At your doorstep: Online shopping, without upfront payment

Facebook-based courier makes Rs4.4m in a month from cash-on-delivery services. DESIGN: JAMAL KHURSHID

KARACHI: Almost non-existent a few years ago, Pakistan’s online retail market has witnessed phenomenal growth recently. As online shopping trend increases, one company making a name is BlueEX – a Karachi-based courier company – who delivers goods ranging from an iPhone to coffee beans to any destination in the country without any upfront payment.

Started in October 2009 by young entrepreneurs with backgrounds in IT, management and finance – BlueEX made revenue of Rs45 million in 2011 primarily.

BlueEX is online shopping platform selling its services entirely and directly through social networking site Facebook. It also says that its core competency is in a business model designed around cash-on-delivery (COD) service.

BlueEX facilitates about 200 vendors and sells their products online and delivers them to the end-users. Jafferjees, Butler’s Chocolate Cafe, Sweet Factory, Scentsation and Liberty Books are few of its clients.

The company, a subsidiary of Universal Freight Systems, made it’s first-ever profit in December last year, the company’s director of corporate strategy and finance Imran Baxamoosa told The Express Tribune.

It grossed Rs4.4 million in January 2012 against Rs4.2 million earned in the entire first quarter (January to March) of 2011, showing a massive 296% growth rate for the current quarter, Manager Accounts Athar Hussain said.

In 2009, online retail market did not even exist in the country, Hussain said, it is growing at about 200% to 250% on a yearly basis. Last month alone, they collected Rs20 million in cash-on-delivery shipments, a strong indicator of rapidly growing online retail market, Hussain said.

“The number of shipments has surged to 5,000 per month from 350 per month in 2009,” Hussain said.

The figures communicated are at the lower-end as the company’s young management took a conservative approach while revealing its financial data for the first time.

The company’s primary target is rural consumers that account for about 60% of the country’s population and potentially the largest chunk of online retail market.

A driving factor though, cash-on-delivery service is not the only source of revenue for BlueEX. It also charges business partners for additional services that include digital media solutions and online social marketing, services that jack up sales.

Hussain said one client – a dealer of branded garments and electronic goods – saw its business grew by six times through these services as it grossed Rs7 million in January 2012 compared with a mere Rs1 million in January last year.

Headquartered in Karachi, BlueEX operates from 42 stations with hubs in Peshawar, Islamabad, Sialkot, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Hyderabad.

BlueEX succeeded because of its unique business model – a blend of logistics, technology and e-marketing – chief ideas officer Naveed Seraj said. It is all done through the facebook app iCheckout, he added.

The company’s facebook page, that already has more than 50,000 likes, facilitates complete transaction from selecting a product to placing an order and tracking the shipment. Additionally, company representatives are online throughout the day to respond to any queries.

“Launch of BlueEX was a value addition to our logistics business,” said Baxamoosa.

With the parent company having more than 30 years in the logistics business, BlueEX has an upper hand to deliver products to end-users, a luxury most online vendors don’t have.

Charging people online may work in the West but it does not really work in Pakistan, he said. BlueEX receives payment upon delivery, one of the core reasons for its success in rural areas where majority people don’t have credit cards.

The rural market, with their high buying power from farming income, has the pocket to purchase branded products but unfortunately there are no outlets. Availability was the only problem, which was solved following introduction of cash-on-delivery service.

Areas such as Swat, Abbotabad, Mansehra, Haripur Hazara, Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Multan, Sukkur and Hyderabad, Jacobabad and Larkana account for most of their sales, according to Baxamoosa.

“We even shipped an iPhone 4S to a remote location as there was no Apple store outlet there,” he said.

Having tapped facebook users, BlueEX is now gearing up to reach other remote locations through mobile phones, Baxamoosa said. The company has already developed an iPhone app and is waiting for the launch of 3G spectrum to expand its customer base, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2012.

Eyeing better ties, Indian commerce minister heads to Pakistan

Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma (R) welcomes his Pakistani counterpart, Amin Fahim, during an India-Pakistan Business Conclave in New Delhi on September 29, 2011. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

NEW DELHI: The Indian commerce minister has reiterated his country’s commitment to removing barriers that restrict trade with Pakistan as he prepares to visit Islamabad next week.

