Opportunities and challenges of m-commerce adoption in Bangladesh : an empirical study

The objective of this research is to explore the opportunities and challenges of m-commerce adoption in Bangladesh. An empirical study is conducted to see the user’s perception on this issue. The country has experienced a sheer adoption of mobile phone, around 70%, one of the biggest advantages for m-commerce adoption. Findings indicate a positive trend of m-commerce uptake in Bangladesh. More than 60% of the survey participants used mobile internet although mobile broadband, the key feature for m-commerce, has not been available in the country until the time of the study. Adoption of mobile financial services is also promising; for example, 40.5% used mobile balance transfer. Users of mobile billing (28%), mobile ticketing (21%), mobile remittance (16%) and mobile banking or SMS banking (10%) are also growing. Network infrastructure has continually been upgraded with the advance technologies including the recent launch of 3G mobile network. Study found that the lack of trust and literacy are the two major challenges of m-commerce growth in Bangladesh. Stakeholders need to make strategic plans to deal with these challenges and opportunities for rapid uptake of m-commerce in Bangladesh.