Sales in the country’s retail shops rose in September and returned to close to pre-pandemic levels.

People’s monthly purchase through cards increased by 4.68 per cent or Tk 60.3 crore in the month.

Purchase through e-commerce platforms was on the decline in August and September after reaching a record high of Tk 640.4 crore in July as people started to go outside and resume their daily activities on relaxation of social distancing regulations.

Even after the fall, purchase from e-commerce platforms remained 108 per cent or Tk 210.7 crore higher year-on-year in September.

Speaking about the surge in card-based transactions in retail shops executed by point-of-sales, National Association of Shop Owners in Bangladesh president Md Helal Uddin told New Age on Thursday, ‘Although sales in retail shops has been improving in the recent months, it is yet to reach normal levels.’

Helal said that POS-based transactions increased in retail shops as people had no other alternative other than using credit cards to purchase essential items.

The income erosion faced by people during the coronavirus outbreak was the main reason behind the increased use of cards for shopping, he said.

As per the Bangladesh Bank data, POS-based transactions, mostly carried out in retail shops and restaurants, increased to Tk 1,349.6 crore in September this year against Tk 1,289.3 crore in the same month last year.

Retail sales using cards dropped to Tk 454.8 crore and Tk 715.6 crore respectively during the countrywide shutdown enforced in April and May to containing the spread of the coronavirus when many people lost their jobs.

About the decline in e-commerce transactions in August and September this year, e-commerce businesses said that the panic among people about the coronavirus had been fading gradually and they had started to buy goods and commodities by visiting grocery stores and shopping malls physically.

Asked about the spike in July and the gradual decline in August and September, they said that the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, observed in the country on August 1 this year, gave the additional boost to online sales along with the COVID-19 outbreak.