign as almost all businesses are now looking to shift online. Various corporate houses now use digital platforms to pay their workers’ wages and commissions for distributors, he said, adding that the number of new clients for his company has doubled in recent times. “We have been able to leapfrog from our previous position as the pandemic has brought about massive changes to the market,” said Chakraborty, also a director of the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh. The number of queries made for his company increased after Eid-ul-Azha, said Ariful Islam, managing director of Generation-Next IT Solution. The demand for automated solutions, such as accounting software, has risen as many businesses are seeking ways to minimise costs. Software enables firms to do certain tasks with less human resources. However, the availability of low-quality software affects the overall market as substandard products erode customers’ confidence, he added. Increased queries for software and automation will bring good results for the IT services industry, said Uttam Kumar Paul, managing director of Best Business Bond. The pandemic taught the manufacturing sector that there is no alternative to automation in the days ahead, said Rashad Kabir, managing director of Dream71 Bangladesh. “I see a good prospect for the global IT industry from next year,” he added.