Anand Sharma will leave for Lahore on Monday through the overland border post at Wagah to take part in a three-day “India Show” and hold trade talks with his Pakistani counterpart Amin Fahim.

“We want to build bridges of confidence and trust which is imperative to promote two-way trade between the two countries,” Sharma told a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday.

An array of legal and regulatory barriers has restricted official exchanges to $2.7 billion but Sharma said he was hopeful the sum would jump in the coming years.

“We hope to double this figure in a three-year period. Once direct trade through (the) land route is facilitated, there will be a manifold increase,” said Sharma, who will head a 120-strong delegation of business leaders and officials.

Deepening economic engagement between the two countries is seen as crucial to establishing lasting peace in the troubled South Asian region.

In 1996, India granted Pakistan “most preferred nation” status which is intended to remove discriminatory higher pricing and duty tariffs. Pakistan agreed in principle to grant a similar status to India last year, paving the way for a radical reorganisation of trade.

At present, Pakistan maintains a list of 1,945 items allowed to run from India to Pakistan but only 108 can be trafficked directly by road through Wagah.

Major items of export from India to Pakistan are sugar, cotton, man-made filaments and chemicals, while its top imports from Pakistan include fruit, mineral fuels, and organic chemicals.

Sharma said Pakistan had shown the willingness to move “towards a regime which deepens and diversifies our trade”, and India, on its part, was working towards visa reforms.

-Tribune

Whiz kid: After 4 world records, 14-year-old to present first research paper

Iqbals’ current research relates to Apple devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod). His method does not require Jailbreaking and can image an Apple device in less than 30 minutes.

After breaking four world records, 14-year-old whiz kid from Dera Ismail Khan, Babar Iqbal is now set to present his first research paper at the 8th IEEE International Conference on Innovations in Information Technology.

Iqbal will present a paper on digital forensic science, the field that covers the recovery and investigation of data from digital devices and is often used to aid computer crime investigations.

This is not the first time Iqbal has been in the spotlight, he was the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and the youngest Certified Internet Web Professional (CIWA) at the age of nine.

He then went on to become the youngest Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA), youngest Microsoft Student Partner (MSP) and youngest Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in .NET 3.5 at the age of 10, 11 and 12 respectively.

Iqbal’s current research relates to Apple devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod). His method does not require Jailbreaking and can image an Apple device in less than 30 minutes.

This new method can help law enforcement agencies in retrieving digital forensic evidence present on an Apple device including contacts, texts, all multimedia files, GPS info and cellphone tower logs (which can help triangulate the location of a device at a certain point in time).

Iqbal is currently in Dubai, where he is training and working with Microsoft.

-Express Tribune

Youth festival: Spotlighting the colourful side of Pakhtun culture

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain visiting different stalls during a cultural festival in Peshawar on Wednesday. PHOTO: APP

PESHAWAR: To underscore the importance of peace and education, a cultural festival featuring traditional performing arts and Pashto poetry was held on Wednesday.

The event was attended by a large number of students, who appreciated the performers from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and tribal areas representing their culture.

Handicrafts, jewellery and musical instruments of Chitral and Afghanistan were also displayed in decorated stalls during the event.

The performers tried to highlight their traditions to show that militancy is not all their region should be known for.

Saeedullah, a student of the University of Peshawar who hails from Dabori in upper Orakzai Agency, said he was motivated to participate in the event to display his culture to the world.

Regarding the ongoing conflict in the agency, he said militants were on the backfoot as security forces have cleared 70 per cent of the area.

“We want to let the whole world know that we are peace-loving and violence doesn’t represent us,” he remarked.

Some of the stalls also displayed pictures of destruction in the aftermath of drone attacks.

“Drones are killing innocent people including women and children, which should be stopped immediately,” said Umar Wazir, another Peshawar University student belonging to North Waziristan.

Umar was of the view that his hometown is completely peaceful with no military operation being carried out at present.

Riaz Darmal, president of Afghan students in K-P, said the culture on both sides of the Durand Line was the same, adding that participating in the event was a pleasant experience for Afghan students.

He said Afghan people have kept their culture alive despite a three-decade long civil war and they want to see peace in the world.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who was the chief guest on the occasion, urged the youth to fight against terrorism through education and cultural promotion.

“Stopping one’s sister or daughter from going to school is not Pakhtun culture, in which women and children aren’t attacked and sanctity of mosques is maintained even in vendettas,” said Hussain.

The event was organised by Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme, a non-profit organisation. Hussain also distributed prizes among participants.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2012. 

13-year-old prodigy becomes lecturer at SSUET, FAST, MAJU

KARACHI: Mauhib Iqbal, after taking few short computer courses at the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) as a student, impressed his peers to the extent that the university has hired him as a faculty member.

Only 13 years old, Iqbal now teaches students older than himself. He has also started giving lectures to students of FAST University and Mohammad Ali Jinnah University (MAJU) and to those living in far flung areas of Interior Sindh via Skype.

The young IT genius has excelled in different programming languages including Microsoft.NET framework and C Sharp.

After scoring 84.4% in web application, Mauhib mastered different technologies including database web application, security software and motion capture.

“I don’t limit myself when I think about doing something, I believe in going an extra mile,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal wants to study in a foreign university and to use his skills for the betterment of the country.

“Mauhib is Pakistan’s asset and he can make the nation proud just like Arfa Karim,” said one of his teachers.

-Tribune

Arfa Karim from Pakistan, shining example for the youth

Arfa Karim, youngest Microsoft Certified Professional in the world. 

By: Hammad Suriya

Arfa Karim Randhawa (ارفع کریم رندهاوا‎) [2 February 1995 – 14 January 2012] was a Pakistani student and computer intellect, who at the age of nine years became Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), the youngest in the world. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in the USA. A science park in Lahore & the IT Media City in Karachi has been renamed as 'Arfa Software Technology Park' and 'Arfa Karim IT Media City'.

Arfa Karim received President's Award for Pride of Performance, a civil award usually given to people who have shown excellence in their respective fields over a long period of time. Arfa is the youngest receiver of this award.

Arfa Karim was presented the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again from the President of Pakistan.

At the age of 16, Arfa Karim was studying at the Lahore Grammar School Paragon Campus in her second year of A-levels. On 22 December 2011 she suffered a cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure that damaged her brain, and was admitted to Lahore's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in critical condition.

On 9 January 2012, Bill Gates, contacted Arfa's parents and directed his doctors to adopt "every kind of measure" for her treatment. Fiza Batool Gilani, daughter of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, and other government officials visited Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) to inquire after Arfa Karim Randhawa.

Gates set up a special panel of international doctors who remained in contact with her local doctors. The panel received details about her illness and provided assistance in diagnosis and treatment.

On 14 January 2012, 16-year-old Arfa Karim died at 9:50 PM (Pakistan Standard Time) at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore. Her Namaz-e-Janaza was offered in Lahore on 15 January 2012, and later at Faisalabad the same day. The funeral was attended by the Chief Minister of Punjab. She was buried at her ancestral village in Faisalabad.

The International Youth Day this year would be named after youngest IT expert, late Arfa Karim. This was stated by the Sindh Minister for Youth Affairs. The Minister further pointed out that the Karachi IT Park has already been named after Arfa Karim.

Arifa Karim was a talented daughter of Pakistan who enlightened the country in the entire world through her God gifted abilities in her early age.

Microsoft chief Bill Gates was saddened to learn about the death of Pakistan's Arfa Karim who became the world's youngest Microsoft certified professional in 2004. While Remembering Arfa, Bill Gates mentioned her patriotism in his message and said,

“Today is the black day of my life and same for Pakistan because I lost my princess colleague and Pakistan lost her Pakistani.”

Arfa with Microsoft Chief 'Bill Gates' @ Microsoft HQ.

Surgeon’s Guinness book entry honoured

A surgeon from Islamabad removed the world's longest gall bladder.(Photo: Guinness)

By: Hammad Suriya

ISLAMABAD: Dr Naseem Taj, surgeon at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital has received a certificate for his recent achievement of removing longest gall bladder through laparoscopy.

Rasheeda Bibi, 70, was operated by Dr. Naeem Taj at CDA hospital. Dr. Naeem removed a 25.5 cm long gall bladder through a one cm incision. Previously, the record has been made by an Indian doctor by removing 24 cm gall bladder through open surgery.

Dr Taj has also accomplished other typical surgeries, like longest appendix removed from a child and maximum numbers of stones removed from a gall bladder. He dedicated his award to the nation, saying that if given opportunities, resources and encouragement, we can achieve even greater heights.